Know your data 40: when they know where you are
When big data are used against your interest
It's finally happened. A big company said the quiet part out loud. PwC, the behemoth U.S. consulting company, is using surveillance data to monitor and flag employees for violating its "back to office" policy, according to a news report (link).
The article concerns the U.K. office. There are some possibilities:
- this is a pilot program, eventually to be implemented worldwide
- other locations may already be doing it but quietly
- other locations may have the same policy but the reporter focuses only on the U.K. office
***
What we're learning is that PwC has the surveillance technology in place to do this, and at least one management team has decided to exploit it to encourage compliance to the work in office policy.
According to the article, staff will be sent a report that documents their work locations. If an employee fails to be in the office three times a week as required, the manager will want to "understand" why.
***
This news reminds me of schools that have forced students to install apps that follow them around. See this previous blog.
