Taking worker productivity to a new level? Electronic Monitoring in homecare—the (re)production of unpaid labour
Open accessAbstract
This article explores the use of Electronic Monitoring (EM) in homecare and its impact on the ratio of paid to unpaid working time. It argues that whilst Zero Hours Contracts (ZHC s) blur the distinction between paid and unpaid labour, the introduction of EM can formalise and regulate the demarcation between the two. In the context of local authority commissioning and constrained budgets, the combination of EM and ZHC's may excise so‐called ‘unproductive’ but available labour from homecare. In particular, the minute‐by‐minute commissioning of care that EM facilitates means the cost of homecare is anchored in the time that worker's spend in client's houses, squeezing out paid travel, time between visits, training and supervision. Paid working time is minimised whilst maximising the use of unpaid time with resulting intensification of care labour.
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Algorithmic scheduling is positively associated with job insecurity.
“Job insecurity (+)”
From Algorithms as work designers: How algorithmic management influences the design of jobs (2022) · cites this paper as Moore and Hayes (2017)
The paper’s discussion of electronic monitoring and zero-hours contracts describes work-on-demand scheduling and uncertainty about paid time. Its ‘Electronic Monitoring – rationale and reality’ section describes a system that checks visits against a roster, but does not report an association between algorithmic scheduling and job insecurity. I searched for job insecurity, employment security, and scheduling in our copy; no passage establishes the claimed relationship. (LLM, conf=0.75)
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Algorithms as work designers: How algorithmic management influences the design of jobs
Parent-Rocheleau, X., & Parker, S. K. (2022) · Human Resource Management Review · doi:10.1016/j.hrmr.2021.100838 · Cited by 512 · see citing works
- Authors
- Moore, S., & Hayes, L. J. B.
- Affiliations
- University of Greenwich (GB)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Moore, Sian
- Venue
- New Technology, Work and Employment
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2017-07
- Volume
- 32
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 101-114
- ISSN
- 0268-1072 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-005X
- OpenAlex
- W2613438573
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 8.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- New Technology Work and Employment (publishedVersion)
- Greenwich Academic Literature Archive (University of Greenwich) (acceptedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (acceptedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Industrial relations › Legal and Labor Studies
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Labor Law and Work Dynamics
- Keywords
- electronic monitoring, home care, unpaid work, zero-hours contracts, local authority commissioning, care workforce, labor productivity
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