RFID-enabled pervasive employee monitoring

Yeah, weren't we just talking about office drones? This new bit of "production management" technology in use by Japanese company Omron aims to squeeze every last morsel of productivity from you peons. It makes use of video cameras, security systems and mandatory RFID tags carried by employees to monitor everyone's whereabouts, analyze employee work performance, and eventually optimize employee allocation to improve product quality (why don't they just replace everyone with robots so we can all go home, already?). Yes, worker bees, all your brain cycles are belong to Omron. Every. Last. One.

[Matt Philmon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

The Japanese are going to own the whole world one day if they don't all die off prematurely from the insane work load and high stress levels this kind of atmosphere creates.

[Anita Campbell @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

While this sounds scary, intrusive, and big-Brotherish...consider how much surveillance already goes on in the workplace (or theoretically could).

Security cameras, access cards, passwords for computer access, keycodes for copy machine usage, complete backups of email, tracking of phone calls from landlines and company mobile phones, Onstar and GPS in company vehicles, etc.

And that's just in the workplace. In our personal lives there are credit card databases, Google search histories, store loyalty cards of all manner, car computers that can track your speed right before an accident -- you name it.

So who's afraid of a little RFID? It's an expensive afterthought compared to all the information out there about you.

[Brett Cooper @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

I like the idea, if means, if you work hard or improve as a worker, you will be noticed and rewarded. And the slackers that are not pulling there weight can get cut.

Brett

[Cullen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

hey what do you know. i posted a response to taht bullshi gps monitoring of sex offenders SPECIFICALLY MENTIONING that surveilance will become a norm in the society and your boss will monitor you. ive worked insecurity, i know how it goes. am i good or what?

[Burger @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

It's an expensive afterthought compared to all the information out there about you.

When they start tracking us through tiny implanted GPS chips in our body would you be saying the same thing?

One day someone's going to invent a little tiny chip that can turn vibrations from our bones into audio. That's when the government won't even need to issue search warrants. When every citizen is implanted with one they'll just download all the audio they need from that chip. Or listen in, in real time. I can hear it now: "I've got nothing to hide....they can listen all they want."

Great!

[Woolly Mittens @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

The only nice job will be installing these systems.

Seriously though, this sort of monitoring takes away trust. How is an employee supposed to have responsibilities without trust?

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

That's fine, the badge gets me in the building then sits on my desk all day long. Now I can start leaving it in the office all night long and just tailgate someone into the building.

"I know sir, it's been a long week and the family understands your needs." Raise, here I come.

[Melker63 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

Brett "I like the idea, if means, if you work hard or improve as a worker, you will be noticed and rewarded. And the slackers that are not pulling there weight can get cut."

Yes, but then the slackers are gone, we have a few overambitious eager-beavers on the other end of the scale. And they soon set the tone what the basic minimal workeffort per day should be. And since NOT ALL can be 'noticed and rewarded' (that would be too expensive for the company); the majority now gets the same or less as previously, but now with more work-effort to get it. Add to this that we all are expected to work to at least 65 (or longer) nowadays, thanks to the aging population.

[http://therevolutionist.tk @ Dec 19th 2005 1:21AM]

This is the mark of the beast as said in the Chapter Revalations. Big Brother WANTS TO GET UNDER YOUR SKIN TO TRACK YOU and people just lie down like sheep against this mad regime of New World Order corruption. Its time to stand and walk as REAL men in the manner of our founding forefathers and set freedom and privacy above all laws.

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http://revboard.tk if you are interested and want to talk in depth.