UK workers say OMG to RFID chip tracking

Research by TalkTalk Business has found that over two thirds of the UK working population would refuse to wear a micro-chip if asked by their employer (70 percent), with a third quitting their jobs.

Following the news that US software company Three Square Market (32M) will begin trialling of RFID micro-chips to allow employees to access work amenities to replace work passes, it’s clear that this latest technology trend is not one that UK employees seem currently open to adopting.

The research conducted by YouGov forms part of TalkTalk Business’ Workforces 2025 initiative examining the trends set to transform the future of employment and the workplace. Over 2,000 working adults over the age of 18 in the UK in June 2017, were asked to consider  how they would react if their employer asked them to have a micro-chip implanted into their body to help increase their efficiency at work.  

Luckily implanting employees with electronic chips is low on the priority list for employers with less than one in ten employers citing that micro-chip implants were a business priority over the next ten years*. Furthermore, only a fifth of employers would want to use technology to track employee’s movements, with over a third saying that they would consider implementing the technology to allow employees to access work devices such as doors and printers.

Other findings from the research found:

• Surprisingly, the technology-loving Generation Z is more vocal about leaving their jobs than millennials, with over a third citing they would do so if asked to wear a RFID implant, which could mean younger workers refusing to enter the workplace in the future
• Millennials would be more open to taking part in a temporary trial of micro-chipping, having the highest response (12 percent), which is still just over one in ten and not encouraging for employers looking to implement similar initiatives
• Five percent of UK workers would consider wearing a micro-chip if they were paid extra
• Manual workers felt more strongly about refusing to wear micro-chips, with 41 percent of C2DE (unskilled) workers citing that they would refuse to wear a microchip, with a further 28 percent saying that they would leave their jobs if asked to wear a micro-chip (compared to 33 percent professionals)

Notes to editor

Methodology: This survey has been conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc UK panel of 800,000+ individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. Emails are sent to panellists selected at random from the base sample. The e-mail invites them to take part in a survey and provides a generic survey link. Once a panel member clicks on the link they are sent to the survey that they are most required for, according to the sample definition and quotas. (The sample definition could be "GB adult population" or a subset such as "GB adult females"). Invitations to surveys don’t expire and respondents can be sent to any available survey. The responding sample is weighted to the profile of the sample definition to provide a representative reporting sample. The profile is normally derived from census data or, if not available from the census, from industry accepted data.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2042 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th - 12th June 2017. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).