It is a management system that uses algorithms to decide the direction of business operations. The idea was to try and explain how gig economy companies like UBER manage their employees. The algorithms are divided into different categories, like taxi algorithms or call-me-algorithms, rent-acar algorithms or bus algorithms. The four algorithms have the same purpose, but will accomplish that goal in different ways. Each algorithm comes with a unique cost and travel duration. Algorithms tend to be selected depending on the circumstances. Computer programming is full of different ways to achieve a specific task. Each algorithm has advantages and drawbacks depending on the situation.
While algorithm management may seem like a Utopian idea, it is a lengthy and difficult process which could never be completed and cause everything to fall apart. Some claim algorithm management creates more employment, cheaper and better services for consumers, and transparency and fairness to parts of labour markets that are characterized by inefficiency. But the wildcat strike in London’s Gig Economy shows that workers have begun to rebel against being their bosses. While they may choose to work when they want, they can’t choose how they work. This affects their psychology, and also their ability to function outside the gig economy. Human relations includes training employees, meeting their needs and creating a culture at work. It also involves resolving conflicts among employees and between them and the management.
Face-to-face communication allows us to know our subordinates better and therefore it is easy to contemplate their needs in order for them work harder. But algorithms present a more generalized way of contemplating peals needs which may not always encourage the workers. Face to face communication allows for a better understanding of our subordinates’ needs. It is therefore easier to think about how to encourage their hard work. Algorithms provide a more generic way to consider the needs of all people. In 2015, a fifth (or more) of European employers had wearable technology at their disposal. In the US, up to 72 percent of CVs were not visible by humans. Amazon, Unilever Deloitte Tesco et al. are just a few of the many major corporates that have tried algorithm management. Fear of Digital Taylorism and the intrusion of scientific management practices is one of many reasons why companies are resistant to this trend. Phoebe Moore, an academic, has warned of the dangers algorithms pose to work-life balance because they can create a culture that is overworked. This is exactly what scientific principles are designed to prevent. According to a recent study, electronic monitoring of truck drivers led them to feel pressured to avoid mandatory breaks.
These algorithms, such as those which detect appropriate content in email or video recordings in interviews, can lead to a culture that assumes guilt until proven guilty. In 2015, an employee in California sued her employer after being fired for allegedly uninstalling the cell-phone application that tracked her location 24 hours a days. Plaintiff claimed that her supervisor used the device in order to monitor driving speed after work hours. These algorithms can be offensive and cause people to question their privacy.
In an environment where people used to be able to control their own lives and make decisions based on scientific principles, algorithms pose a grave threat to the autonomy of people. Algorithms, for example, map out the daily rates and schedules of delivery drivers. This reduces their control and sense of autonomy.
The biggest complaint is whether or not they work. Many have yet to undergo testing and often show to be erratic and inconsistent. Cathy O’Neil – a mathematician, tech polemicist, and author of Weapons of Maths Destruction – reports that a New York City education algorithm scored the exact same teacher with 6/100 and 96/100, both without any change in teaching style.
Guy Standing is one critic who believes that a man’s freedom of movement can be another’s insecurity. According to him, the gig economy creates a class of “precariat workers” who lack the security of traditional employment. Algorithms can be used to exploit people already at the bottom. The algorithms can be used to monitor the workers and ensure that they are only paying for time that is worth it. There will always be someone available to answer calls.
Technology is not just a collection of tools. It’s a diverse range of devices, each with its own set of consequences. The development of algorithms, the collection and analysis of data, and how results are interpreted are all important factors. Human judgement is as important as technology. It is therefore possible to argue that algorithms are the perceptions of a handful of people, and that they cannot be relied upon to take us to a utopia. The Obama campaign and its political aftermath as well as the war against terrorism, and the 300000 person protests in Rio show how algorithms cannot provide solutions to the long-term challenges that we face.
The rise of algorithmic management is not without flaws, and it would be unwise for us to ignore them. Workers are worried that they may be unfairly treated or fired without cause. Most factories and offices are cluttered, biased, and unfair. Some of them are downright miserable. Hence, although I think algorithm-driven management may lead to dystopias, this cannot be entirely blamed upon the algorithms. Modern workplace environments have their own small contribution.
We must carve a place for technology that is deployed according to our needs. We would become lazy and our brains will become blunt if we let algorithms control us. This will lead to dystopia. To achieve utopia, we must work together with technology to make it fit with our society and its flaws.
In conclusion, it is my opinion that algorithm-based management in a freelance economy will more than likely lead to dystopia. Employers often use these tools to hire employees, and their intensity is also a big factor. In the future, relying solely on algorithms would be a total destruction of employees’ privacy and mental peace while working. The gig economy is expected to make these problems worse. We may be able stop the dystopian trend if we change the way the world works and use its algorithms in a proportionate manner. It is still not just the technology we should be concerned about, but also the society and culture in which it will be used.
