Exploring Ethical concerns of Brain Technology in the Workplace
Would you let you boss record your brainwaves?
MY ROLE
HCI RESEARCHER
PROJECT DURATION
8 months
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Microsoft Excel - SPSS
tools
-Technology without ethics is wealth without a soul-
About
background
The advancement in brain technology is allowing people to monitor their brain activity in their daily lives by using non-invasive portable headsets capable of tracking users' mental workload and attention levels in real time.
With an increasing number of companies adopting these innovative tools to oversee their workers and boost productivity, one cannot help but wonder: how are employees adapting to this new era?
aims of the research
The goal of this research was to evaluate people's concerns, attitudes, and perceptions in the use of brain technology devices in the workplace as well as in their daily lives.
We aimed to answer the following research questions:​
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RQ1 Are people interested in tracking their own mental workload (as an example of brain data)?
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RQ2 What are their attitudes and concerns toward the adoption of brain-scanning devices in their workplace?
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RQ3 What are people’s concerns about their mental workload data being shared?
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RQ4 What are employees’ attitudes and concerns towards future brain-scanning devices?
my role in this research
I was responsible for collecting and analysing the data. Along with four others collegues, we wrote, proofread, and published an academic paper
Methodology
survey
The survey aimed to gather insights about participants’ attitudes regarding brain tracking devices. It contained 25 quantitative and qualitative questions and was divided into 8 sections:
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demographic data;
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stress and mental workload;
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relationship with technology;
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tracking one's own mental workload;
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tracking physical activity vs. tracking mental workload;
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tracking mental workload in the workplace;
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concerns about sharing mental workload data;
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​ attitudes and concerns toward future neurotechnology.
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Tool used to make & distribute the survey: Google Form
recruitment
We recruited individuals between the age of 18 to 60 years old, with different attitudes and interests when it comes to technology, and without having a diagnosed mental health disorder.
In total, 92 individuals were recruited.
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Tool used for recruitment: Prolific.co
survey analysis
Questions were analysed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, as we wanted to understand if there was a correlation between dependent and independent variables .
While open-ended questions were analysed using thematic analysis.
Tool used for analysing survey data: SPSS and NVivo
semi-structured interviews
The aim of the interview was to prompt participants to reflect on the legal, ethical, and social concerns associated with adopting brain-scanning devices in work settings. To achieve this, we used a revamped version of the 'Moral IT & Legal IT' deck by Dr. Lachlan Urquhart and Dr. Peter Craigon from the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute.
The cards were divided into four frameworks: privacy, ethics, law, and security. Each card included a title, a figure, and a provocative question that was modified to fit this study. During the interview, participants were asked to select two cards from each framework and provide their reasoning for their choices
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Tools used for interviews: Microsoft Teams and Miro
Moral-IT and Legal-IT decks by Dr Lachlan Urquhart and Dr Peter Craigon at the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute.
The questions on the cards
recruitment
In total 10 people were recruited via social media and word of mouth.
The recruitment criteria were individuals over the age of 18 employed in offices and factories.
interview analysis
First, we watched the recordings of each participant and then used the live transcription feature built into Microsoft Teams to analyse the interviews.
We analysed the interviews following Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach, going through these steps:
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The team and I familiarized ourselves with the data.
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Each team member generated codes for their assigned interviews in their own time.
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We then gathered to discuss the codes and combine them into themes.
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After a few days, we reviewed the themes and defined the findings, identifying insights.
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Tool used for analysing interviews: nVIVO
Tool used for collaborative work: Miro
Findings and insights
Participants demonstrated a positive attitude towards monitoring their brain activity in their daily lives, suggesting an improvement in their work-life balance, productivity, and well-being. In addition, over 60% of participants are excited in future brain scanning devices able to monitor their stress levels and very excited about devices that can help them to boost concentration.
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Most participants were primarily worried about sharing their mental workload data with non-work-related individuals. However, they felt comfortable sharing this data with family, friends, and their company for evaluating task difficulty and enhancing work conditions. Age negatively influenced the willingness to share data for positive workplace outcomes, indicating that older employees might perceive the technology as less beneficial.
50% of participants suggested that adopting this technology in the workplace would also increase their productivity.
As well as to reduce discrimination in the workplace:
“... in a way I believe it could definitely protect employees from discrimination. The reason is because obviously right now, you know it’s a global problem, but it’s for between woman and people from minorities like it’s the appearance that has a little bit of effect on discrimination and disabilities. Obviously with this it would allow employers to actually see each individual person and actually based the on their merits of their work rather than their appearance...” (P4).
and improve employees' mental health
“if it is able to analyse fatigue in employees, the employer can realise if they are overworked” (P5)
... but, according to the findings, over 60% of participants suggested that the trust that employees have for their employer will be negatively affected, as well as increase in biases and discriminations
“I think if anything it will probably lead to more discrimination and harm, it’s just one of those situations where at the end of the day, if it’s a human at the end of the technology that can see what’s going on, it comes down to human error, and there’s always going to be some form of prejudice in that persons decision to do with that data" P9
“People who have mental health issues or are neurodiverse might be unfairly treated because their brain scans show events that suggests they’re unenthusiastic”
Decline workers’ mental health and performance
Challenge employee's right and negatively impact their career
I would make sure that whatever technology that I’d be using that it doesn’t restrict any of my freedoms... I would want to make sure it would be that 100% safe to us and I’m concerned that this technology would restrict my freedom and my legal rights in my job” (P8).
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“Say that you wanted to change company in the future, but then the X company come back to you saying that they saw your brain scan, so they are going to reject your application”. P6
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Final thoughts
the challenges
The survey and interviews focused on individuals aged 18-45, with limited involvement from older participants, as we were not able to find older participants. Moreover, all interviewees fell within the same age range, held white-collar office positions, and possessed a minimum of a Bachelor's degree. It's important to highlight that the interviewees predominantly came from Western cultural backgrounds, which could have influenced their views on utilizing neurotechnology at work due to varying cultural perceptions of work ethics and environments.
lessons I've learnt
This project was great to work on! Being deeply intrigued by the evolution of brain technologies and their potential to shape society positively or negatively, I found it extremely exciting to contribute to the ethical side of this technology. The end goal is to shape a technology that aligns with human needs and respects individual freedom. Moreover, this project allowed me to apply and enhance my knowledge of statistical analysis and qualitative analysis