- Amazon has launched new workplace surveillance software called AWS Panorama that uses computer vision to monitor employees through security cameras and ensure compliance with social distancing and safety protocols. - While this technology could help slow the spread of COVID-19 by identifying unsafe situations, employers may also use it to unfairly blame and discipline workers. There are concerns about employers expanding monitoring in intrusive ways or creating an environment of constant stress and pressure. - Research shows that jobs with high demands and low worker control can be detrimental to health, so regulatory oversight and worker input are needed to prevent workplace surveillance from causing more harm than good.

1. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
1
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Intermediate
Watching your workers—Intermediate
Worksheet
Warmer
a. Make a list of five words you associate with the verb monitor.
b. Consider an industry where you would expect to see their staff heavily monitored. Write a brief
paragraph outlining the kinds of technologies that might be used to monitor them.
Key words
a. Find the key words and phrases in the article that match the definitions below. Use the section
numbers to help you.
1. obeying a rule or law, or doing what someone asks you to do (1)
2. a process by which a disease spreads from one person to another (3)
3. to cause something to happen or be done (3)
4. very great or extreme (4)
5. becoming infected with a disease (5)
6. the ability to work well and produce good results in the most effective way (6)
7. the rate at which goods are produced, especially in relation to the time, money, and workers
needed to produce them (7)
8. to make you want to do or to have something, especially something that is not good for you
(10)
9. involving all the members of a group (11)
10. to try to reach an agreement by discussing something in a formal way, especially in a business or
political situation (11)
1
2
Image credits: Getty Images/monkeybusinessimages (left);
Getty Images/Ariel Skelley (right)

2. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
2
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
Intermediate
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Workplace surveillance may hurt us more
than it helps
MANY EMPLOYERS ARE MONITORING STAFF, SOME DECIDING ‘WHO’S A SUPERSTAR AND WHO’S SLACKING OFF’
BY SARAH O’CONNOR
You can’t fault Amazon’s timing. In the middle of a
global pandemic, the online retailer has launched a
new workplace surveillance tool that could help to
slow Covid’s spread. Called AWS Panorama, it uses
computer vision technology to analyse footage from
security cameras in workplaces. It can detect when
employees are not complying with social distancing
rules, for example.
Amazon, which plans to sell the tool to other
employers, says it can improve workplace safety in
other ways, too. “Are people walking in spaces where
they shouldn’t be? Is there an oil spill? Are they not
wearing hard hats? These are realworld problems,”
a senior executive told the FT.
It’s easy to see how the technology could help in the
fight against Covid-19, since workplaces are a major
source of transmission. It could reveal pinch points
in factories where social distancing isn’t possible, for
instance, which might prompt companies to redesign
work processes. But, like any tool, the outcomes will
depend on the people who wield it.
Having read a lot of corporate safety incident reports
over the years, I’m struck by how often CCTV
footage is used to blame the worker who was hurt.
In a recent example from a British meat factory (an
industry where work pressures are often intense), a
man fractured his hand when running to fetch a metal
plate. “This is a behavioural safety issue [because
he shouldn’t have run] and he will be disciplined
upon his return,” the company wrote in the report
to the UK’s health and safety regulator. There was
no mention of why he felt the need to run in the
first place.
In this context, it’s not hard to imagine a future
scenario where workers are blamed for contracting
Covid-19, possibly with implications for their sick pay,
by employers unwilling to consider their own role
and responsibilities.
1
2
3
4
5
There is also the possibility of mission creep.
A testimonial on the AWS Panorama website from
guitar-maker Fender enthused: “We can track how
long it takes for an associate to complete each task in
the assembly of a guitar so that we’re able to optimise
efficiency and track key metrics.” The comment has
now been deleted from the site.
Many employers are exploring how to use
technological surveillance to drive productivity
and measure performance. In 2018, the research
company Gartner surveyed 239 big companies and
found more than half were using non-traditional
monitoring techniques, up from 30 per cent in 2015.
Gartner defines monitoring as things such as
“analysing the text of emails and social-media
messages, scrutinising who’s meeting with whom,
gathering biometric data and understanding how
employees are utilising their workspace”.
Walmart, the US retailer, has filed a patent for a
system of sound sensors placed near cashiers
which could “determine a performance metric for
the employee based on the audio data”. In the
white-collar world, an array of companies are
selling software that enables employers to monitor
what workers do on their computers. Time Doctor,
for instance, will take regular screenshots of each
employee’s screen, measure their breaks and send
nudges if they stray on to nonwork related sites.
Supervisors are given dashboards that show
“who’s a superstar and who’s slacking off”.
But you don’t have to be a slacker to recoil at the idea
of constant monitoring. Humans are hard-wired to feel
uncomfortable being watched all the time, especially
when under pressure to meet stretching targets. “It
makes me afraid, physically and mentally exhausted,”
Hibaq Mohamed, an Amazon warehouse worker,
told researchers at the Open Markets Institute of the
monitoring at work.
6
7
8
9
Continued on next page

3. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
3
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Intermediate
control were more likely to die than people in
high-demand jobs with high control.
Workplace surveillance should be subject to
regulatory oversight and ideally collective bargaining,
since individuals will be better placed to negotiate
the details en masse. It would be a dispiriting irony
if technology brought in to protect our health in a
pandemic made us sicker in the end.
11
A body of research suggests jobs that combine high
demands (concentration requirements, workload,
time pressure) and low control (discretion to make
decisions and schedule one’s own work) are ruinous
for human health. Our metabolic, cardiovascular
and neuroendocrine systems produce short-term
responses to stressful situations, but when the stress
is chronic, it can damage our bodies or tempt us to
self-medicate. One study in the US, published last
year, found that people in high-demand jobs with low
10
Sarah O’Connor, 11 January 2021
©The Financial Times
All rights are reserved.
Articles are republished from the Financial Times

4. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
4
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Intermediate
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Understanding the article
a. In pairs, read the statements below and decide if they are True (T) or False (F) according to the
text. Correct the false statements.
1. Amazon has been creating software that can be used to monitor staff and
ensure that they are not contributing to the spread of a virus. T / F
2. Businesses could use monitoring technology to change their work processes
and improve them to fight the virus. T / F
3. Companies might use technology to blame workers for hurting themselves
at work and for spreading the virus. T / F
4. A company that produces guitars uses technology to track which colours are
the most popular. T / F
5. Many employees want to explore the ways in which monitoring tools can drive
productivity and performance. T / F
6. Walmart plans to listen to their staff and find out how they interact with customers
to rate their professional performance. T / F
7. Some businesses are monitoring staff working from home by giving them a
digital clock that measures their breaks. T / F
8. Workers feel happy and excited when they are under pressure to meet targets
and they are being watched all the time. T / F
9. People in demanding jobs that allow them to have a lot of control are healthier
than those who are in jobs with less control. T / F
10. There needs to be some formal process for checking how employers are
monitoring their staff. T / F
Business language – Phrases and phrasal verbs
a. Match the words to make phrases and phrasal verbs from the article. Then check your answers
in the article.
1. fight a. on
2. depend b. instance
3. struck c. pressure
4. for d. by
5. based e. from
6. under f. against
7. up g. than
8. more h. on
3
4

5. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
5
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Intermediate
b. Write the phrases and phrasal verbs next to the definitions.
1. increased from a previous number or measurement
2. using particular ideas or facts to make a decision
3. to be determined or decided by something
4. saying that the actual number or amount is larger than another amount
5. for example
6. to struggle or disagree with someone or something
7. to take notice of something that had a powerful effect on you
8. in a state of stress and anxiety because of having too much to do
c. Complete the statements with the correct phrase or phrasal verb.
1. Staff working in supermarkets while we fight the virus are to work longer hours than
staff in any other industries.
2. Employee bonuses should be good performance and hard workers should be
guaranteed a bonus every year.
d. Discuss the statements in pairs. Do you agree with them or do you have a different opinion?
Business Language – Compound nouns
a. Complete the sentences using the compound nouns.
incident reports security cameras work processes
1. The shop owner was aware that thieves were using a window in the back of the building to access
the stock room, so he installed several that monitored the window, the corridor and
the stock room.
2. He was impressed with her professional history, which demonstrated experience in developing
and managing a large team.
3. Dominique explains that if an injury is sustained at work, employees must fill out ,
even if it the injury is minor and they do not think it is necessary.
5

6. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
6
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
Intermediate
Discussion questions
a. Read and discuss the questions with your group.
• Which monitoring tool do you think is likely to make workers most uncomfortable? Why?
• How can staff monitoring negatively affect the employer and employee relationship?
• How important is the use of technology in fighting the virus?
Wider business theme – identifying technological solutions
a. Work in groups of three. Discuss how monitoring technology could be used to improve the
physical activity of workers in offices.
• Consider different types of physical activity that people could do during the day at work.
• Consider which types you could encourage people to do with the use of technology.
• Think about the cheapest options that would appeal to a lot of different businesses.
• Come to a group decision about which technology you think would be the most successful.
b. Nominate a student to represent the group. The student should describe the technology to the
rest of the class, explaining how it will encourage workers to get moving and why you think it
will be successful.
6
7

7. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
Intermediate
1
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
3. Understanding the text
a.
Have students read the statements and decide
whether they are true or false. They can correct any
that are false.
1. True
2. True
3. True
4. False. A company that produces guitars uses
technology to track how long it takes a worker
to complete each task.
5. False. Many employers want to explore the
ways in which monitoring tools can drive
productivity and performance.
6. True
7. False. Some businesses are monitoring staff
working from home and checking how long they
take for breaks.
8. False. Workers feel unhappy and tired when
they are under pressure to meet targets and
they are being watched all the time.
9. True
10. True
4.
Business language – Phrases and
phrasal verbs
a.
Students match the words to make phrases.
Remind students that although other matches are
possible, they are aiming to make words that appear
in the article. They can check the article to help
them answer.
Key:
1. f. / 2. a. or h. / 3. d. / 4. b. / 5. h. or a. / 6. c. /
7. e. / 8. g.
Watching your workers—Intermediate
Teacher’s Notes
1. Warmer
a.
Ask students to consider the verb monitor and to make
a list of five other words they associate with it.
b.
Explain that there are many industries that use high
numbers of monitoring technology to observe what
their staff are doing. Consider providing examples
of industries as prompts: taxi drivers, the police; and
reasons for doing so: health and safety, personal
protection. Ask students to write a paragraph about an
industry with increased staff monitoring and the kinds
of monitoring tools they might use.
2. Key words
Key:
1. complying
2. transmission
3. prompt
4. intense
5. contracting
6. efficiency
7. productivity
8. tempt
9. collective
10. negotiate
Title of the lesson: Watching your workers
Level: Intermediate (B1–B2)
Time: Up to 90 minutes
Groups: one-to-one, small groups, whole class
Business topics: Health and safety at work;
technology for surveillance
Business language focus: phrases and
phrasal verbs, industry vocabulary
Skills: Reading, speaking
Materials: One copy of the worksheet
per student
Overview: This article discusses how
businesses have been using technology to
monitor their staff more closely and how this
has impacted on employees’ physical and
mental health.

8. •
P
H
O
T
O
C
O
P
I
A
B
L
E
•
C
A
N
B
E
D
O
W
N
L
O
A
D
E
D
F
R
O
M
W
E
B
S
I
T
E
Intermediate
2
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2021.
BUSINESSNEWSLESSONS
7.
Wider business theme – identifying
technological solutions
a.
This activity helps students to build an important
business skill. Students identify how technology
can be used to achieve specific business goals. Put
students in small groups and ask them to discuss
the points in part 1. If necessary, offer examples
of monitoring technology used to improve physical
health: digital watches and trackers, software that
provides activity reminders. Ask them to consider
physical activity that is possible during the working
day and how technology could be used to encourage
people to be more active. Ask them to go further,
examining which technology is likely to be cheaper
and therefore appeal to many businesses. Students
should come to a group decision about the technology
they think would be most commercially successful.
b.
Ask each group to nominate a student to describe
their idea to the rest of the class. Invite the rest
of the class to ask the group questions and
facilitate further discussion. Once all groups have
presented their ideas, ask students to vote for their
favourite suggestion.
b.
Students write the phrases and phrasal verbs next to
the definitions.
Key:
1. up from
2. based on
3. depend on
4. more than
5. for instance
6. fight against
7. struck by
8. under pressure
c.
Students complete the statements with two of the
phrases and phrasal verbs.
Key:
a. under pressure
b. based on
d.
Put the students into pairs and ask them to discuss
whether they agree or disagreement with the
statements. Ask for pair feedback and encourage
further exploration of alternative views.
5.
Business Language –
Compound nouns
a.
Students complete sentences using the compound
nouns in the wordpool.
Key:
1. security cameras
2. work processes
3. incident reports
6.
Discussion questions
a.
Put students in small groups and ask them to discuss
the questions that expand on topics from the article.
Invite groups to share their answers with the rest of
the class and summarise similarities and difference
once all groups have contributed.