UK Consults on Workplace Monitoring Tech Rules; Responses Due Sept. 30
UK employers using keystroke, GPS, biometric or AI-driven monitoring tools face three potential regulatory paths — including a new duty to consult unions before deployment — and should weigh in before the September 30, 2026 deadline.
On July 8, 2026, the UK Government opened a consultation on workplace monitoring technologies (WMT), defined broadly to include GPS tracking, keystroke logging, biometrics, video surveillance, and automated performance scoring. Three intervention options are on the table: (1) a statutory Code of Practice that Employment Tribunals could consider, raising compensation up to 25% for non-compliance; (2) a primary-legislation duty to consult and negotiate with trade unions or elected staff representatives before introducing or materially changing WMT, enforceable via protective awards; or (3) non-statutory guidance alone. Eight guiding principles — covering transparency, proportionality, human oversight, fairness and dignity — would underpin any chosen path. Existing UK data protection, equality and employment law already apply, but the Government views enforcement as inconsistent. The consultation closes September 30, 2026, and sits alongside the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms expanding worker voice. Multinational employers should map current WMT deployments against the proposed principles, prepare consultation playbooks, and consider submitting responses, particularly those operating platform or remote-work models where scope coverage is most uncertain.