A logistics firm has introduced a corporate wellness initiative utilizing a wearable smart band called BioPulse. The device continuously monitors employees' heart-rate variability (HRV) to track physiological stress levels. If an employee’s stress index remains elevated beyond a set threshold for more than 10 consecutive minutes, the band vibrates intensely and an automated email is immediately dispatched to their direct line manager stating: "Employee [Name] is currently exhibiting suboptimal stress resilience, which may affect operational efficiency."
The firm’s executives defend the initiative, stating it is a vital tool for occupational safety and mental health support, helping identify workers who need breaks before burnout occurs. They emphasize that enrollment is voluntary, with participating employees receiving a 15% discount on their company-sponsored health insurance. However, union representatives argue that the financial incentive acts as coercion for lower-paid workers, and that the constant monitoring and fear of managerial notification significantly increase workers' baseline anxiety.
Briefly describe two psychological or ethical issues raised by this scenario.
276 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology Debates, covering Nature/nurture, Freewill/determinism, Reductionism/holism, Individual/situational explanations, Usefulness of research, Ethical considerations, Conducting socially sensitive research, and Psychology as a science. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.