3 ms·

My fear is that these kinds of tools won’t be used to gain more data and make better decisions, but that these tools will be used to gather all kinds of random

My fear is that these kinds of tools won’t be used to gain more data and make better decisions, but that these tools will be used to gather all kinds of random data to justify firing decisions. Gather enough types of data, you’ll look bad by one metric, and companies can justify firing anybody by pretending to cite the data.

scantron 6y ago
And never mind the fact that MS is a vendor, and this score is implicitly stating that using their products = productivity. If you believe that, you also believe that Microsoft’s collaboration tools are perfect, and the only reason an employee is not highly engaged with the O365 suite is that the employee is not productive.
jim-jim-jim 6y ago
Was thinking about that the other day. The purpose of many of these algorithms is to justify deliberate human decisions, not to provide new insight. Similar to business consulting firms that are brought in to recommend "restructuring" when the company wants to fire a bunch of people. They're saying it; not us!
- logicalmonster 6y ago
  It’s just another tool in the toolbox. For instance, sometimes high priced consultants aren’t brought in to gather info and make the best recommendations. Sometimes they’re brought in to give the boss some kind of backup and deflection if things go wrong. But often they would recommend exactly what the boss wants: they know where their bread is buttered.
7thaccount 6y ago
I think it will just lead to meaningless metrics where management advises everyone to constantly improve body posture so the metrics look better.
smitty1e 6y ago
As technology people and capitalists, we seek to optimize everything for performance and profit. Right up to squeezing the humanity out of everything.
mhh__ 6y ago
I think This is how IBM "deal" with their older employees (designing scores to make them easier to fire, that is)
- AnHonestComment 6y ago
  It’s how Yale and Harvard denied Asian applicants: give them a low social rating.

scantron 6y ago

And never mind the fact that MS is a vendor, and this score is implicitly stating that using their products = productivity. If you believe that, you also believe that Microsoft’s collaboration tools are perfect, and the only reason an employee is not highly engaged with the O365 suite is that the employee is not productive.

jim-jim-jim 6y ago

Was thinking about that the other day. The purpose of many of these algorithms is to justify deliberate human decisions, not to provide new insight. Similar to business consulting firms that are brought in to recommend "restructuring" when the company wants to fire a bunch of people. They're saying it; not us!

logicalmonster 6y ago
It’s just another tool in the toolbox. For instance, sometimes high priced consultants aren’t brought in to gather info and make the best recommendations. Sometimes they’re brought in to give the boss some kind of backup and deflection if things go wrong. But often they would recommend exactly what the boss wants: they know where their bread is buttered.

7thaccount 6y ago

I think it will just lead to meaningless metrics where management advises everyone to constantly improve body posture so the metrics look better.

smitty1e 6y ago

As technology people and capitalists, we seek to optimize everything for performance and profit. Right up to squeezing the humanity out of everything.

mhh__ 6y ago

I think This is how IBM "deal" with their older employees (designing scores to make them easier to fire, that is)

AnHonestComment 6y ago
It’s how Yale and Harvard denied Asian applicants: give them a low social rating.