Justice Canada Expands Desk Sensor Use, Employees Worry About Tracking

Justice Canada has put more heat and motion sensors under desks since 2023. This is happening in more offices now.
By Newsroom | Government, Workplace Issues |

Heat and motion sensors have been installed under desks at various Justice Canada offices since 2023, a move that has raised concerns among employees and a union about potential monitoring of attendance. While the department states the sensors are solely for planning workplace use, staff and a labor lawyer express skepticism, suggesting the data could be repurposed.

The Justice Department has expanded its deployment of heat and motion sensors beneath employees' desks. These devices, first introduced in 2023, are now appearing in more Justice Canada offices. Officials maintain that the sensors are used only to understand how workspaces are being utilized, not to track individual staff attendance. However, this explanation has fueled apprehension among employees and their representatives, who fear the technology could eventually be used to enforce return-to-office mandates.

Sensors and Workplace Planning

The Justice Department asserts that the sensors are part of an effort to better plan office space by understanding usage patterns.

Read More: Trump Orders Pentagon to Release UFO Files After Obama Comments on Aliens

  • Purpose Stated: The sensors are intended to track workplace use for planning objectives, as confirmed by a Justice Canada spokesperson and a related memo.

  • Employee Interpretation: A significant portion of Department of Justice employees perceive these sensors as a potential tool to monitor adherence to the government's return-to-office policy.

Employee and Union Concerns

The introduction of these sensors has generated unease and distrust among Justice Department staff and their union representatives.

  • "Creepy" Factor: Employees have described the presence of the sensors under their desks as "creepy," indicating a feeling of being watched or unduly monitored.

  • Lack of Transparency: One report highlighted instances where employees were not informed about the installation of sensors under their desks, contributing to a sense of unease and distrust.

  • Labor Lawyer Skepticism: Veteran labor lawyer Marc Boudreau has voiced doubt that the data collected by these sensors is exclusively for planning purposes, suggesting it could indeed be used to track office attendance.

Technology's Role in Workplace Monitoring

The debate around these sensors touches upon broader issues of workplace surveillance and employee privacy.

  • Micro-management Potential: Systems like these can offer detailed insights into employee activities, from email composition and meeting duration to typing speed and actual time spent at a keyboard. Grit Munk, head of digitalization policy at IDA, notes that such micro-management can paint a precise picture of performance but also breeds distrust.

  • Data Privacy (GDPR): The applicability of data protection regulations, such as GDPR, to employee data collected at work is also a pertinent consideration.

  • Manufacturer Claims: Companies producing these sensors, like Spica Technologies, emphasize that their occupancy sensors monitor spaces, not individuals, and are designed for creating "smarter, more sustainable workplaces" rather than for surveillance. They clarify that these sensors do not track individual employees.

Government's Push for Office Return

The deployment of these sensors by the Justice Department occurs within a larger context of government efforts to bring civil servants back to physical offices following pandemic-related restrictions.

  • Cabinet Office Initiative: Since February, departments have been collecting attendance data as part of a push from the Cabinet Office to increase the number of civil servants returning to offices.

  • Alternative Data Collection Methods: Previously, government departments have used methods such as Wi-Fi/computer logins, swipe card data, desk booking systems, and manual counts to gather attendance information.

  • Ministry of Justice Spending: The Ministry of Justice, in particular, entered into a £4 million deal for sensors intended to measure office occupancy.

Expert Analysis on Sensor Data

The precise nature and intended use of the data collected by these sensors remain a point of contention.

"The sensors must be capable of reporting whether desks, touchdown spaces and meeting rooms and occupied or not… [and] recording the number of people entering and leaving an enclosed work area – such as a floor of a building – and be able to send alerts when predefined occupancy levels are reached.” - Quoted from a public technology editor, describing sensor capabilities in the context of a Ministry of Justice deal.

  • While manufacturers state sensors focus on space utilization, critics like labor lawyer Marc Boudreau question if the collected data is truly limited to planning purposes.

  • The distinction between monitoring space occupancy and monitoring individual attendance is a key element in the ongoing discussion.

Conclusion and Implications

The Justice Department's increasing use of heat and motion sensors under employee desks presents a complex situation. Officials maintain the sensors are for operational planning, aiming to optimize workspace utilization. However, employees and labor representatives express significant concerns about privacy and the potential for these tools to be used for attendance monitoring, particularly in light of broader government efforts to encourage a return to office work. The discrepancy between the department's stated intent and employee perceptions fuels distrust.

Read More: How to talk to your boss about problems at work in 2024

Further clarification is needed on:

  • The exact data points collected by the sensors.

  • The specific protocols for data storage, access, and retention.

  • Formal assurances that this data will not be used for individual performance evaluation or attendance tracking, beyond what is strictly necessary for space planning.

The situation underscores a wider dialogue on the balance between efficient workplace management and employee privacy in the evolving nature of work.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is Justice Canada putting sensors under desks?
Justice Canada says the heat and motion sensors are used to see how office spaces are used, helping them plan better. They say it's not to track individual employees.
Q: What are employees worried about with these desk sensors?
Employees and their union worry that the sensors could be used to track attendance and enforce return-to-office rules. They feel it's like being watched.
Q: Have employees been told about the sensors?
Some reports say employees were not told when sensors were put under their desks, which has made them feel uneasy and distrustful.
Q: What do experts say about the sensors?
A labor lawyer is not sure the data is only for planning and thinks it could track attendance. Sensor makers say they track spaces, not people, to make workplaces smarter.
Q: Is this part of a bigger government plan?
Yes, the government wants more employees back in offices. Justice Canada is using these sensors as part of that effort, along with other ways to count who is in the office.
Q: What is Justice Canada doing next about the sensors?
The department needs to explain more about what data the sensors collect, who can see it, and how long it's kept. They also need to promise it won't be used for tracking attendance.