Stories

As remote and hybrid workers return to working in the office, privacy pods and booth-like work spaces are becoming more commonplace.

Now, one maker of these workspace modules is testing sensors that can track biometrics such as heart rate and breathing patterns of workers, helping companies to detect employee stress and anxiety levels, without consent from the workers themselves, and raising questions about data privacy and in possible violation of health privacy laws.

Ann Skeet, senior director of leadership ethics weighs in. “I am very leery of anyone’s promise that they can protect data. Who’s to say there won’t be a bad actor? The goal can seem reasonable, but there are unintended consequences.”

Ann Skeet, senior director, leadership ethics, quoted by Bloomberg.