Acceptable nudge strategies to incentivize the use of wearables and physiolytics at work: A Q-methodology examination

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the pressure on organizations to ensure health and safety in the workplace. An increasing number of organizations are considering wearables and physiolytics devices as part of their safe return to work programs so as to comply with governments' accountability rules. As with other technologies with ambivalent use (i.e., simultaneously beneficial and harmful), the introduction of these devices in work settings is met with skepticism. In this context, nudging strategies as a way of using design, information, and other ways to manipulate behaviors (system 1 nudge) and choices (system 2 nudge) has gained traction and is often applied alongside the introduction of ambivalent technologies with the aim to "nudge” their use. While the feasibility of different nudge strategies is often studied from only a managerial perspective, where employees' volitional autonomy and dignity is often treated as secondary, we explore which nudges are acceptable from the perspectives of ordinary workers. Using Q-methodology as a more evolutionary and participatory way to design nudges, we describe five basic strategies that are (to varying degrees) acceptable to them: (a) positive reinforcement and fun, (b) controlling the organizational environment, (c) self-responsibility, (d) collective responsibility, and (e) adapting the individual environment. Our findings show that there is a wide range of viewpoints on what is being considered an acceptable nudge and stress the importance of a transparent, equal dialogue between those who design nudges and potential nudgees. © Association for Information Technology Trust 2023.

Safe return to the workplace: Perceived opportunities and threats in the use of health surveillance technologies in public administrations

The digitalization in public administrations has seen, through the COVID-19 pandemic, the appearance of health surveillance technologies at the workplace. Wearable health devices, such as physiolytics, may then have an increasing role in the management of public agents. Still, little is known about the use of these systems in work settings, as research is mainly oriented towards ethical debates or legal considerations. Accordingly, we propose to consider a concrete case of implementation of physiolytics in a Swiss public administration. We particularly investigate employees' use rates as well as the perceived opportunities and threats that are linked to physiolytics and health surveillance technologies. This is done through an action design research perspective, where we search to extract from the field guidelines and knowledge for practitioners. We especially highlight that physiolytics' use steadily decline after the first weeks, due to the design of such devices, the fear of surveillance, and the impression of competition that these systems bring into the workplace. It is therefore vital for public managers to introduce interventions, such as regular feedback, gamification, or nudging to support the engagement of public agents and ensure the viability of such novel health initiatives. © 2022 ACM.