You are fired!

2019-05-10

One of the topics discussed during our symposium Being Human with Algorithms were the effects of decision making algorithms on interpersonal relationships and especially on the workplace.

A recent report by the revealed practices used by Amazon. Amazon’s demanding culture of worker productivity has been revealed in multiple investigations. But a new report indicates that the company doesn’t just track worker productivity at its warehouses — it also has a system that can automatically generate the paperwork to fire them if they’re not meeting targets. Amazon has fired more than 300 workers, citing productivity, at a single facility in Baltimore in a single year (August 2017 through September 2018). Amazon’s system tracks a metric called “time off task,” meaning how much time workers pause or take breaks. It has been previously reported that some workers feel so pressured that they don’t take bathroom breaks. If the system determines the employee is failing to meet production targets, it can automatically issue warnings and even termination paperwork, all without a supervisor’s intervention; although Amazon said that a human supervisor can override the system. The company also said it provides training to those who don’t meet their production goals.

Computer science always claimed to provide systems that will make our live easier. I leave it up to your judgement, whether the Amazon corporate culture fits into this pattern.

The Verge:

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