Introduction
The concept of augment reality has escalated within the last couple of years. Google Glass is an invention of this technology and is a wearable Android device that has a voice control option and looks similar to a normal pair of sunglasses (Rouse, 2013). The following image is what Google Glass looks like when worn by a user:
2013 Albert Costill
Google glass is a wearable computer and as displayed in the image above is a head-mounted display that uses audio, visual, and location-based inputs that help the user in providing relevant information. Simple voice commands help the user to take snapshots or videos, search for directions, and access their social media accounts as well. In other words, all the features available on Google can be accessed through Google Glass (Costill, 2013). This device is one of its kinds; therefore, only those apps are compatible which run on Glassware and supported by the particular Android version that is built into the Google Glass operating system.
Definition and Historical Context
Google Glass is the outcome of augmented reality which means it has the ability to superimpose a computer generated image on a user’s view of the real world and provides a composite view. The team responsible for the production of the device has been able to incorporate most elements of a normal Android device into this tiny Glass frame. It has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, speakers, camera, touchpad and even a gyroscope because of which the device is able to identify head movements (Hongkiat). The following image shows how the Google Glass supports the hardware in its lightweight but sturdy glass frame.
2013 Joshua Topolsky
Even though the Google Glass is powered by an Android version, it is still compatible with iPhone. Similar to other third-party accessories, the Google Glass must also be treated in more or less the same manner and this compatibility with iPhones opens up the chances of being available to a larger target audience rather than just Android users. However, this accessory observes premium pricing to maintain its exclusivity.
The Google Glass is the brainchild of that team at Google which was also responsible for the development of self-driven cars, Google X. The technologist and futurist who was the driving force behind the invention of Google Glass was Jason Alan Snyder to be specific. The product though was announced in 2012, but it officially launched in 2013 through a Twitter message with the hashtag #IfIHadGlass. It was Google’s strategy to make this product launch interactive as whoever used this hashtag got the opportunity to be amongst the first few to try out the new product. These people were then referred to as “Glass Explorers” by Google and in the later part of 2013 were invited by the company to pay $1,500 and an experience with Google Glass at any of the offices of Google including; Los Angeles, New York, or San Francisco.
Argument 1: Google Glass allows the user to take pictures without the other person knowing and employees might take pictures of colleagues without their consent, and this can create privacy concerns.
One of the most prominent features of the Google Glass is that it allows users to take pictures whenever they want, and people do not even know. There are good and bad people everywhere, and workplaces are no exception. Spies, for instance, could be working in any organization and through the Google Glass, they could leak confidential information to competitors and other external institutions.
It is also unethical to take pictures of anybody without their knowledge or without informing them the use of their pictures. There are creeps even in the workplaces who might use pictures of colleagues in ways that might not be acceptable to the person. Google Glass can be considered as intruding the privacy of colleagues under such circumstances. Even if people are not misusing pictures and videos made, it is simply unethical to take pictures of people without their consent. Not everybody is an advocate of ethical behavior; therefore, it is hard to justify the banning of Google Glass purely on the basis of ethics.
Argument 2: IT and finance departments all over the world contain sensitive and highly confidential information which if leaked can damage the company’s image and threaten the job security of the workers of that specific department and company at large.
It is the responsibility of IT workers to guard the privacy of the organization they work for and ensure that the privacy of all employee and organizational information is their utmost priority. It is common for people working in IT to be working on closed a network that restricts their communication with external parties and this is specifically applicable to the banking. If somebody from these departments has access to Google Glass, they may record sensitive or confidential data and later use it to exploit workers or the company image. This personnel may even threaten to blackmail the company executives with leaking this information if their demands are not met in extreme circumstances such as in the time of layoffs.
Employee emails received on the company intranet are routed through IT departments, and they can have access to email addresses of all employees. They can use their Google Glass to take pictures of confidential emails and save it for later and threaten employees in HR for instance if they want certain demands to be met. They can also threaten to use these photo evidences to serve the company a legal notice in case the company is involved in any sneaky business that is unknown to the people except the involved personnel. This may be a good point of having Google Glasses and exposing the company when things are going against ethics or the law, but nonetheless, it does pose a threat to employee privacy at the workplace.
Argument 3: Employees may become conscious when interacting with somebody wearing Google Glass, and this could create workplace stress as they might fear being recorded when interacting with the Google Glass user (Hall, 2014).
If a leader or manager wears Google Glass when interacting with subordinates or team members, the subordinates might feel uncomfortable as the recording feature is commonly known to people now. People may become introverted when communicating with these managers or leaders, and this might create major communication gaps and will add to worker stress in the long-run.
