Control and Flexibility

The use of wearables in the workplace allows for close monitoring of work processes and might also have consequences for work content and skill requirements. A new study examines the implementation of wearables and the impacts on work content, skills, working conditions, and employment in capital- and labor-intensive organizations. 

Past research has emphasized the detrimental effects of wearables, particularly those caused by the standardization of work and monitoring of workers. By contrast the new study by WZB researchers Martin Krzywdzinski, Head of the Research Group Globalization, Work, and Production, Maren Evers and Christine Gerber has another focus. They ask under what conditions the implementation of wearables as part of digital assistance systems is beneficial for workers. It examines the implementation of wearables and the impacts on work content, skills, working conditions, and employment. 

Their analysis is based on findings from 48 interviews with 83 interviewees in 16 German manufacturing workplaces along with making site visits.

Empirical Findings:

▶ Besides showing how labor agency affects the implementation of new technologies, the particular contribution of the study lies in analyzing the differences in the implementation of wearables in capital- and labor-intensive organizations. 

▶ In labor-intensive settings, wearables often led to work standardization and a reduction in work content.

▶ In capital-intensive environments, wearables generally resulted in an extension of skill requirements but also posed risks of work intensification.

18/7/24, kes