In a previous Newsletter we wrote about Lloyds rolling out new spying software that would enable it to monitor more closely and intrusively what staff are doing and when they are doing it.
In the past few weeks lots of members have received pop up messages telling them that they’re not switching of their laptops as regularly as some of their colleagues. It was sent under the guise of reducing carbon emissions and reaching net zero. Whilst that may be an admirable objective, what it does highlight is the extent to which staff are being monitored by Lloyds. In this case it’s apparently benign, but that won’t be true of all cases.
Lloyds announced that the roll out of its spying software would start in People and Places and the Chief Data & Analytics Office in March 2024. However, what many members won’t know is that a few weeks before that announcement, Lloyds issued a ‘Colleague Data Privacy Notice’ which came into effect on 28th February 2024. It gives Lloyds the power to snoop whenever and wherever it wants. And a lot of that snooping will be done covertly. Staff won’t even know it’s happening. Orwellian would be an understatement.
The monitoring section shows that Lloyds profiles staff from emails and MS Team Calls/messages to identify risks to the Bank. It’s also monitoring individual social media posts etc. Now Lloyds will say it’s monitoring for signs of criminal activity, but the reality is that it’s using analytics and AI to build staff profiles. Interestingly, Singapore-based DBS Bank, voted the best digital bank in the world and best bank in the world for a record five years, and much admitted by Mr. Charlie Nunn, uses AI to predict employees who might leave and suggests HR interventions. That AI technology includes monitoring emails, social media posts, telephone calls and social diaries. What if Lloyds started to look for employees who don’t ‘fit’ its new culture? Then the spying becomes more malevolent.
Lloyds should sign up to a set of data privacy commitments which are monitored regularly by an independent firm of auditors and the results published every year. Those commitments should include:
- Staff have the right not to have their personal data monitored by the Bank.
- Details of all the software being used to monitor staff should be published together with an explanation of why it’s being used.
- Staff should automatically be given access to all the data at least once a year.
Redundancy Terms & Compressed Working
Some areas of the Bank have been telling staff they won’t get their full heritage redundancy terms if they decline a new role because they can’t continue with their compressed working hours.
That’s not true.
Members who refused to move to the ‘new ways of working’ can decline a role if it doesn’t offer them compressed working hours. In those circumstances, members will get their full heritage redundancy terms; not the rubbish ones agreed by Accord and Unite last year.
Members with any questions should contact the Union’s Advice Team on 01234 262868 (Option 1).
MEMBERS SHOULD PASS THIS NEWSLETTER ON TO THEIR COLLEAGUES IN LLOYDS & HALIFAX SO THEY TOO CAN BENEFIT FROM THE ONLY INDEPENDENT TRADE UNION