The Connected Workplace: Characteristics and Social Consequences of Work Surveillance in the Age of Datification, Sensorization, and Artificial Intelligence

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_DB118ED90811
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The Connected Workplace: Characteristics and Social Consequences of Work Surveillance in the Age of Datification, Sensorization, and Artificial Intelligence
Journal
Journal of Information Technology
Author(s)
Mettler Tobias
Publication state
In Press
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Language
english
Abstract
Because of Covid-19 lockdowns, managers and administrators have begun to look for new ways to monitor and control their stranded-at-home workforce. Yet long before the pandemic already, advancements in datification, sensorization, and artificial intelligence have given rise to what we call connected workplace surveillance. At the heart of this new mode of employee monitoring and control is the extension of the scope of data collection beyond what is necessary and reasonable for performance appraisals or managerial oversight. This includes treating an employee’s body as a data source, disrespecting the boundaries between business and private life, or using gathered surveillance information for subtle persuasion, manipulation, and coercion. This article provides a new perspective on control theory, examining the characteristics of connected surveillance and comparing it to visual or computerized surveillance. Taking an employee-centric position, it also proposes a research agenda for critical, behavioral, and design-oriented scholars who wish to explore the identified issues.
Keywords
Artificial intelligence, AI, algorithmic management, datification, control theory, future of work, physiolytics, sensors, surveillance capitalism
Open Access
Yes
Funding(s)
Swiss National Science Foundation / Programmes / 187429
Create date
05/09/2023 14:51
Last modification date
09/09/2023 6:51
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