Federal Workers Concerned Workplace Robots Are Monitoring Employees

The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is pictured from the West Gate in Ottawa on May 6, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

A federal government project that has put robots in workplaces has some public servants asking questions.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) confirmed in an email to The Epoch Times the department is using robotic devices to “test air quality, ambient noise, lighting, temperature, space occupancy, and utilization of the spaces.”

However, Bruce Roy, president of the Government Services Union, says he doesn’t think that’s the whole story.

“We feel that the robots are just a, not a dishonest way, but it’s a way to just for them to figure out who’s actually in the office,” Mr. Roy told The Epoch Times in a phone interview.

“They’re telling us that the robots are there to gauge the air quality, ambience levels, and noise. The current HVAC systems do that, and our members who work in the [Occupational Safety and Health] do all that.”

Mr. Roy said the presence of the bots is causing concern among employees who feel they are being monitored.

“So if I leave, for example, to the washroom and come back two minutes later, did that robot just say that you weren’t there all day?” he said.

“We find the robot absolutely intrusive and offensive.”

He also questioned the timing of the program.

“It’s not a coincidence that these things came up just a couple of months before the three-day return to the office mandate.”

The government has said public servants who are eligible for a hybrid work arrangement need to be onsite for at least three days each week by Sept. 9.

PSPC said the goal is to improve workplace conditions, and that they do not spy on employees or track workers’ presence.

The government said the robots are working in three different offices “for short periods of time,” including 2745 Iris Street in Ottawa, Place du Portage II in Gatineau, and the GCcoworking site at Place du Portage IV in Gatineau.

Mr. Roy said a trial of the robots was done in March, but that he had not seen any data from that trial. He also said he believes the program will be fully implemented in August.

“We like to stress that our members are doing exactly what we’re being told that the robot is doing, and they’re doing it very well, so there’s no need whatsoever for these types of tools in the workplace.”