If you have comitted no crime then wouldn’t you find it strange to be tagged? Just like a “scally,” so to speak, under house arrest.
Most contractors would scoff at the idea of being locked down in their house and monitored by outside forces. “I can leave the house at any time I want,” they would say.
However, a recent news story gives us a glimpse into a rather different Britain…one of tagging anyone that is on the job, even if it is a contracting job while working at home.
It is Amazon that have recently hit the headlines with news that they have successfully patented a wristband that will be attached to their employees, from the time they clock in and to the time they clock out.
The wristband is designed to track all kind of things, such as where the employee is at all times and how many times they move their hand per hour. If they sit down for just a minute to rest their hand, well, that could very well be a written warning, and before long it is the P45 and directions to the local job centre.
What has this got to do with contractors you might be wondering, especially those who work from home? Well, it might very well be true that Amazon will be using these wristbands on a traditional workforce, but how long will it be until everybody uses them? Not long in my opinion.
It might not be long until you get accepted for a contracting job that allows you to work from your laptop at home on the understanding you are prepared to be tagged. There might even be a night time curfew, and someone could even come round at regular intervals to check your whereabouts.
Think I am joking? Then think again. I’ve already reported on how robots are going to become a major force within the contracting scene within the next few years.
All of these robots will be tracked of course, and it is only a matter of time before they want to track everybody. Robot or no robot.
A recent report showed us that most Amazon factory workers are paid £18,000 a year and they are expected to get 250 items per hour of the shelf. That is a lot of hand movement per hour.
Now imagine a future where a work from home contractor is expected to do a certain amount of tasks per hour and never move from the home office.
If you did move, just to get a drink then an alarm would sound, and your overlords would immediately come into view through a sort of virtual reality portal.
“Get back to work,” they would say, and that is exactly what you would do because to ignore their commands would mean instant dismissal.
