Reference no: EM133517894

Mobile and wearable devices are making it easier than ever to track what employees at work. True, measuring physical motions of workers goes back to the industrial age. But motion-sensing devices (think Fitbit fitness trackers or Apple watches for the workplace) make data collection precise and affordable. Add to this the ease of data entry via smartphones and tablets, as well as computers positioned on workstations, and there are almost no limits to what employers can know about employees' activities.

Examples of how employers are using the technology include the measurement of computer keystrokes, employee traffic patterns as they walk, and driving patterns of employees who travel or make deliveries in company vehicles. At Florida Hospital Celebration Health, nurses and patient care technicians wear badges in which sensors detect where they are throughout each shift. Analysis of data can identify sources of inefficiency affecting performance-for example, that nearby supply stations are improperly stocked. An ad agency has employees sign in each day by posting selfies on a designated social-media service; it says the advantage is that it can easily keep attendance when employees are working off-site.

Along with the ability to gather data come questions about whether some kinds of data are or should be off limits. In the United States, federal law gives employers latitude to observe employees on the job, but the monitoring has to be in working areas during work hours. Also, employers should be careful to use monitoring consistently and not in a way that targets groups protected by fair-employment laws. While complying with the law, employers also need to consider ethical boundaries such as fairness, consent, and mutual respect.

One relevant consideration is that data can empower employees as well as management. In one situation, an employee juggling home and work responsibilities asked to start work at 10 a.m. The company was reluctant, but when it measured her performance, it found that this employee was significantly more productive on the days she started later. Armed with the data, the employee made the case for a flexible work arrangement.

Questions

1. How can high-tech collection of performance data be done consistently with the basic human rights upheld by the U.S. Constitution, such as the rights of free speech and due process?

2. Imagine you work for a hospital that wants to track the travel patterns of its nurses to ensure they work efficiently and that each patient is visited a certain number of times each day. What measures would you recommend to promote fairness in the way the system is implemented?