Workplace Monitoring Technologies and Artificial Intelligence Consultation

On 8 July 2026, the government published a consultation seeking views on proposals to support the fair, transparent and responsible use of workplace monitoring technologies. Workplace monitoring technologies are tools used by employers to collect, track, analyse or make decisions based on information about workers and their activities, and may incorporate automated decision-making and algorithmic management, including artificial intelligence.

The consultation requests information on how workplace monitoring technologies are currently used, how they are introduced and their potential benefits and harms. It sets out eight principles reflecting the government's view of good practice: purpose and rationale, transparency and understanding, worker engagement and voice, fairness and equality, necessity, proportionality and privacy, human oversight and accountability, dignity and wellbeing, and accuracy, reliability and review.

As part of the consultation, the government is considering potential regulatory intervention, specifically whether a statutory code of practice, a legislative duty to consult with trade unions or elected representatives, or non-statutory guidance may be appropriate. This consultation forms part of the government's broader commitment in its Plan to Make Work Pay to put in place appropriate rights and protections to keep pace with technological change, examining what AI and new technologies mean for work, jobs and skills, and how to promote best practice in safeguarding against invasion of privacy through surveillance technology and discriminatory algorithmic decision-making.