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Read and share online: https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/the-software-we-have-to-use-at-work-must-respect-our-freedom

Dear Free Software Supporter,

Many free software supporters worldwide are forced to give up their freedom when they log in or go to work. No matter how far you try to climb the Freedom Ladder in your private life, the real challenge starts when your employer forces you to use proprietary software at work. No one should be forced to use nonfree software to earn a paycheck! Software that employees use should always respect their freedom.

Software freedom is a human right. Every human being deserves to have the freedom to run, study, modify, and share the software they use. The software that your employer requires you to use must grant these same four freedoms, instead of freedom-robbing proprietary programs like Microsoft Office and Slack. Big Tech pushes their machine learning tools on users and feeds every word you type and every move you make into the gaping mouth of their systems -- no matter whether the users (or employers) consent to this or not. For these reasons, it is becoming even more urgent that we reject proprietary software. When a dystopian reality seems just around the corner, software freedom is more important than ever.

Employers, respect your employees' freedom!

The benefits of software freedom for companies and organizations

Free software offers an immense quantity of benefits for both employees and employers. With free software, you, the user or the employer, decide what you want the program to do. You're in full control over your computing, your data, and the output. You retain sovereignty over your organization's most confidential data, instead of being forced to reveal secrets to greedy and negligent companies like Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. Companies like Microsoft may promise that they keep your organization's data safe, but who can confirm if they really do? With libre software, you're not at the mercy of Big Tech: you decide who has access to your information, infrastructure, and patents in progress.

Furthermore, only you choose how long you want to use a libre program. You don't have to rely on a company providing software patches and security updates. Even if the main developer decides to drop a program, you can call on the free software community to further develop the software or ask your tech department or a contractor to maintain the software, which will in most cases be much cheaper than paying for a license year after year.

In addition, with free software, you decide what features you want. If you need a new feature, you can contact the developer with your organization's story and ideas. Someone from your organization or an outside contractor can adapt the software to your organization's needs. With free software, you have the freedom to modify, improve, and customize the program as you see fit.

In case the ethical arguments have not convinced you to make the switch to free software, consider doing it to save money. While the "free" in "free software" means "free" as in "freedom", not as in "free beer," free/libre software will often save your organization thousands or even millions in software licenses.

Libre programs for your organization

Employers, don't force employees to work with nonfree software! There are so many fantastic and reliable programs that respect yours and your workers' freedom. For programs that your organization could transition to, see our list of software for organizations that are comparable (if not better) than well-known proprietary programs.

To find even more free software tailored to the specific needs of your organization, check out the FSF's Free Software Directory. There are so many awesome and freedom-respecting replacements for proprietary software!

Not entirely convinced that it's possible to run an entire organization on freedom? It is! The FSF has given software freedom to its employees since 1985! For more success stories of free software being used at work, see the FSF's blog and our Working Together for Free Software interview series.

Surveillance at the workplace

Another trend that we are watching with increasing concern is that more and more proprietary tech is surveilling everything employees do. Measuring productivity and controlling attendance while depriving people of their freedom and privacy seems to have become the norm. The list of surveillance tech used at workplaces includes RFID badges, GPS time clock apps, NFC apps, QR code clocking-in, Apple Watch, and biometric scanners. Systems of wireless networking, motion sensors, and Bluetooth signals also monitor behavior and profile workers.

Bulk surveillance and violating people's rights to privacy is bad, no matter the software used. One of the major problems with proprietary software is that you can't check what it is actually doing. So, a lot of employees get surveilled by the software they are forced to use everyday without realizing it, and more crucially, without the ability to do anything against it.

Make no mistake, it is not just the employers who learn what their employees are doing. The surveillance tech company harvests this information, too! Who knows what they learn about the organization and its employees?

Employers should not monitor employees at work, no matter the software. Read any business guidebook or talk to a business coach, and they'll assure you: the more freedom you grant your employees, the better they'll work. As Stan Phelps, who studies employee engagement and technology, phrased it in the business magazine Forbes: "By giving employees freedom and control over their actions, [...] employers [...] boost employee engagement and productivity."

What employees can do

Unite against proprietary software at your workplace and campaign against employers using surveillance technology against you. A single employee may not be able to sway management to abandon proprietary software, but united, we are strong.

Talk with your coworkers (and if you have a good relationship, also with your management). If you're in a union, you can suggest they run a free software at the workplace campaign. No matter whether you're unionized or not, you can raise awareness of the multitude of serious issues with proprietary software and explain to the people you work with why software freedom is an ethical imperative, at work and everywhere else. Of course, you can share this article with your colleagues and management to buttress your argument.

Check out our job page where we publish free software-friendly jobs, and find employers that won't force you to use proprietary software but will respect your freedom.

The FSF has been campaigning for your software freedom for forty years. We can't advocate for your user freedom, at work and everywhere else, alone -- join us in our crucial work to guard user freedom and defy Big Tech. Become an associate member today and convince your coworkers to join us, too. Every associate member counts and every new member will help us reach our fundraising goal of 200 new members. By supporting us today, you help secure a brighter future.

We know not everyone is in a position to donate $140 USD or more, which is why we also offer the Friends membership at $35 USD that comes with a different set of benefits. You can also now apply to receive a sponsored FSF membership.

Thanks for staying vigilant and standing up for your user rights -- at work and everywhere else. We're here to support you. Feel free to email us with your personal stories about free and nonfree software at your workplace or company. We're happy to collect these stories and publish them (anonymously) if you wish.

Yours in freedom,

Miriam Bastian
Program Manager

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