Some of the UK’s largest companies may implant their staff with microchips to “improve security” and restrict employees from accessing sensitive documents. Similar to those used to identify pets, the chips are the size of a grain of rice and implanted in the flesh between thumb and forefinger. They allow employees to access security systems, such as office doors with the wave of a hand, much like contactless payments, and remove the need for identity passes, which could be lost or stolen.

However, the UK’s Trade Union Congress (TUC) is concerned that micro-chipping workers will hand more power and control of employers and impact upon privacy and personal freedom. They state that workers are already concerned that some employers are “using tech to control and micromanage, whittling away their staff’s right to privacy.” They believe that micro-chipping would give bosses even more power over their workers.

It is reported that several UK-based legal and financial firms are interested in implanting staff that deal with sensitive documents or personal customer information after a successful trial using 150 British workers over the past year.