Monitoring Employees’ “Wearable Technology”

A recent survey finds that 10 percent of organizations are already using wearable technology as part of their HR strategy. “Wearables” is a broad category of devices that monitor such things as location, heart rate, sleeping habits, even “mood” and body movements. Tapping into this data may advance wellness programs or suggest ways of improving morale and productivity, notes an article from the Society for Human Resource Management, but it also raises some obvious privacy issues. At least, advises one employment attorney, let the employees know what you’re doing. But even if all parties accept the idea, there is a possibility that can’t be overlooked: a hack of the data, and the resulting a nest of potential liability issues. An interesting footnote: It’s been reported that China, citing national security concerns, won’t let military personnel wear these devices.