Norwegian alarm system monitors length of office lavatory visits

Managers are alerted by flashing lights if an employee is away from their desk for a loo break or other personal activities beyond the allotted time.

But unions and workplace inspectors have branded the practice at insurance company DNB as highly intrusive and a potential breach of their human rights.

Norway’s privacy regulator called Datatilsynet has now written to DNB telling them the monitoring system is a major violation of privacy.

It said: Each individual worker has different needs and these kinds of strict controls deprive the employees of all freedoms over the course of their working day.

The employees union Finansforbundet described the rules as unacceptable.