Some employers report using surveillance tools because they fear that remote work lowers productivity. However, research consistently shows the opposite is true. The International Workplace Group found that 85% of businesses reported that offering remote options made their businesses more productive—with 67% estimating that it improved productivity by at least one-fifth.
Concerns about workplace surveillance are rising across federal and state governments.
Employers should exercise strong caution when using automated surveillance tools. They should develop best practices that limit surveillance through intentional centralized governance procedures that prioritize inclusion for people with disabilities and other underrepresented groups. Aside from legal compliance concerns, automated workplace surveillance could result in harmful organizational cultures and other undesirable outcomes.
People with disabilities and chronic health conditions are less likely to be employed due to systemic barriers, including workplace discrimination. They are also particularly vulnerable to the harms of automated surveillance, which can exacerbate barriers. When it comes to automated decision-making, research shows that data science predictions are often completely wrong for outlier groups like people with disabilities.
Employers are adopting new surveillance technologies to monitor and rank how employees move and behave on the job. However, this trend may create barriers for workers with disabilities and other underrepresented groups, undermining Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) goals. Surveillance technologies can result in negative workplace cultures and even cause legal issues for the employers who use them.
In the workplace context, surveillance technologies are tools that monitor employees at work, including by automatically tracking employee productivity, attentiveness, movement, and other metrics. Employers might use this information to make decisions about task management, advancement, and even termination.
Albert Kim, Accessibility Consultant, Trainer, and Founder of Accessibility Next Gen, discusses the challenges workers with invisible disabilities face and shares his own lived experience. He gives tips for employers who want to make sure their organizations are inviting and inclusive for people whether or not they wish to disclose their disability. […]
This brief overview is designed to help leadership understand the value of inclusive extended reality (XR) technologies in the workplace.
Start with a Model The Equitable AI Playbook encourages organizations to consider a hub-and-spoke model for their Equitable AI initiative. In a Hub-and-spoke model, a central group (“Hub”) is led by C-Level and establishes standards, processes, and policies. “Spokes” are business unit or function teams that oversee execution of the policies and processes by implementation [...]
Staff training is an essential component of your Equitable AI professional development program. Like other elements of staff training on disability inclusion, putting these structures in place helps ensure all employees understand their organization’s vision, policies, initiative structure, and resources for implementing equitable AI. Developing a successful culture of inclusion requires that everyone an organization [...]
Our mission is to foster collaborations that make emerging technologies accessible. To support workplaces in using inclusive technologies that engage the skills of employees with disabilities. To build a future that works. Click here to learn more about PEAT.
