Companies are increasingly concerned about the health of their employees. Some are therefore turning to digital tools in a bid to ensure their well-being at work. But this raises concerns about potential misuse.

Finnish company Framery Oy markets soundproof privacy booths that enable employees to make calls or take part in video meetings away from the hubbub of open-plan areas. But Framery Oy's engineers have found an innovative way to differentiate these enclosed spaces from others on the market. They have fitted the booth seats with sensors that monitor the vital signals (breathing, heart rate, etc) of those using them.

These new soundproof cabins are not yet on the market, reports Bloomberg. But Framery Oy's managers are convinced of the potential benefits for businesses.

“The idea of having an early-warning signal on the sentiment of an organisation - it’s quite interesting. Organisations do employee engagement surveys just twice a year. What if we could give you a heads-up early on?” the company's CEO and cofounder, Samu Hällfors, told the news outlet.

The idea may seem appealing at a time when the mental health of employees is of the utmost concern. From stress and anxiety to depression and burnout, psychological distress now affects 48% of workers in France, 17% of them to a very high degree, according to the latest data from Empreinte Humaine with OpinionWay. Despite the scale of the phenomenon, working people feel that the measures taken by companies to prevent psychosocial risks are not sufficient.

A breach of privacy?

You might therefore expect workers to be pleased to have their employer monitor their mental health. However, specialists are concerned about how companies would use their employees' personal data.

“It’s one thing to share your heart rate with your doctor, but it’s a privacy violation for it to be known by your workplace. I don’t see how that won’t eventually get down to the individual level,” said Kirsten Martin, a professor of technology ethics at the University of Notre Dame, speaking to Bloomberg.

Indeed, aren't companies likely to be more cautious about granting a promotion or pay rise to an employee experiencing psychological difficulties? Will they really collect their employees' health data to ensure their well-being, or to improve their performance at work? And, above all, how will they react if one of their employees refuses to allow superiors access to their medical data?

For the time being, all these questions remain unanswered. But they do raise the risk of managerial intrusion into employee privacy. Indeed, while a company must ensure the good health of its employees, privacy laws often forbid them from monitoring it as they see fit.

As such, companies in some jurisdictions may not be able to install the new Framery Oy booths when they come onto the market. However, firms elsewhere in the world will be able to do so.

Nevertheless, organisations will have to consider the benefits they will derive from them and, above all, ensure that they do not encroach on employees' personal lives. After all, it's up to companies to ensure that their workers feel comfortable enough to turn to them in the event of psychological difficulties.

 - AFP Relaxnews