European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 21, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday september 21,1987 computers keep close watch on 7 million workers Washington a computers in ii can Monitor rest Breaks and productivity sometimes even by counting individual typewriter keystrokes arc keeping tabs on More than 7 million american workers according id a government report released sunday the report said that computer monitoring May add to the stress level of Many jobs leading to More frequent ill Nesses and in some cases turning the office into an electronic sweatshop entitled the electronic supervisor new technology new tensions the re port was prepared by the congressional office of technology act tent at inc request of rep. Don Edwards do Alif. In a statement released by his office Edwards said the report shows we arc becoming a surveillance society. Every Day we Are seeing new invasions of the privacy and dignity of workers Edwards statement said. People should not he forced to surrender heir privacy and dignity when they go to work. We have occupational health and safety Laws to protect workers bodies. Now Congress needs to respond id technological threats to Jahcir dignity and privacy computers now can Monitor such things As Job production use of the Tele phone presence at the workstation eavesdropping on customer service Calls and frequency of errors. The report said that most jobs now monitored by computers Are clerical positions such of computer data entry or insurance claims processing but the manage end technique is spreading to other More complicated work. Most such monitored positions use computer terminals that can be programmed to measure Job performance. Although work measurement is most easily applied p less skilled jobs it is increasingly being directed to higher level More so Jifca technical profession Al and managerial positions the report said. The jots of commodities broker computer Programmer and Bank loan officer for example could lend them selves to Monitor  the report estimates that 4 million to 6 million clerical employees currently arc being evaluated in the work place by computers. Occasionally retail sales workers and grocery clerks arc monitored by electronic Cash registers the report  million or two profession Al technical and mans mint workers also arc under computer scrutiny and this number could grow steadily Over the next 5 to 10 years it said. Computers Are being used in set Stan Dards for certain tasks to Monitor performance against this Norm and to evaluate individual performance the report said. In Many cases the Mere presence of the elec tronic monitoring created stress on the individual workers the study found. Among workers at one mail order House morale dropped and employee turnover Rose to to percent Afler an Eleo tonic monitoring system was installed the report said. Everything was numbers said a company executive. No value was Given to inc complexity or length of different orders. Operators fell pressed to Complete each order quickly and the number of mistakes in creased. Eventually the system was scrapped the report said. Though some critics oppose electronic monitoring for health reasons the report said findings were inconclusive. Although there is no Clear scientific validation of a link Between electronic monitoring and stress several surveys have found incidence of stress among people in monitored jobs the report said. It added that some studies showed inc presence of stress led to More health problems among workers. The report said that some workers monitored by computers developed a feeling of being watched and lacking control of the Job. Electronic monitoring has a Propen sity for reducing working feelings or Job involvement and May in this Way in crease worker distress said the 139 Page report. Marathon testimony Robert Bork left walks with sen. Joseph Bijon d-dtl., chairman of inc Senate judiciary committee at inc end of a record five Days of testimony saturday on Hurt s supreme court nomination. The committee was 10 turn monday a other witnesses. Those testifying for bark will include retired chief Justice Warren e. Burger to Pennsylvania guv. Richard Thornburgh and Illinois gov Jim Thompson. Testifying against him will be William t. Col Man Fanner runs Portal Ion Secretary for president Ford mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta and sex Texas rep. Barbara Jordan. . Employees9 Perks assailed in report Washington up . Ambassadors to the United nations Are Liv ing in lavish s7, apart ments illegally commuting to work in chauffeur driven cars and buying si25 meals All at taxpayers1 expense a closely held state department report slums. The scathing july report by the state department s office of policy and pro Gram review said several . Ambassadors and do ens of employees at the . Mission to the United nations Are living too extravagantly on government subsidies. Herbert Okun. Inc no. 2 . Official at the United nations has decorated his new York apartment with leased Furni Ture that costs the government jj7.700a year said inc internal report made Avail Able o United press International. Okun contributes just 1323 of the More than $6.000 in monthly rent for his government subsidized apartment one of the  ambassadorial Resi Dences. His apartment is cleaned by a Lull-11 me housekeeper paid More than $15.000 a ear by the state department congressional sources said. Vemon wallers the . Permanent representative to the United nations who has Cabinet level status has vigorously objected to Many of the report s 56 recommendations. Slate department and congressional sources said slate department officials argue that housing subsidies Are justified for those senior . Diplomats who must enter Tain foreign dignitaries and can do so most effectively in High rent Manhattan apartments near their offices. But congressional sources said Okun who earns $77,500 a year lived until recently in a ,96l-a-Monih apartment in which he did no entertaining for nearly a year. Okun did not respond to a request for comment. The state department says it also needs to offer housing benefits to mid level and a oct a Csc employees to lure them to work in High rent new York City. Last year it doled out 51.8 million in housing benefits to 41 of the mis Sion employees although Only a handful appeared legally eligible for assistance the report said. Department Empl jecs Are inc Only Federal workers in new York who receive such subsidies. The report the latest Sako in a years Long Dehail str the perquisite slur ply critic Cujes senior state department officials for Sloppy management of funds for Mission employees housing transportation and entertainment. Ii found that internal management controls Ai the Mission which Are Okun s responsibility have been largely  inspectors wrote that senior depart ment officials in Washington Nave flouted the a and the will of Congress since 1982 in liberally assisting Mission employees. The report also warned of severe Secu Rity problems at the 26-year-old Mission building that could leave sensitive information vulnerable. The Mission s communications system was in such deplorable condition he report said that department officials recommended june 11 that its use be immediately hulled until Security could be improved. Wallers in a forceful May 11 memo defended ambassadors commuting in chauffeur driven limousines on special Security grounds the report said. State depart i no inspectors Vail. Gnu car that they have not found 3 basis m Law or regulation for Walters assertion. Walters also has defended inc a in Meni of a full time housekeeper to Okun on grounds that the divorced ambassador is too pressed for Lime to clean his apartment a congressional source said. The source questioned Why occasional visits by a maid would not suffice or Why Okun could not pay for the housekeeper himself. Ronald Spiers the undersecretary of management who is responsible for implementing the recommendations declined comment. Among other examples of housing abuses cited by the report or congressional sources Patricia Byrne the no. 3 official Al the Mission who earns 575,500 a year paysj315 in rent onhers7.5j4-a-Montn apartment. Linda Shenwick. Inc administrative chief who runs the a Uusma program for Okun bought a $475.000 condominium and paid the mortgage with inc help of her  subsidy in 1985. Shenwick who earns  a year and three other owners sold inc Condo at a j150,000 profit. The state department paid $13.000 to i ase an afm Crmoil ital was vacant for at least Phi Ninny is after its be qullion in september i