None of the metrics they track are directly tied to productivity, they're just ways for managers who don't trust their employees to be Big Brother with fewer uncomfortable personal interactions.
I think we can agree that this would be useful in low skill jobs. But would be perceived as insulting at most respectable companies who respect their employees.
Where do you plug in the whiteboard or your notepad/sketchbook or is there a Theta/Alpha wave interface?
Oh, you say. But he was just misusing the data! He should have collected more or different data! Look, the takeaway is that many managers will use this kind of data as a crutch, not a supplement. The employees will suffer and the biz will lose good staff. How about treating your staff like fucking adults, and if they are hitting the agreed delivery milestones, save your whip for the bedroom?
The most effective management system I have used was at Yahoo. You would fill in a daily and weekly TODO list on a wiki page, and the deltas were automatically emailed to your PM. Simple, respectful and effective.
I guess you have to ask yourself with what kind of people you want to work. Good/decent people (including managers) will use whatever data they've got to improve the lives of their co-workers and the prospects of the business. Where I work I have so much faith in the intentions and intellect of my co-workers I welcome sharing this kind of thing as I'm confident it will help me improve.
Not every workplace is filled with nefarious bosses out to spy on everything you do!