Supermarkets justify use of work headsets at distribution centres: reports
Supermarkets in New Zealand have offered an explanation on the use of controversial worker headsets in their distribution centres amid concerns that they are tracking employees, according to reports.
The New Zealand Herald reported recently that picking and packing staff at Woolworths NZ and the Foodstuffs-operated Pak'nSave and New World distribution centres are now using worker headsets that allegedly use voice commands to direct employees and state a time completion expectation for each order.
But Woolworths NZ said there are no time limits given through its headsets, noting that they measure performance based on time taken to pick and pack items.
"We track product, not our people," a spokesperson for the supermarket told the Herald, adding that performance there is also measured quarterly and not daily.
But this isn't the case at Foodstuffs, where the report revealed that the headsets used provide a target time. A spokesperson for Foodstuffs, however, said the target time is provided at the beginning of each work assignment as a recommendation for safe completion.
"Once the assignment is finished, it will say how long it took. These target times reflect what a trained operator is expected to safely achieve," the spokesperson told the Herald.
Similar headsets are also being used by workers in distribution centres in Australia, which has become the subject of opposition there.
The Australian headsets reportedly use voice commands to direct workers and state a time completion expectation for each order - a feature that New Zealand employees are concerned might be coming soon and eventually lead to accidents.
Woolworths NZ, however, maintained that safety is their priority and pointed out that the systems they use were standard for any large business.
"In New Zealand the standards are set in conjunction with our local unions, considering various factors to ensure products can be picked and moved efficiently and safely," a spokesperson from the supermarket told the Herald.
"Safety is at the core of everything we do, and doing a job safely is inherently built into the standards."
A Foodstuffs spokesperson also said that ensuring the health, wellbeing, and safety of their teams is "top priority."
"Providing training that puts an emphasis on safe work practices is one of the many ways we're reducing workplace injuries across our distribution centres," the spokesperson said.
