Is this the end of forgetting
your fob for work?
A Wisconsin-based tech
company, Three Square Market (TSM), has recently become one of the first in the
world to microchip its staff. The idea behind the scheme is to remove the need
for company security and identity cards. But is this a cost saving exercise
that has gone too far?
All of the staff who have had
the microchip inserted between their thumb and forefinger have agreed to such
level of intrusiveness, with 50 out of 80 members of staff who work for TSM
saying yes. The microchips allow employees to check into work, log onto
computers, open secure doors and buy company food and drink.
The only saving grace is that
the chips do not have GPS capabilities and therefore the company cannot monitor
the locations of their employees. But surely this is a legal minefield, and for
what, convenience purposes? – what happens if the employee withdraws consent?
The employee leaves the company? If the chip is implanted negligently? Causes
infection? Alternatively this could be the kind of treatment millennials can
expect in the 21st century workplace. What is wrong with the normal
facial/eye/fingerprint recognition system some companies have (only just)
become use to.
However, there is always fear
when new technology comes to fruition and microchipping is no different. But
rather than scaremongering, do we have a responsibility, as an employer, to be
as efficient as possible? We should balance these technological openings while
mitigating their risks. If Regulators make sure the software the chips are
loaded up with have strong privacy protections that can be controlled by the
employees being able to log into their microchip and control whether the data
it holds is public or private, then this could even be a new monitored and
regulated industry, creating new jobs in this field. Nowadays everybody carries
a phone around in their pocket 24/7 which tracks more data then we are aware
of, so is this just employers jumping on the bandwagon?
Although I can’t see it taking
off, it is definitely something to look out for employers considering in the
near future on our side of the pond.
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