My opinion is that such automated productivity tracking systems, the approach of the company’s leading persons to organize a productive workflow, and how this business entity prioritizes organizational goals and principles are wrong. I think they are damaging mentally and physically to employees, detrimental to employers in the long run, and drive business culture into a corrupt and unethical state. One of the most absurd yet significant shortcomings of these automated digital employee-monitoring systems is that they do not allow workers to go to the restroom or take small breaks in a physiologically and psychologically satisfying way for them (Ockenfels-Martinez, 2021). Reviews and revelations about the working conditions and processes in Amazon warehouses of their former and current staff are proof of it (Ockenfels-Martinez, 2021). From my perspective, not allowing one to perform the necessary bodily functions comfortably in the workplace is borderline slavery. High productivity, workflow optimization, and growing profits are what business entities should move forward for, but not at the cost of fundamental ethics.
Automated productivity tracking systems not only inconvenience the personnel wearing them and make their work almost uncomfortable but also lead to the emergence of various ailments. According to Ockenfels-Martinez (2021), “constant surveillance results in stress, anxiety, and depression” (para. 6). The presence of system supervisors is another factor that reinforces and multiplies the mental pressure on warehouse personnel because they may start to feel more hierarchically dependent. Ockenfels-Martinez (2021) also argues that “the less control and agency a worker has, the more likely they are to have negative health outcomes” (para. 7). The short-term consequence of implementing this method of monitoring employees could be their growing turnover, and a bad reputation of being an immoral and heartless employer for the company is a long-term one. The company should slightly change its focus from productivity and customer satisfaction to the more humane treatment of its staff. Removing the automated productivity tracking system is the first step.
Reference
Ockenfels-Martinez, M. (2021). Blog: Workplace surveillance harms essential workers. Othering and Belonging Institute.