The only measurement that matters is, does the employee deliver the expected work on time? Checking up on them with phone calls is just a little less oppressive

The only measurement that matters is, does the employee deliver the expected work on time? Checking up on them with phone calls is just a little less oppressive than using cameras and keyloggers. But surveillance doesn’t measure productivity, it enforces presence or the appearance of work. The employer could monitor heart rates but that doesn’t tell them anything about productivity. If the only measure of productivity the employer can manage is counting people at their desks eight hours a day that’s just terrible management. Employers can’t give employees “full freedom.” Nor can they prohibit the employee doing whatever they want on their own time. Forcing employees to commit to one job is just coercion unless there’s some clear business rationale behind it, not just control and an attitude that the employer owns the employee.