Worker Fired After Refusing AI Webcam Monitoring at Sutherland Healthcare

Fired for Refusing AI Surveillance

Glennis Von Sander-Timinski, a longtime employee at Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, was fired on September 8 after refusing to accept AI powered webcam monitoring. She worked remotely for the healthcare digital transformation solutions company since 2018 and filed a lawsuit over her termination.

Starting in August, the company rolled out Sentinel AI, a software tool that takes a photo of an employee through their webcam every 3 minutes, roughly 160 pictures per day.

Health Concerns and a Doctor's Note

Von Sander-Timinski objected to the tracking tool, saying it raised her stress levels. She suffers from lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease in which stress can trigger symptoms such as rash and fever.

Her doctor sent a note stating that the facial AI monitoring should be changed to intermittent or less frequent, since it was causing worsening anxiety and flaring her Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

The company responded by giving her three options: agree to be monitored by the software, work from the office, or be fired. Von Sander-Timinski said she could not come to the office because her daily commute would take 6 hours in total. She was fired after working there for more than 10 years.

Legal and Regulatory Fallout

Her attorneys said the employer failed to engage in the interactive process required under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and denied a reasonable accommodation that would have allowed her to continue performing her job duties successfully, as she had done for years before the monitoring system was implemented.

While many people oppose workplace surveillance, several states already require employers to notify workers. Maine, New York, Delaware, and Connecticut require notice warning of possible surveillance and detailing the type being conducted. New Jersey is reportedly moving toward a law that would regulate how, when, and where AI surveillance tools are used in the workplace and require that this type of surveillance be approved by an independent auditor.

Sources: Cybernews