Algorithmic management and a new generation of rights at work

Abstract

Technology has revolutionised the world of work over the past 30 years. Now its radically changing the way that people are managed at work, from how they are hired and fired to how their work is allocated, monitored and evaluated. The increasing use of complex algorithmic management tools to automate or augment functions traditionally carried out by human managers poses a significant threat to workers’ rights, working conditions, and ability to exercise their agency in the workplace.

In this report Dr Joe Atkinson and Dr Philippa Collins argue that existing employment law frameworks are inadequate to meet the challenges posed be these applications of ‘artificial intellegence’ in the workplace. They reject a laissez faire approach to regulating new technologies in the workplace and instead make the case for proactive legal reforms that are urgently needed for the governance of AI at work. The proposed framework gives workers a genuine say in how algorithmic management systems are used and implemented. It also provides workers with the rights needed to protect against, and ensure appropriate accountability for, the potential harms of these technologies.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Joe Atkinson: orcid.org/0000-0001-5207-2231

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