A stressed work team is something that all organizations worry about, and it can be the worst nightmare for them as it leads to lower productivity and a demotivated workforce. Managers and leaders need to build their credibility with their colleagues and in case, they are unable to do so it raises concerns across the organization. The use of Google Glass will create a stressful work environment, and people will fear their bosses or colleagues to be recording them, and they may not perform to their optimal level.
Counter Argument: Google Glass can be helpful for quality controls and quality and efficiency checks specifically for factory workers and their management teams across the world (Lo, 2013).
Factory workers work in stressful and monotonous environments, and their incompetency or lost concentration can have serious consequences for the entire firm and its quality credibility. An error in one step of the process will have a domino effect, and the entire production line will be impacted which will result in a faulty end product. If the factory workers are made to wear the Google Glasses the management can monitor the performance through videos and recordings and immediately identify if an error occurs at any stage.
Earlier problem identification will be beneficial in terms of saved costs and credibility of the company. This use of the Google Glass in no way threatens the privacy of workers at the workplace; rather, it serves as a means to improve performance and will benefit the company in the long-run. Not all ways for which the Google Glass may be used will pose a threat to workers privacy. Regulated and monitored use of Google Glass will provide benefits to companies regardless of which sector or industry they might be operating in.
Efficiency checks through the Google Glass may also help in pointing out where the problem lies and what kind of training is required. If workers do not have the correct skill to perform the task, there are chances they will be lagging behind schedule which impacts productivity. Management can exactly pinpoint which workers need to be trained and for which step of the process. Not just a factory environment but even in blue-collar work the management can see through videos recorded at the workplace during work hours where their team lacks and what developments need to be made.
Rebuttal to Counter Argument
Even though the Google Glass can help in identifying errors and allows the management to keep a check on what employees are doing there are some drawbacks to this as well. Employees will be micro-managed and in jobs which are already monotonous it might create worker resentment and harsh feelings towards the management for their lack of trust in their competencies.
In organizations where motivation is already a problem, adding micromanagement on every step of the process will further instigate the problem and whereas the Google Glass is expected to bring benefits to the company it will be a source of the problem. In some cases, it is also difficult to make workers understand that whatever is being done is for their benefit because workers might be skeptical about being managed so closely every step of the way. If managerial level employees are constantly monitored, and a check and balance is maintained at all times, it will bring about a lot of hard feelings in the organizational environment that will serve as unfavorable for the workplace and employee morale.
Conclusion
Technology has made life easier but similar to any other invention or development it has its drawbacks in case it is not monitored or regulated. There are people who exploit resources and bring about the bad in everything because of which other people who use a product for its benefits are also looked upon with doubt. The problem needs to be tackled with even more carefully at the workplace because the integrity and credibility of management and company image are at stake.
Google Glass has not been an exception to widespread criticisms and even before it was launched many organizations had banned its usage for customers and employees within their premises primarily on the basis of privacy concerns. In case issues regarding privacy are raised against an organization the blame goes straight to the management; therefore, in order to prevent themselves from any legal lawsuits, companies globally took measures before the Google Glass even entered their workspaces.
If there is proper regulation on the way the device is used by employees, then Google Glass could prove to be helpful in the workplace. But the level of regulation required to ensure and maintain the privacy of all workers will be difficult to manage; therefore, the better option is to ban the device from the office floor altogether.
The Google Glass shows the potential of the Technological industry and can be considered a snapshot of the future and what the future devices may look like. Even though it opens new possibilities of viewing information around us, but it is not without its drawbacks.
Work Cited
Costill, Albert. "Top 10 Places That Have Banned Google Glass - Search Engine Journal." Search Engine Journal. N.p., 07 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <https://www.searchenginejournal.com/top-10-places-that-have-banned-google-glass/66585/>.
"Everything You Need To Know About Google Glass." Hongkiatcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/google-glass/>.
Hall, Stephen. "Employees of USAA Are Now Banned from Wearing Google Glass, Other Wearables." 9to5Google. N.p., 04 June 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://9to5google.com/2014/06/04/employees-of-usaa-are-now-banned-from-wearing-google-glass-other-wearables/>.
Lo, Howard. "Potential Benefits of Google Glass in the Workplace | ZDNet." ZDNet. N.p., 21 May 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2016. <http://www.zdnet.com/article/potential-benefits-of-google-glass-in-the-workplace/>.
Rousse, Margaret. "What Is Google Glass? - Definition from WhatIs.com." IoT Agenda. N.p., July 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/definition/Google-Glass>.
Topolsky, Joshua. "I Used Google Glass: The Future, but with Monthly Updates." The Verge. N.p., 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2016. <http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/22/4013406/i-used-google-glass-its-the-future-with-monthly-updates>.
