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Technology Wearable Tech

Voice, activity levels and body language can be tracked by workplace wearable tech

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By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

January 15, 2017 | 2 min read

Businesses are utilising workplace wearables to gather rich data about the habits and processes of staff.

Sociometric tracker

Humanyze's workplace tracker

Everything from fitness levels, body language and tone of voice can come under scrutiny from employers. The Times reports that a company named Humanyze has created 'Sociometric Badges' that can track a plethora of staff behaviours.

The company says its identity badge-like wearables can track team communication patterns, physical activity, and how they make use of the office space.

An inbuilt microphone tracks tone of voice - which can provide data about how employees address customers and colleagues. Also trackable is said employee's proximity to others and how active they are in the workplace. Four UK companies are reportedly using the tech, including a major bank.

Ben Waber, chief executive of Humanyze told The Times: “By mining the data, you can actually get very detailed information on how people are communicating.

“It can show how physiologically aroused people are, and can make predictions about how productive and happy they are at work.”

Workplace wearables appear to increase the productivity and job satisfaction of staff according to preliminary reports - but the extent of surveillance could prove too intrusive for some.

Technology Wearable Tech

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