Global Courant 2023-05-17 07:16:48
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon. Bank employees say suspicion and fear reign over the company’s data-gathering efforts.KENA BETANCUR/Getty Images
JPMorgan has developed a powerful data collection tool to monitor its employees called WADU.
Employees of America’s largest bank fear what the data collection could mean for their jobs.
One employee described a workplace where terms like “Big Brother” and “1984” have become commonplace.
Editor’s Note: This story was first published in May 2022. It was updated in May 2023 to reflect the bank’s latest return policy.
Employees say there are watchful eyes everywhere at JPMorgan Chase.
In April, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon ordered the bank’s executives, the highest ranks below the C-Suite, to return to the office five days a week to be “visible in the workplace.” All other employees were also instructed to return to the office at least three days a week or face corrective action. according to a copy of the memo obtained by Insider.
For those wondering how the bank will keep track of which employees need “corrective action,” look no further a report Insider published last year about the bank’s powerful surveillance techniques, which allow it to monitor everything ID badge swipes to the time spent on Zoom calls.
“Among many people you hear the term ‘Big Brother’ and you hear the term ‘1984’,” a US-based contributor told Insider at the time, referring to George Orwell’s dystopian novel.
“It’s fueled paranoia. It’s fueled distrust. And, to be honest, it’s fueled a lot of disrespect,” this person said. “There’s a lot of sentiment around Chase that we’re just a number. That’s all we are.”
Meet WADU
One of the bank’s most powerful data collection tools is called the “Workplace Activity Data Utility” (or “WADU” for short), which JPMorgan built shortly before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, according to this May 2022 Insider report.
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How WADU works is a bit of a mystery, even to those inside the bank. Still, Insider was able to glean some details by talking to more than half a dozen current and former bank employees, including what WADU tracks, who it tracks and how it discloses its findings to JPMorgan executives.
Read the full Insider story to learn more about how JPMorgan Chase’s WADU system works and what types of data it tracks about employees here.
At the time of the report, a JPMorgan Insider official pointed to language on the bank’s intranet stating that the information WADU collects is intended to strengthen “business efficiency, resilience, and workplace health and safety” — and “may not be used for any other purpose’, such as ’employment action’.
But employees said they were largely unaware of such revelations and that bank managers in practice linked data collected in the system threats to employment policies. Employees were given anonymity to discuss how WADU works and how it affects the company’s workforce, as they were not authorized to speak to reporters.
Employees also explained some of the unusual tactics they had employed to evade the system’s detection, including downloading a mouse gesture to prevent the bank’s virtual workspace from automatically timing out due to inactivity.
Another employee of the company’s commercial banking division said she and her colleagues resorted to discussing sensitive work-related topics on forums such as the iMessage app, even though doing so violates the bank’s rules for compliant communication.
“They’re becoming more of a government and less of an employer,” said this person.
Are you an employee of JPMorgan Chase? Contact these reporters. Reed Alexander can be reached at ralexander@insider.com or via the Signal/SMS encrypted app at (561) 247-5758. Emmalyse Brownstein can be reached at ebrownstein@insider.com or Signal/SMS at (305) 857-5516.
Read the original article Business Insider
