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TikTok brings ‘MyRTO’ app to track office attendance of US employees
Starting October, employees must work from office three days a week, while some teams are expected five days a week.
TikTok employees in the United States have been notified that a new tool will track their office attendance, with the company saying that the app, called ‘MyRTO,’ is meant to ‘help set expectations for in-office attendance.’
“The ultimate goal of MyRTO is to provide greater clarity and context to both employees and leaders regarding their RTO (return to office) expectations and in-office schedules, and help foster more transparent communications,” the New York Times, which reported the development, quoted TikTok spokeswoman Jodi Seth as saying.
The ‘MyRTO’ app
“We are now providing the next suite of tools and information for both employees and leaders to better allocate time spent in the office optimising collaboration,” an email to staff members said, introducing MyRTO.
According to the US daily, the app is built into the company's internal software; it monitors badge swipes and asks staffers to explain ‘deviations’ or, in other words, their absences on days on which they are meant to work from office.
A dashboard with the data is visible to employees, their team leaders, as well as members of the human resource department.
Employees react…
As per the report, TikTok staffers are ‘taken aback’ by the introduction of the attendance tracking service, and the ‘disciplinarian’ tone of the Bytedance-owned firm.
“While some in-person work is important, both the app and threats of punishment are unnecessary. Colleagues are now fearful of failing to comply,” a current employee told the publication on the condition of anonymity.
TikTok office mandate
Under the policy, to be effective starting October, people must be in office three days a week, while some teams are expected five days a week. Violation of the policy, whether deliberate or not, may result in ‘disciplinary actions,’ including ‘impact on performance reviews.’
TikTik has around 7000 people working for it in the United States, in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, among others.
