By Simon Randall
As surveillance technology becomes more advanced, so do the conversations around privacy in the workplace. Employees in industries like construction, manufacturing, and logistics are becoming increasingly conscious of being monitored—and many remain uncertain about how their personal data is handled.
A recent study from the Center for Urban Economic Development revealed that nearly half of warehouse workers surveyed felt they were under constant surveillance. And, many of those surveyed reported that they did not know what was done with their personal data after it was captured.
At the same time, surveillance is essential for maintaining safety, particularly in high-risk environments. Balancing this necessity with the growing demand for privacy is becoming increasingly important. Facility managers now face a dual responsibility: ensuring the safety of their spaces while also respecting privacy. This shift is being driven not only by employee concerns but also by the rise of union advocacy for stronger privacy protections.
As the use of video data for security and operational insights continues to grow, facility managers are stepping into a new era of workplace management—one that requires them to balance business and employee needs. Advancements in technology are making this balance possible, enabling organizations to enhance security while adhering to data protection standards and maintaining transparency without infringing on employee privacy.
Evaluating The Trade-Offs Of Workplace Surveillance
It’s no surprise that workers are increasingly pushing for privacy protections, especially given new insights that illuminate the potential negative effects that surveillance is having within facilities. For example, the same aforementioned study conducted by the Center for Urban Economic Development found that 40% of respondents indicated that surveillance led to pressure to increase their work speed, even at the risk of injury.
That’s just one of the newly perceived negative outcomes of current surveillance systems; a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office highlighted that digital surveillance could discourage unionization, foster a sense of distrust between employees and employers, and harm workplace morale. Privacy concerns were frequently mentioned in the report as well, with particular emphasis on the risk of discrimination or bias in surveillance practices.
Public momentum is mounting for change—and gaining steam. A 2023 feature in the Stanford Social Innovation Review supports the notion that workplace surveillance is a growing concern for unionization efforts. The piece argues that a new, always-monitored workplace is affecting workers in various ways like deepening the datafication of employment, extracting more from workers while providing less in return, and undermining collective organizing rights, emphasizing that surveillance makes it easier for employers to monitor employees, increases opportunities for economic exploitation, and commodifies workers’ data.
However, workplace surveillance is not without its benefits. Companies deploy cameras for various reasons, including ensuring workplace safety, improving efficiency, and aiding in loss prevention. Security footage can provide crucial insights when reviewing incidents or disputes, offering a clear record of events and fostering accountability.
A major source of concern often stems from a lack of clarity regarding what data is being captured and who has access to it—in many cases the challenge is one of education and trust around how data is used. Trust is built over time and can be eroded quickly; organizations should be transparent about what kinds of data they are capturing and how it’s being used. Strong security and privacy solutions can help build trust, and mitigate concerns by facilitating live anonymized views of environments to check for safety and to refine operations, with post-incident access to raw footage for review. Being open about data collection and giving employees the opportunity to request video (with others redacted) creates a strong layer of accountability for both employees and the company.
In regions like the EU, GDPR regulations ensure employees have the right to request their data and obtain details about its management and access. In the U.S., regulations vary by state, making transparency and clear policies even more critical.
As a result, facility managers now need to account for these two factors: respecting a degree of privacy, and being transparent about what they’re doing with the captured data.
Finding The Right Balance
Change is inevitable, and facility managers can now implement smarter surveillance that safeguards both business interests and employee privacy. One key solution is integrating privacy software to work alongside surveillance solutions to give organizations the power to anonymize personally identifiable information (PII) in their video streams. Whether dealing with live or recorded video and audio, an AI-driven privacy “layer” can digitally detect and redact the video data that needs protecting—such as employees’ faces and bodies—along with other identifiable details like addresses and license plates.
By equipping facility managers with a privacy layer that automatically anonymizes all the video it handles, the organizations can better navigate data protection and compliance requirements—whether set by unions, federal or state laws, or otherwise. At the same time, this approach maintains the safety and surveillance needed to protect both their facilities and employees.
Additionally, this next-generation surveillance system enhances transparency in data collection, helping to address concerns around workplace monitoring. For instance, warehouse employees could request access to footage that includes them or review anonymized video feeds for environmental monitoring without compromising individual privacy. Anonymized video can also serve various operational needs, including internal investigations, insurance claims, right-of-access requests, and employee training—ensuring a balance between security and privacy.
Fortunately, advancements in privacy software now enable organizations to meet both compliance obligations and employee expectations. By adopting privacy-first technologies, organizations can stay ahead of evolving regulations while fostering a workplace where both security and employee privacy are prioritized.
Randall is the CEO and Co-Founder of Pimloc, an AI company changing how global organizations can responsibly manage video content while maintaining public trust. Before Pimloc, he led the OMG Life team to develop and launch the world’s first intelligent wearable camera and its associated technology platform licensing, before spinning out the visual classification side of the business to create Pimloc in 2017.
Read more about technology and facility management on Facility Executive.
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