What do you think of this?

The company’s smart badge is equipped with a microphone to monitor the frequency of employee conversations and how long people spend talking versus listening.

Actually. What does it make you feel?

It made me feel somewhat conflicted. As a fan of data (big or otherwise)  I can see the logic and the possible outcomes. Do people spend more time listening or talking? That might be a useful thing to know. (You can see more here for a broader explanation of Humanyse and their approach).

As a relatively independent human adult, I also found this to right down at the creepy end of the scale. I know that Google and Facebook gather a lake of data about me all the time. I also know that they sell that data to fund the use of the products and services I chose form them. There is an exchange there. It could be a clearer exchange but it is there.

As an employee of the smart badge using employer I would need a lot of trust in that exchange of value. I would want an account that I can access and see what data has been gathered and how it has been used. I would want to see clear evidence of that exchange of value and the outcome for me individually.

Actually, I don’t seem so conflicted, on rapid reflection. I feel decidedly old fashioned. To understand the balance of talking and listening in an organisation, one could, amongst other things, talk and listen to people. Just saying.