New software analyses conversation tone

Ever second guessed the tone in an email from a work colleague? Or worried about the way they spoke to you over the phone?

A new office surveillance system has been released by US company Cataphora which enables employers to monitor and analyse workers’ email, phone and other written communications – with the aim of separating the good employees from the bad.

It “encompasses a large number of techniques for analysing emotive tone in electronic communications”, the company’s website says. The system flags behaviors such as the use of caps in emails and sudden changes in language use.

“Our software builds a multi-dimensional model of normal behavior,” Cataphora chief executive Elizabeth Charnock told CNN. “Not all abnormal behavior is bad or dangerous, of course. However, most bad or dangerous behavior is statistically abnormal.”

“[We can tell] who is really being consulted by other employees, and on which topics; who is really making decisions,” Charnock said. “What employees actually think about their managers and other topics that are sensitive enough to not be truthfully answered on questionnaires or surveys.”