"Managerial fuzz"

A lack of clear division of responsibility, accountability and liability between managerial staff as algorithmic systems are deployed. Who knows what? Who governs what? Many harms to workers are caused by this lack of clarity.

- Dr Christina J. Colclough

The Why Not Lab

Equips workers and their unions with the right skills, know-how and know-what to shape an alternative digital ethos and ensure collective rights in the digital age;

Puts workers' interests centre stage in current and future digital policies;

Champions ALT. Digital

Championing ALT. Digital

There is an urgent need to shape a new digital ethos and vastly improve workers' digital rights through collective bargaining and regulatory improvements. Work with us, Champion ALT. Digital and:

01 Build your digital capacity

So you are equipped with the know-what, know-why and know-how to put workers' rights firmly on the table

02 Create your digital ethics

What do good, empowering and privacy-preserving data and digital policies look like? Set those red lines!

03 Co-govern those systems

Apply our guide and open the space for the co-governance of algorithmic systems in workplaces.

04 Transform your union

Want an organisation-wide coherent strategy? We have the framework to assist your union transformation

05 Promote Worker's Data Rights

Bridge legal gaps and negotiate for much stronger collective data rights for workers. Use our model as a guide.

06 Apply data storytelling

Harness the power of new and emerging technologies and responsibly strengthen union campaigning

07 Table the alternative

It really doesn't have to be like this. Define your digital ethos that puts people and planet before everything else

Find inspiration

Activities

The Hive is buzzing! Check what services we can offer you to champion digital change. Combine a speech, workshop, capacity building and union bargaining guides. Or pick one.

We create flexible, tailormade solutions that meet your needs.

Blog & More

The Hub is the center for our opinions, reflections, research, reports and policies.

Find practical inspiration for what alternative strategies you could pursue to empower workers. Some of our speeches are here too.

Tools & Guides

Our digital tools and guides are a means to an end. We co-developed WeClock, a privacy-preserving app for workers, and Lighthouse a guide to good data governance. Also, check out our guides on workers' data rights and the governance of AI.

Selected Projects

Our Digital Future

Our Digital Future is a 3-year project with Public Services International aimed at capacity building unions in all regions of the world on digitalisation of work and workers and co-designing union responses. Training material (reports & slides) are available upon request.

MOOC for unions

With a good camera, professional lighting, a yummy Røde microphone, the scene is set to shoot a number of short videos that in time will become a full blown MOOC. Its all about the datafication of work, digital technologies and union responses.

Co-governing A.I

Through thematic advice and training we are supporting a group of unions in a European country on the co-governance of algorithmic systems in workplaces.

Their aim is to scale to the entire labour market.

UnionTech

Find the material & recordings from this 4-part series of workshops on #UnionTech here - courtesy of participants, presenters and FES. These workshops united participants to build their capacity to critically use & challenge digital technologies.

Digital Training USA

Pretty honoured to be working with a top-notch university in the US to create a series of workshops on digitalisation and the impacts on work and workers.

The first round of workshops is tailor-made union leaders.

Data Storytelling

The team behind WeClock offers with support from FES an in-depth, hands-on course on data storytelling. Through responsible data collection, to designing and running the campaign, participants learn how to analyse their data and use this in their campaigning.

Recent Blog Posts

Training material - Digitalisation of Work and Workers

Training material for unions on the digitalisation of work and workers available on creative commons license. Read on!

OECD report: Using Artificial Intelligence in the workplace

OECD report on the main ethical risks in connection with the deployment of AI in workplaces. It references the Why Not Lab's work!

Reshaping the Digitization of Public Services

This article suggests 3 key areas in need of attention to ensure that the digitalisation of public services promotes fundamental rights

Building a network of tech champions

In spring 2022, we held a training course for the UK trade union Community aimed at empowering the staff to become Digital Champions

KL - der skal mere til

KLs nye digitaliseringspolitik er ikke nytænkende nok, ej hellere fremtidssikret. Læs hvorfor i denne blog af Christina J. Colclough

Just published: "Righting the Wrong: Putting Workers’ Data Rights Firmly on the Table"

This book w chapter by Christina J Colclough examines the implications for both work and workers when work is commodified and traded

Reminding the G7 - workers' rights are human rights

G7 Labour Dialogues: The Why Not Lab discusses the digitalisation of work and workers & digital trade with Minister Hurbertus Heil

Towards New Labor Futures: Voices from the Frontlines

See the input here from 21 experts on some of the biggest challenges, victories and potentials for labour in the digitalised world of work