‘Smart’ cushion that reports staff absences to the boss prompts outrage online, and may be illegal

When staff at Hebo Technology in Hangzhou, China, were given a ‘smart’ cushion the company had developed, they took it as a goodwill gesture. The cushion monitors vital signs and tells them when to stretch, but also tells human resources if they are away from their desks. Internet users voiced outrage. — SCMP

A Chinese technology company is trialling a performance-monitoring scheme with an unusual method of boosting the bottom line – data gathered via “smart” cushions given to workers to place on their office chairs.

But the trial has backfired, after unwitting participants discovered the cushions they were gifted by bosses under the guise of goodwill, supposedly to monitor their vital signs, were in fact “spy” cushions that alerted managers when employees were away from their desks. The cushions could be illegal, a lawyer was quoted as saying.