week 9 surveillance in the workplace Flashcards
Q: Who are the surveillance agents and subjects in the workplace?
A: Agents = managers/owners; Subjects = workers.
Q: What is strategic workplace surveillance?
A: Surveillance used to manage productivity, efficiency, loss prevention, and compliance through tools like cameras, spyware, time-tracking, and observation.
Q: What is an example of lo-fi surveillance?
A: A manager physically observing workers rather than using digital tools.
Q: What are examples of high-tech surveillance tools in the workplace?
A: Spyware, keycard access logs, vehicle cameras, GPS tracking, AI resume screening, etc.
Q: What is Taylorism?
A: A system of scientific management that breaks down labor into measurable units to increase efficiency; tied to surveillance through quota tracking and time management.
Q: How is Taylorism linked to surveillance?
A: It introduces disciplinary power by monitoring worker productivity and minimizing “unproductive” time (e.g., invention of the punch clock).
Q: How does the short-handled hoe (“El Cortito”) act as a surveillance tool?
A: It forced workers to bend, allowing managers to visually identify who was actively working, leading to health issues and symbolic exploitation.
Q: How does surveillance operate in the gig economy (e.g., Uber)?
A: Through GPS tracking, app data, and customer reviews, which are used to allocate tasks and evaluate performance.
Q: What’s notable about Uber’s surveillance data use?
A: Their route and behavior data has even been used for infrastructure monitoring, showing how non-private data can still be powerful and revealing.
Q: What did the Amazon worker surveillance survey reveal?
A: 70% reported needing unpaid time off due to stress.
44% couldn’t take breaks due to pace pressure.
Surveillance caused both mental and physical stress.
Q: How does surveillance in companies like Amazon affect worker health and morale?
A: Leads to mental stress, burnout, physical injury, and lack of trust due to extreme performance monitoring.
Q: What is behavior-based monitoring?
A: Surveillance focused on every action or activity rather than the final outcome or work quality.
Q: What is outcome-based monitoring?
A: Surveillance focused on what was accomplished, not how it was done — considered a more respectful and trust-based approach.
Q: What is a Surveillance Impact Assessment?
A: An evaluation of how surveillance impacts worker safety, trust, mental and physical health, and workplace relationships.
Q: What is PIPEDA and how does it relate to workplace surveillance?
A: A Canadian federal privacy law regulating data collection and disclosure by private organizations — not often used effectively for workplace surveillance.
Q: How can unions influence workplace surveillance?
A: Through collective bargaining, unions can negotiate contracts that limit or define surveillance practices.
Q: What are the risks of behavior-based monitoring?
A: Corrodes trust
Causes stress
Blurs boundary between work and private life (e.g., spyware on personal devices)
Often imposed without worker consultation
