Working Conditions

pink box new. --MF, 12/21/17

MF: could use review/light revision; tough to have 2.17 SI labs back to back

On this page, you will consider two ways that technology is changing the employment experience.

Computers can affect the style of work, even if they don't take your job away.

    Here are some findings from a 2007 Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance Survey.
  1. Here are some ways employers use technology to monitor their employees. What are some pros and cons of these policies?
    • Block access to certain websites, like social media (like Facebook or Twitter), game sites, or other sites they deem inappropriate or offensive.
    • Monitor email use of employees, including reading email messages.
    • Use video surveillance to prevent theft.
  2. On-demand businesses existed before the Internet, but technology has helped grow an ''on-demand economy.'' Many on-demand companies do not have regular employees, but hire independent contractors. This gives workers great flexibility about when they work, but costs them benefits like sick pay, health insurance, collective bargaining, job stability, or unemployment insurance if they are fired.