Cameras on all day? You have a trust problem

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I couldn't believe what I heard on a call last week.

One of my team members mentioned that she knew someone who worked at a US company that made everyone keep their cameras on for the entire 8-hour workday. 

Not just for meetings. All day. Every day. 

They also used time-tracking software that took random screenshots to make sure you weren’t “looking away” from your screen.

The reasoning? "So management could see that people were actually working."

Here's what that really signals: a complete breakdown of trust and leadership.

If you need to watch your employees like a security guard, you haven't hired the right people. And if you have hired the right people, you're about to lose them with this kind of surveillance.

The best remote workers I know would quit immediately if asked to work under a camera all day. They want to be judged on results, not on whether they're sitting at their desk looking busy.

The Cost of Remote Management Gone Wrong

Here's what happens when remote management turns into surveillance:

Your best people leave. High performers don't tolerate being treated like they can't be trusted. They have options, and they'll use them.

You attract the wrong talent. The only people willing to work under constant surveillance are those who don't have better options.

Productivity actually drops. People spend more energy performing "busy work" for the camera than doing meaningful work.

Innovation dies. A lot of creative problem-solving happens during walks, in showers, and during breaks. Not while staring into a webcam.

After working with hundreds of companies building remote teams, these are some of the common issues many founders run into when managing remote teams:

• No clear KPIs per role → People don't know what success looks like, which leads to:

  • Underperforming team members

  • Uneven output

  • Missed targets

• Meeting overload → Deep work gets crushed by calendar bloat:

  • Slower delivery

  • Lower quality and stalled creativity

• Unclear ownership → Deadlines slip because no one owns the outcome:

  • Missed client expectations

  • Budget overruns

• Poor communication → Mismanagement leads to miscommunication:

  • Confusing deliverables and expectations

  • Delayed outcomes

• Missing status updates → Bottlenecks stay hidden until it's too late:

  • Missed deadlines

  • Rushed/sub-par outcomes

Notice what's not on that list? Whether someone is sitting at their desk at 2:47 PM.

Visibility vs. Surveillance: There's a Better Way

Surveillance is cameras, screenshots, and activity monitoring divorced from actual business outcomes.

Visibility is clear goals, shared dashboards, and regular check-ins focused on results.

At Go Carpathian, we run a 100% remote team across multiple continents. 

We recommend avoiding cameras and screenshot software entirely. Instead, we built a system around outcomes and accountability that actually works.

The Remote Management System That Actually Works

Here's the framework we use to manage remote teams without turning into the productivity police:

1. Outcomes First

Every role gets 3-5 clear KPIs that we review weekly. 

Our sales team tracks booking targets and pipeline quality. Our operations team measures placement speed (target: 2-4 weeks) and client satisfaction scores. Our marketing team monitors lead quality and cost per acquisition.

When people know exactly what success looks like, they figure out how to deliver it.

2. Light Time Tracking as a Tool, Not a Leash

We use Clockify to track hours, but only for two reasons:

• Pay the hourly team members accurately

• Run time studies to identify bottlenecks in our processes

We're not using it to “police time." We're using it to pay fairly and optimize workflows.

3. Daily Rhythm That Builds Accountability

Every team member sends:

• Start-of-day: Top priorities for the day, any blockers, ETA for deliverables

• End-of-day: What was completed, next steps, help needed

This takes 2 minutes to write and 30 seconds to read. But it keeps everyone aligned without surveillance.

4. Weekly Updates

Every role reports their KPIs once per week in a simple format. Sales teams report bookings and pipeline. Operations reports placements and time-to-hire. Marketing reports leads and conversion rates.

These get shared async before our weekly team meeting, so the meeting focuses on problem-solving, not status updates.

5. The Right Hiring Standards

We pre-vet every candidate for English proficiency, business communication skills, and the ability to thrive with minimal supervision. 

When you hire people who've worked in professional environments before, you don't need to babysit them.

The Tool Stack That Supports Visibility

• Communication: Slack for updates, Google Meetings with notetakers like Fireflies, Fathom, and Gemini, and Loom for context

• Project management: Notion for our playbooks, guides, and Gantt charts 

• Documentation: Google Docs for shared knowledge

• Time tracking: Clockify for pay accuracy and task tracking

• Reporting: Ongoing project “hubs” with status updates in Google Sheets

The tools matter less than the practice. Keep it simple and consistent.

Stop Managing Activities, Start Managing Outcomes

The companies that thrive with remote teams focus on results, not activity. They hire adults and treat them like adults.

When you're looking to build a remote team, especially with international talent, partner with someone who understands this approach.

At Go Carpathian, we've placed many remote professionals who deliver results without surveillance. 

Our candidates are pre-vetted for experience, skills, self-management, and business communication specifically because we know the best remote workers want to be judged on their output, not their webcam presence.

Book a free discovery call, and we'll show you some of the top-performing remote candidates out there.

Until next time,