Why aren’t you visible on Teams? Digital surveillance in Swedish working life and its effects

Research problem and specific questionsThis project investigates digital surveillance in Swedish working life (i.e., monitoring employees using digital technology) and its effects on employees and work groups.The following research questions will be addressed in the project:What characterizes digital surveillance in working life in Sweden (i.e. monitoring employees using digital systems) in terms of occurrence, reason, usage, formalization, and transparency?How does the perception of ongoing digital surveillance by the employer (i.e. being monitored using digital technology) affect employees in terms of well-being, work motivation, performance, turn-over intention, organizational commitment, and resistance to surveillance?What effect does the perception of ongoing digital surveillance by the employer (i.e. being monitored using digital systems) have on work groups, in terms of social climate, cohesion and trust?Data and methods The project has a longitudinal design addressing managers and employees in white-collar professions.

Data will be collected through surveys (addressed to a representative sample of managers and employees in white-collar occupations in Sweden) and interviews with managers and employees. Data analysis includes content analyses, regression analyses, and variance analyses.

Societal relevance and utilization Considering the substantial and ongoing digitization of working life and how easy digital surveillance has become in combination with perceived unclear laws and regulations in the area, the outcomes of this project hold substantial potential benefits for a diverse range of stakeholders in the broader community.

Key stakeholders include various governments and agencies, trade unions and employer organizations, private and public sector organizations interested in the research project, students at universities, researchers, policymakers and politicians, and funding agencies.

Findings will be disseminated through university platforms, industry associations, podcasts, and professional networks for broad and practical impact. Plan for project realization The project runs between January 2025 and December 2027. In the first step, a survey will be distributed to managers. Afterwards, interviews will be conducted with managers and employees, followed by a survey distributed to employees.

In the last step of the project, follow-up interviews will be conducted with managers and employees. Paper writing is planned throughout the project.