More workers controlled, monitored, assessed by an algorithm

Because work is increasingly carried out digitally, more and more data is available to employers. As a result, more and more workers are controlled, monitored, and assessed by an algorithm. That can have consequences for their job satisfaction and mental health, the Volkskrant wrote based on a report by TNO and the Rathenau Institute published on Wednesday.

No hard figures are available, but researcher Djurre Das of the Rathenau Institute calls it likely that every worker faces some form of digital management. “The best-known examples are, of course, in the platform economy, where the manager is completely automated. But it also happens in regular organizations, much more subtly,” Das told the newspaper. He mentioned truck drivers tracked with a GPS as an example.

Monitoring and assessment have existed for as long as there have been managers, but technological developments have made it much more intensive, the researchers said. “Previously, the manager was physically present. Now, there are all kinds of tools,” said Das. “Look at call centers, for example, where AI can now convert entire conversations into text and search that text to see if too many diminutives are being used.”

The researchers surveyed 60,000 employees. 28 percent of them experience more control as a result of new technology. This group reports a higher mental burden, a decreased sense of autonomy, and, remarkably, lower productivity. Increased productivity is often cited as the goal of algorithmic management.

According to the researchers, algorithmic management can have negative consequences in the workplace. “I spoke to women at a call center who were afraid that they took too long in the toilet when they had their period,” Das said. “Some employees ran to the supermarket during their break because they were afraid they would be late returning from their lunch break.”

TNO researcher Wouter van der Torre added that the technology itself isn’t necessarily the problem but rather how employers use it. “There are also applications that make work easier and more inclusive,” he said. He mentioned an app that enables public garden workers - often people at a distance from the labor market - to prune public gardens independently. They upload photos of their work, and the algorithm assesses whether they can move on to the next bunch.

To ensure that technology supports employees instead of undermining them, employers and employees need to discuss the topic with each other, the researchers said. That must happen in collective labor talks and on the work floor. “Especially in a tight labor market, it is important that we create attractive jobs,” Van der Torre told the newspaper. “Because if you automate away all autonomy and all human contact, it will be counterproductive.”