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n1 [soylentnews.org] writes:

In a survey of 2,000 workers across the UK, only 46pc of people said they would accept a free piece of wearable technology if their employers had access to the data recorded.

This was despite the fact that two-thirds of respondents wanted their employer to take an active role in their health and well-being. The biggest barrier to adoption was trust, with 40pc saying they don’t trust their employer to use it for their benefit, and in fact believe it will actively be used against them.

[...] “Employers haven’t been able to overcome the ‘big brother’ reaction from people to sharing their personal data,” said Anthony Bruce, people analytics leader at PwC. “If [they] want to overcome the trust gap they need to show that they are serious about data security and communicate openly with their staff about the benefits for them.”

This is borne out by the survey, which found that if workplace benefits such as flexible hours and remote working were promised, 55pc (rather than 46pc) were willing to accept a free wearable device from work.

[...] Workplace surveillance has become far easier and more commonplace because of technology. This ranges from heart-rate monitors for NHS workers to GPS trackers for long-distance lorry drivers.

Misgivings about employers spying was further bolstered by a January ruling from the European Court of Human Rights confirming that companies are allowed to spy on employee data, if it is deemed work-related.

Source: The Telegraph [telegraph.co.uk]

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