Workplace surveillance is changing. As technology becomes a bigger part of our working lives, it’s possible for us to be monitored in more ways than ever before. Since the Workplace Surveillance Act was introduced in 2005, technologies like smartphones, apps, GPS, wearables, biometrics and AI have transformed the way we work, and the rise in flexible work has brought workplace technologies into our homes.
Despite all this change, our workplace surveillance laws haven’t kept up. This is why workers and unions are campaigning for modern laws that give workers a genuine say in how technology is used at work.
Consider these 5 ways surveillance might impact you at work:
- Can your computer activity be tracked?
- Is your employer able to monitor your location with GPS?
- Is AI making decisions about performance in your workplace?
- Is facial or fingerprint recognition technology being used to identify you?
- Is your privacy protected when working from home?
In the face of an overwhelming range of technologies, we deserve to know what information is being collected about us, why it is being collected and how it will be used. Technology should make work safer, fairer and more productive; it shouldn’t give employers the opportunity to monitor or control.
That’s why we’re calling for NSW workplace surveillance laws to be modernised. Workers should have a genuine say in how new technology is introduced and used at work, and be provided with stronger, more comprehensive protections.