While wary‚ most would welcome wearable tech at work

09 February 2016 - 13:37 By TMG Digital

Almost three-quarters of you wouldn’t mind your boss knowing how long you spend going to and from work.But‚ when it comes to when you actually arrive and leave the office‚ fewer are eager.That’s according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers‚ which “shows that 72% of employees would be happy to use a piece of wearable technology provided by their employer and allow the employer to collect data from it”.If there was something in it for the employee‚ that percentage “rises to 87%”‚ PwC said‚ adding that the “most enticing benefits of wearing devices and sharing information are: flexible working hours (76%)‚ fitness incentives (72%)‚ lower health insurance premiums (70%)‚ and free health screening/annual health check (59%)”.PwC’s Barry Vorstersaid of the research: “Giving employees wearable devices could be a novel and powerful way for employers to gain a better understanding of their workforce and tailor working patterns and office life to their individual needs‚ ultimately leading to more engaged and happy employees.”Vorster did‚ however‚ acknowledge that “many employees are still not comfortable sharing…personal data with their employers‚ but our research shows that most people can be persuaded if they can see personal or workplace benefits”.Other stats revealed by the study‚ entitled Wearables in the workplace‚ include:“Employees are most likely to share information with their employers on: marital status (78%)‚ number of children (74%)‚ frequency of physical exercise (64%)‚ average blood pressure (63%)‚ and average heart rate (63%);“In exchange for the right benefits‚ respondents stated they would be happy for their employer to collect and analyse data on”: travel time to and from the office (74%)‚ blood pressure (69%)‚ heart rate (68%)‚ movement (62%)‚ and time of arrival and departure from work (61%); andNinety-five percent of working adults own or use a smartphone‚ 55% a tablet computer‚ 20% a fitness tracker‚ 16% an e-book reader and 3% had a smartwatch...

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