Growing numbers of employers are using sinister surveillance techniques to monitor staff, with negligible or even non-existent productivity benefits far outweighed by privacy, well-being and mental health impacts.
Officials from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) have warned that bosses are "increasingly" using cameras, microphones, wearables, geolocation, tracking devices and computer monitoring software to keep an ever closer watch on staff.
Although these "digital surveillance" tools are intended to "provide employers with information to help improve their operations," they are being used in ways that "negatively affect workers" - which you can read about later in this article.
The report quoted one tech employee as saying: “I was sent a company computer with a webcam and required to have it on at all times (except for breaks). The computer requires me to log in to my user profile... I am required to scan my facial biometrics. Once the lengthy verification login process is done, I am on camera all day.
"The webcam monitoring software uses AI to track what is caught on camera, looking for violations. Certain violations are known to us, such as pointing a phone at the screen or leaving the desk, but no further information is told to us about all violations the AI is looking for and what else the AI is tracking.”
When leaders decide to spy on their staff, they're typically hoping to boost efficiency, enhance performance, improve security or make the workplace safer.
Yet the victory is pyrrhic at best. GAO investigators identified major concerns about the effectiveness of snooping.
"Unions commented that digital surveillance may discourage workers from unionising, make workers feel distrusted by their employers, and decrease workplace morale," GAO wrote.
"Privacy was the most frequently raised concern by stakeholders and the potential for discrimination or bias was also a frequently raised concern."
What tech do companies use to spy on workers?
To understand the prevalence and effects of workplace surveillance, GAO analysed 217 comments that "stakeholders" submitted in response to a request for information from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The tech broke down into five categories:
Cameras and microphones: Video and audio-monitoring tools were "the most commonly mentioned" devices, with 51 stakeholders reporting the use of cameras and 22 mentioning audio recording for purposes such as monitoring calls (often for "training purposes" - an infuriating phrase anyone who's ever phoned a call centre is likely to have heard). These surveillance tools are used in warehousing, retail, healthcare, domestic service, call centres, and trucking sectors.
Computer monitoring software: The second most common type of digital surveillance tool, mentioned by 42 stakeholders. This software allows employers to track keystrokes and mouse and eye movements, monitor text, and take screenshots. Workers' location, attendance, browser history and office attendance are also monitored. This tech is mostly used to oppress office workers.
Geolocation software. A total of 33 stakeholders said employers use this tech to track their workers’ location. It can be installed on personal phones to track movements throughout the day or monitor vehicle speed, driving behaviour, and the route drivers take. It's used in industries such as long-haul trucking, delivery services, rideshare, gig work, healthcare, domestic service, and construction - often for relatively non-creepy tasks such as enabling customers to keep an eye on the journey of a food order they've delivered.
Tracking applications: These tools monitor workers’ start and end times, track their body movements, assess their speed of work, and keep a close watchful eye on other activities. They often need workers to download an application onto personal or company-provided devices and are commonly use . These applications are often deployed in rideshare, warehousing, retail, and healthcare sectors, with 30 respondents reporting the use of tracking tools.
Wearables: Employers often force workers to "attach various forms of wearable technology to themselves "for monitoring purposes". Electronic sensors embedded in these devices can monitor conversations, track body movements or monitor biometric health data, including heart rate and blood pressure.2 These tools can be found in offices, healthcare, warehouses and heavy industry. GAO received 27 reports about their use.
Does office surveillance improve worker productivity?
The answer to this question depends on who you ask. Researchers and stakeholders from unions and advocacy organisations argued that "digital surveillance tools may not accurately measure productivity.", whilst trade associations and researchers claimed that it "increases worker productivity".
However, 31 respondents warned that surveillance offers an "incomplete or inaccurate measure of productivity" because "some tasks may be completed offline or are not easily traced".
Overall, 16 stakeholders, including trade associations, researchers, and a technology developer claimed that digital surveillance increases worker productivity. Nine disagreed, and one researcher said that "workers frequently take on insignificant or meaningless tasks to meet metrics that make them appear productive."
"This can include jiggling a mouse so it is registered by monitoring software," GAO wrote. This movement can be simulated - but it's important to remember that use of jiggling tech can be a sackable offence.
Thirty-one stakeholders, including workers and stakeholders from unions and research organisations, said digital surveillance may "discourage unionising efforts."
A further 20 said digital surveillance "may make workers feel distrusted by employers, with nine workers specifically commenting they felt that their employers did not trust them."
One researcher highlighted a “negative spiral” in which "employer distrust demotivated workers and adversely affected productivity", whilst 19 said it "can have a negative effect on workers’ morale".
"Morale decreases when workers who are monitored worry about how their productivity scores will affect their pay," a researcher warned.
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Workers and researchers also said surveillance tools "had negative effects on mental health and generally negative effects on workplace safety".
Surveillance increases stress and increases the risk of mental health issues - particularly when employers turn productivity-scoring systems into “games” that "pit workers against each other by making their productivity metrics public".
A call centre agent said: “All of these tools are often used to drive an unrelenting push for sales. This pressure to sell and the various ways that managers can monitor me creates an enormous amount of stress. Over the past few years in this position, the stress has made me sick to my stomach and unable to get out of bed in the morning to do my job. I’ve started taking [medical leave] as a result of missing workdays due to stress.”
Some workers also claimed digital surveillance could "lead to potential discrimination or bias toward workers based on race" including, for instance, rideshare drivers who get bad ratings because of racist passengers.
It could also "lead to potential discrimination or bias against women or pregnant workers. One advocacy organisation reported that a wellness app used by employers "gathered information about menstruation, fertility, and pregnancy".
Additionally, stakeholders said: "Workers with disabilities may need more time to complete tasks, and digital surveillance that monitors their productivity may flag them as low performers."
However, it's not all bad news. Well, not quite. There are some benefits for employees as well as employers. For instance, if rideshare platforms monitor unusual activities such as long pauses in activity, they can quickly identify an emergency.
Digital surveillance tools can also "enhance workplace security by deterring potential criminal activity such as workplace violence, theft, and security breaches", as well as monitoring safety, giving workers the ability to press a panic button to summon help or ensuring they maintain social distancing during pandemics.
The next step for GAO is to produce a new report incorporating stakeholder interviews and a literature search to enhance the "information related to the impacts and uses of digital surveillance" and "address how federal agencies oversee employers' use of digital surveillance technology."
Is your employer spying on you? Get in touch with jasper@thestack.technology to blow the whistle.
