Several offices have started monitoring their workers a bit more closely. This is being done by the use of sensors installed at the workplace.
Bloomberg reports that the reason for sensors being installed is to better serve a sense of efficiency at work, improving things such as the ability to save energy like when the appropriate times are for turning on lights and HVAC systems. Another reason that lurks beneath the surface is the fact that its alternative intent may be to track the usage of conference rooms or to identify empty desks at companies without fixed workstations.
A similar story of this had surfaced about a year ago when journalists at the British newspaper called "Telegraph" reported peculiar devices at their desks in the form of little black boxes with "OccupEye" as its label. While this alarmed a great deal of workers, this was definitely not the first case as many other companies have been doing the same thing but on a less obvious degree. What is perhaps most surprising is that the installation of sensors to track your location at work does not fall under any sort of illegal activity, as long as it does not involve the bathroom.
While most kinds of devices such as these pose no threat to a worker's privacy, there have been reports that the latest location-tracking sensor being used by a Boston consulting group on 100 volunteer employees claiming that it might be a bit too much. The device has a microphone and a location sensor embedded into it, tracking physical and verbal interactions.
Business Insider claims that though a bit invasive, the sensors being used to track your location at work generate a much more efficient way of looking or directly communicating to a co-worker compared to sending an array of emails or Slack messages. Even workplaces such as Google use them, despite the freedom and the vast display of benefits offered at the workplace. While it may not be breaching any sort of law yet, sources claim that it is to improve general workflow and efficiency in the company.
