To the White House: Our response on automated worker surveillance and management

July 6, 2023
Picture of the United States White House, green lawn in the front and a water fountain erupting in the center.

“When you were denied pay for your submitted work product, would the system say you were denied 1 of the submissions out of the hundreds you sent in? Or all of them?”

“It will be that all 500 “weren’t submitted” so approximately a full 50 minutes of work that I then won’t get paid for. Even though I’ve completed the work.”

“What can you do when it says that?”

“Do it again.”

Earlier this summer, the U.S. White House asked experts across the tech and labor fields to share about the automated tools used by employers to surveil, monitor, evaluate, and manage workers. TechEquity submitted a response that centers on the experience of contract workers in tech and how they’re especially vulnerable to harm in these employee tracking software systems—and now we want to share it with you!

Highlights from our Response

We shared key takeaways and first-hand experiences from our Contract Worker Disparity Project research. The report covers:

  • The importance of centering contract workers’ experiences in designing interventions on workplace surveillance and automated management
  • Current harms that contract workers in tech are experiencing as a result of automated management and fissured workplace structures
  • Our proposed policy and regulatory interventions, specific to automated management and workplace surveillance, based on the experiences of contract workers

You can read the full response here:

We also signed onto comments from Center for Democracy & Technology and Governing for Impact along with 11 other aligned organizations, which you can read here.

Download the Response

Click to download the response to the White House on employee tracking software systems

Share Your Story

Do you have experience with automated management tools in your workplace? We want to hear from you! 

These tools run the gambit, from work productivity monitoring software, employee time tracking software, to work computer monitoring—if you’ve ever had to jiggle your mouse to show you’re online, this one’s for you. If you’d like to remain anonymous, please let us know below and we will protect your privacy.

Share your story here

If you’d like to remain anonymous, please let us know below and we will protect your privacy.

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