A report by Austrian nonprofit research group Cracked Labs has called out Microsoft Dynamics 365 for its alleged role in helping companies monitor their workers.
The firm indicated Microsoft Dynamics 365 could be negatively impacting worker autonomy through the use of software to monitor mobile service workers via smartphone apps, which leads to increased stress associated with micromanagement.
The notes form part of the broader ‘Surveillance and Digital Control at Work’ project, thus indirectly link Microsoft to the idea of worker surveillance.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 worker monitoring
The report compares how mobile maintenance workers were previous able to enjoy autonomy with the modern reality of increased surveillance through the use of smartphones, which can allow employers to track things like activities, locations and other data points.
According to Cracked Labs, the increased micromanagement is leading to a reduced sense of purpose and poorer job satisfaction.
The paper, authored by researcher Wolfie Christl, highlights concerns around ‘algorithmic management’ which pressures workers to speed up tasks, increasing stress and possibly reducing performance.
However, Microsoft isn’t alone in enabling this sort of tracking. While the report does focus on Microsoft Dynamics 365, it also notes that similar field service management applications also exist from Oracle, SAP and Salesforce.
Lili Cheng, Corporate VP of Business Applications and Platforms at Microsoft, explained to The Register: "That's one of our key goals, to uphold the dignity and experience of workers.”
A company spokesperson told TechRadar Pro in an email: "Microsoft has been clear on its stance against employee surveillance. Dynamics 365 Field Service is not an employee surveillance tool; it is a solution that helps field service workers plan and coordinate their work."
Furthermore, Microsoft says its software is designed to help field service personnel do their jobs more effectively and responsibly, and while this may be a legitimate reason for enabling some of the tracking technologies, the unfortunate side effect has proven to be heightened worker surveillance.
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