PhD Studentship: Algorithmic management, Artificial Intelligence and impact on workers

The impact of automation and Artificial Intelligence on workers is at the core of the most forward-looking research in the Employment Relations field. Fears and scepticism towards technology driven change has a long history in the labour movement especially for workers employed in lower paid jobs; however, the challenges posed by AI are more far reaching, posing threats of job substitution (Kelly, 2022) and increased monitoring (De Stefano, 2019) for workers in a wider range of professions (Acemoglu and Restrepo, 2020). These developments in technology have not only impacted the way jobs are carried out, but the very nature of the employment relationship - for example through platform work (Drahokoupil and Fabo, 2016) and the way people are managed through algorithms (Aloisi and De Stefano, 2022). Algorithmic management is involved in multiple aspects of work design, management and control, expanding the remit of technology from the execution of human commands to decision making.

Automation has been historically linked to anxiety among workers, as a response to threats of labour substitution, and performance monitoring has been found to be a major source of work-related stress; research points at risks for workers related to algorithmic management (Aloisi and De Stefano, 2022; Todolí-Signes, 2021) and highlights the importance of monitoring and regulating how algorithms design and manage work.

This project aims at understanding the impact of algorithmic management from the workers perspective. While the specifics of the research design would be the remit of the doctoral student, we would expect the researcher to choose specific sectors and collect data about the relevance of algorithmic management and workers’ perception, reactions and potential resistance.

The aims of this research are:

1. Developing a nuanced understanding of workers experience of Algorithmic Management
2. Carrying on an in-depth analysis of the impact of Algorithmic Management on workers within one or more sectors
3. Gaining an understanding of desirable practices, rules or policies that might improve workers’ experience of Algorithmic Management.

The proposed outcomes are:

1. An enhanced, critical understanding and update of how workers perceive and react to the impact of algorithmic management on their working experience.
2. A theoretical contribution through the positioning of AI and algorithmic management in the broader debate about workers’ relationship to technological advancements in the workplace.
3. Impact on policy making and organisational practices aimed at improving workers’ experience of Algorithmic Management and AI use in the workplace.

Please review the following link in advance of submitting an application: Algorithmic management, Artificial Intelligence and impact on workers | Documents | University of Greenwich

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