Overview

• IPPR analysis of 2023 UK Household Longitudinal Survey data shows workers aged 16–29 and Black employees in low-skilled, low-autonomy or non-union roles face the highest monitoring risks.
• Employers deploy AI-enabled tools to record calls, analyse emails and monitor webcams, integrating algorithmic management for deeper insights into worker behaviour.
• The report links intensive surveillance to increased stress, anxiety and a chilling effect on employee expression, threatening job satisfaction and workplace equity.
• IPPR calls for new legislation granting workers rights to consult on monitoring policies, mandating transparency on what data is collected and how it is used and creating negotiation mechanisms similar to redundancy law.
• A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson says the Make Work Pay plan will update workers’ rights alongside technological change by safeguarding privacy and preventing algorithmic bias.