The New Normal in the Post-pandemic Workplace? A Meta-Analysis on the Use Cases and Implementation Challenges of Internet-of-Things Technology in Office Settings

While governmental tracing apps received special attention by research and the media during the Covid-19 pandemic, the surge in new work surveillance technologies went almost unnoticed. New organizational infrastructures based on Internet-of-things (IoT) technology have emerged at both, public and private sector organizations, promising a safe return to the workplace but equally threatening the privacy of employees. The goal of this paper is to take a closer look at a technology with ambivalent use by conducting a meta-synthesis of extant IoT studies. We classify the literature into four use cases with their implementation options: physical health monitoring, mental health monitoring, environmental health monitoring, and connected workplace. We also discuss main challenges emerging from privacy concerns along the IoT data lifecycle for occupational health initiatives in the office context. Based on that, we propose normative guidelines to assist employers interested in implementing privacy preserving IoT solu-tions for health and safety at work

Design of a Multimodal Mixed Reality Work Environment with Wearable Technology

Issues relating to health and well-being at work have risen in prominence, exerting negative effects upon both individuals and organizations. Two main contributing factors are a lack of awareness of one's bodily status and a lack of accessible and effective adjustment mechanisms. Through a comprehensive literature review in the fields of Physiology and Biosensors, Mixed Reality, and Environmental Psychology, this study examines the impacts of environmental attributes and investigates how technology can be leveraged to provide solutions for coping with changes in bodily status caused by internal or external stressors. To address the problem, this study proposes and develops a hybrid wearable and Mixed Reality system prototype that enhances awareness of bodily status and provides mediation. This prototype can adapt to the individual's real-time biometric data through a wearable glove, and provide personalized feedback in a Multimodal Mixed Reality working environment. A small-scale user testing was conducted and has yielded positive feedback. Ultimately, this study highlights that the implementation of a wearable and Mixed Reality system has the potential to contribute to a healthier and more productive workplace for individuals and organizations alike