Work

Surveillance and the future of work: exploring employees’ attitudes toward monitoring in a post-COVID workplace

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: The future of work increasingly focuses on the collection and analysis of worker data to monitor communication, ensure productivity, reduce security threats, and assist in decision-making. The COVID-19 pandemic increased employer reliance on these technologies; however, the blurring of home and work boundaries meant these monitoring tools might also surveil private spaces. To explore workers’ attitudes toward increased monitoring practices, we present findings from a factorial vignette survey of 645 U.S. adults who worked from home during the early months of the pandemic. Using the theory of privacy as contextual integrity to guide the survey design and analysis, we unpack the types of workplace surveillance practices that violate privacy norms and consider attitudinal differences between male and female workers. Our findings highlight that the acceptability of workplace surveillance practices is highly contextual, and that reductions in privacy and autonomy at work may further exacerbate power imbalances, especially for vulnerable employees.

Source: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

DOI: 10.1093/jcmc/zmad007

Authors: Jessica Vitak, Michael Zimmer

Institutions: University of Maryland, College Park, Marquette University

Language: English

Topic: Privacy, Security, and Data Protection

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Gender equality

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Social Science Research Council