Revolução tecnológica, controle e vigilância diante do teletrabalho em tempos de pandemia

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to analyze the influences and consequences of excessive control and surveillance caused by the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), in the face of the Technological Revolution, in the observance of labor rights in telework, especially in the pandemic scenario caused by COVID-19. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, known as the Technological Revolution, there has been an intensification of human-machine interaction with the phenomenon of the Internet of Things, in which everything has become more connected. The insertion of these technologies has resulted in a new perception of space-time of work, as well as the emergence of new forms of control and surveillance that are sometimes invisible and constant. In this scenario, telework stands out as a type of essentially flexible labor performed at a distance and through the use of ICTs in which surveillance is accentuated. In this context, there is a hyperconnection of teleworkers, due to the granting of a false "freedom" under surveillance that gives rise to a pressure to be always connected to meet the employer's commands and be productive, resulting in a wide availability and the extension of the working hours of teleworkers. Notably in the circumstance of the world pandemic caused by the coronavirus, which began in 2020, the process of expansion of telework was toned down, given that it was one of the main alternatives used for the continuity of the work activity and the maintenance of employment relationships. A large mass of workers was led to telecommuting to their homes, in the face of the imposition of social isolation to reduce the transmission of the virus. In this area, the contours of the "emergency telework" given in the pandemic were analyzed and how the risks associated with telework were enhanced resulting in an increased workload, greater fusion between personal and professional life and a difficulty in disconnecting from work activities, so that it was verified that the observance of the fundamental rights of teleworkers is undermined. Given this situation, we concluded that it is necessary to guarantee the right of teleworkers to disconnect from work, so that their other fundamental labor rights are safeguarded. The literature review method was used, resorting to the examination of national and international doctrine, as well as legal provisions and national jurisprudence.