Employers in Australia are increasingly using technology, including AI, to monitor staff, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Human Technology Institute. This monitoring, which ranges from CCTV to keystroke tracking, is often implemented without employees being aware.
The University of Technology Sydney institute highlighted examples such as a fast-food restaurant using surveillance cameras to prevent workers from using their phones. Another instance involved a cashier receiving a final written warning due to an AI monitoring system flagging an error rate of approximately one mistake per 533 items scanned.
Workplace monitoring tools are reportedly common across various sectors, including factories, office jobs, delivery work, and retail. The report noted that Microsoft Teams is a common platform for surveillance, with a tool rolled out earlier this year that updates a worker's location to reflect they are in the office when connected to workplace Wi-Fi.
The Human Technology Institute has urged the federal government to incorporate stronger privacy protections into workplace laws. This call comes amid concerns that existing exemptions in the Privacy Act, related to employee records and small businesses, have allowed workplace surveillance to expand.