observation and toward nudging. Aside from it being used to push employees
to work harder (“add oil!”), it could function much like a Fitbit: “For instance,
the idea that data will register from your desk chair and your computer will
prompt you, after an hour of sitting, to get up and take a walk,” Kopp says.Brantner says the Amazon wristbands could be used to minimize the amount
of hard physical labor and punishing hours workers in the warehouses are
subject to, but she hasn’t seen any sign that the company is inclined to use
them in that way. “Whether these companies are using these technologies to
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we’re just not seeing it,” Brantner says.:KDWHYHUEHQH¿WVWKHUHDUHWRHPSOR\HHPRQLWRULQJ GHFUHDVHLQWKHIWHDV\
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of the technology itself. Surveillance can be counterproductive, limiting
employee output and seriously inhibiting creativity—the presence of creative
coworkers spreads workplace creativity as long as supervisors do not monitor
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Business and Economics indicate that just the presence of electronic
surveillance can lead employees to lash out with counterproductive behavior.Employees who are monitored can feel uneasy and stressed in the workplace
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being. Monitoring inherently engenders a feeling of distrust between employee
and employer, resulting in problems with retention, though Kopp points out,
“When companies are transparent about the information they are collecting
and why they want it, nearly half of employees are generally OK with it.”Still, surveillance can be demoralizing and dehumanizing. No matter the
industry, workers fear that robots are standing by to replace them. Until then, a
cyborg army straps on badges that monitor speech and slips their feet into
boots that track location.PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION (^) I SUBSCRIBE (^) I FEBRUARY 2020