A report has called for workers to have a "meaningful say" about digital surveillance at work.

The report from the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), released on May 30, states that new technologies allow widespread surveillance of workers, posing a serious threat to their rights and wellbeing.

The authors of the report from the University of Southampton and the IPPR have suggested how the government could establish new worker rights that balance with the legitimate needs of employers.

Dr Joe Atkinson, a lecturer in employment law at the University of Southampton and the lead author of the report, said: "Employers have always wanted to oversee their workforce, but technology is fundamentally changing the nature of these practices.

"Digital technology vastly expands both the range of data that can be collected and the volume and frequency of surveillance."

The report points out that since the pandemic-induced shift to remote work and the rise of 'platform work' in the so-called 'gig economy', there has been an increase in the use of surveillance technologies.

Biometric sensors, facial recognition cameras, and the monitoring of communications and computer activities allow employers to gather and process data that was previously inaccessible to human managers.

This extensive surveillance, according to Dr Atkinson, "threatens workers’ right to privacy and can also have a ‘chilling effect' on the right to freedom of association, expression, and belief.

"It can increase stress and anxiety, lead to lower levels of autonomy and satisfaction at work, and deepen existing power imbalances.

"For companies, excessive surveillance decreases staff wellbeing and satisfaction, leading to higher staff turnover, and potentially hampering productivity."

The report suggests that the government should implement measures to ensure that proposals to introduce surveillance technologies are subject to consultation and negotiation with unions.

It also recommends the adoption of a broad definition of surveillance technologies, the inclusion of surveillance in the list of potential topics for collective bargaining, and the introduction of new consultation and information rights.

The authors stress that these regulations should also apply to ‘management by algorithm’, where algorithms, rather than line managers, recruit, direct, and discipline staff.