UK launches employee monitoring technology consultation

The UK government is considering new measures to address growing concerns about employee trust, privacy, transparency, fairness, and the use of automated decision-making, driven by the increasing adoption of workplace monitoring technologies (WMTs). Details set out in a consultation by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) outline three potential interventions to regulate how employers track, analyse, and make decisions based on employee activities and performance.

Under the proposals, ministers are considering introducing a new statutory duty requiring employers to consult trade unions or elected staff representatives prior to deploying WMTs. Alternative options include establishing a statutory code of practice with guidance, or releasing non-statutory guidance, though no preferred approach has been selected.

While acknowledging that WMTs offer security, compliance, and productivity benefits, the department noted that existing data protection obligations may need to be supplemented. The government suggested a legal consultation duty could foster sustainable WMT adoption and workplace trust, though it recognised potential challenges, such as defining which tools fall within the scope of new legislation.

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