White House Probes Tracking Tech That Monitors Workers’ Productivity: Kiplinger Economic Forecasts

The White House is arguably the centerpiece of world politics and decision-making, and its activity has a wide-reaching impact not just on the U.S. and its economy but across the wider world too. Therefore, our highly-experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts concerning the White House (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You will get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many of the forecasts online a few days afterward. Here’s the latest… 

The White House will examine automated tools to track and manage workers.

Among those singled out by the Office of Science and Technology Policy: RFID badges that track nurses’ proximity and location; speed and location monitors for delivery drivers; keystroke and mouse activity trackers for office workers; and scanners that track work pace for warehouse workers, among other things.

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Officials are looking for firsthand worker experiences with the technologies.

While it’s not yet clear what policies will result from such initiatives, they increasingly reflect a whole-of-government effort to tackle the issue.

For example, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo has warned that certain worker-tracking technologies could violate federal labor law.

This forecast first appeared in The Kiplinger Letter. Since 1923, the Letter has helped millions of business executives and investors profit by providing reliable forecasts on business and the economy, as well as what to expect from Washington.  Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe.