TD Bank Expands Employee Monitoring Software to Boost Productivity Amid Privacy Concerns

Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank) has informed employees within its financial crimes and risk management division that it will introduce employee monitoring software designed to track workplace activity, raising concerns about privacy, consent, and workplace surveillance.

According to a team call recording reviewed by Reuters and internal documents shared with staff, the software will monitor the amount of time employees spend using web browsers, internal chat platforms, and meeting applications. The tool, known as WorkiQ and developed by ActiveOps, is intended to provide managers with better visibility into workflow efficiency, team capacity, and overall productivity.

TD Bank stated that the monitoring program is a common practice across the financial services industry and emphasized that the system is not powered by artificial intelligence. The bank said the software helps managers allocate resources more effectively and identify operational inefficiencies while maintaining safeguards to protect employee privacy.

During a meeting with staff, Deanna Pacitti, TD’s Associate Vice President of High-Risk Investigations, explained that the software had undergone a privacy review before deployment. She noted that WorkiQ operates in the background and tracks application usage without recording conversations or monitoring the specific content employees work on. For example, the software may detect that an employee is using Microsoft Excel but will not capture details from spreadsheets.

The initiative comes as TD continues to strengthen its financial crimes and compliance operations following significant regulatory penalties related to money laundering violations in the United States. The bank has also adapted to a hybrid work model, with many employees splitting their time between home and office environments.

Internal documents indicate that TD believes the software can help restore management visibility that diminished during the shift to remote work. Employees on the call raised questions regarding data collection, performance evaluations, and whether consent would be required before monitoring begins.

Some staff members argued that resources spent on tracking employee activity could instead be directed toward reducing manual processes and improving workplace systems. Management acknowledged these concerns, suggesting the collected data could help demonstrate areas where automation and operational improvements are needed.

The move reflects a broader trend among major corporations and financial institutions adopting workplace monitoring technology to enhance productivity, measure workload distribution, and improve operational efficiency, even as employee concerns about privacy and surveillance continue to grow.