Improving Workplaces With Data and Technology

Data-rich technology is reshaping workplaces across industries—from factories and logistics centers to offices and hospitals. Wearable health monitors, environmental sensors, and automated tracking systems can protect workers from injury, reduce fatigue, and enhance overall workplace experience and productivity.

Yet despite their potential, U.S. policy at the federal and state levels has done little to promote the adoption of these technologies—and sometimes holds it back. One reason for today’s policies is that discussions about workplace technologies often focus primarily on surveillance risks. While such concerns should not be discounted, this one-dimensional narrative risks slowing adoption and preventing workers from realizing increased health, safety, and experience in the workplace. Without a more balanced policy approach, both employers and employees may miss out on technologies that could transform the way people work.

Watch now for the Center for Data Innovation’s panel on how data and technology can create safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces, and the policies needed to encourage adoption while protecting workers.