Labour is today calling for the Government to urgently update
guidance on employment practices amidst a sharp increase in the
use of remote surveillance by businesses, as more people work
from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a recent YouGov survey, one in five firms has
introduced online software to track employees working remotely
and monitor their productivity, or is planning to do so. Research
by the TUC has also found that one in seven workers say that
monitoring and surveillance at work has increased during the
pandemic.
As well as monitoring emails, messages and meeting attendance,
online software can even log how long it takes people to reply
and record camera shots. The data can be used to assess
performance and analysis by the TUC has found that artificial
intelligence increasingly has a role in redundancy decisions,
leading to an increased risk of discrimination against disabled
workers or those caring for children.
Labour is calling for the Code of Employment Practices from the
Informational Commissioner’s Office to be updated urgently in
light of rapid changes to how people work. In addition, Labour is
calling for any use of personal data through surveillance to be
subject to a Data Protection Impact Assessment, as well as
consultation with employees and trade unions, before it is
introduced.
,
Labour’s Shadow Digital Minister, said:
“Guidance and regulation to protect workers are woefully outdated
in light of the accelerated move to remote working and rapid
advancements in technology.
“The bottom line is that workers should not be digitally
monitored without their informed consent, and there should be
clear rules, rights and expectations for both businesses and
workers.
“Ministers must urgently provide better regulatory oversight of
online surveillance software to ensure people have the right to
privacy whether in their workplace or home - which are
increasingly one and the same.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
- 12% of all firms have already implemented remote tracking
software (16% at larger firms).
- Almost 1 in 10 firms are considering remote tracking
8% of all firms have considered it and plan to implement it
in the future (11% at larger firms), while 13% have
considered it but don't plan to implement it.
The total sample size of this study was 2,009 corporate decision
makers in Great Britain, of which 1,614 currently have employees
working remotely. The fieldwork was undertaken between 27 October
and 4 November 2020.
-
Prospect
research shows that the public are concerned about the
risks of automated decisions and workplace surveillance.
The TUC
has found that one in seven workers say that monitoring and
surveillance at work has increased during the Covid-19 pandemic,
and has pointed to the use of AI in decisions about which staff
to let go.
