Britain’s workforce is being stifled by overzealous management according to a new report published by the London School of Economics (LSE).

The Microsoft sponsored research claims that supply chain technology initially developed to monitor stocks and goods, is now being applied to workers. The problem is being exasperated by a ‘command and control’ management culture that leads managers to misuse technology by over-scrutinising employee performance.

The report’s author, Dr Carsten Sorensen, argues that the use of these outdated management practices are causing the continued productivity gap between the UK and continental Europe.

“Workers need a new deal. We cannot assume as white-collar workers we have complete freedom. However, bosses cannot manage as they did before by command and control – there is simply too much information in a modern technology driven service economy. We need to trust people more”

According to the report the ‘Big Brother ‘ work environment, is a direct result of the micromanagement intrinsic in British management culture. It is a style incompatible with modern technology and UK businesses need to find new ways of managing people.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Ian Brinkley, chief economist at the TUC, suggested people are becoming unhappy with control:

“Recent research from the Economic and Social Research Council found that job satisfaction has fallen over the past 10 years because employees feel that they have more and more people looking over their shoulder. We need to rebuild trust, share risk and move to more partnership in the workforce.”