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Publication A Public Service Role For Digital Libraries: The Unequal Battle Against (Online) Misinformation Through Copyright Law Reform And The Emergency Electronic Access To Library Material(SSRN, 2021-03-26) Panezi, Argyri; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75This article analyzes the role of copyright doctrine and case law in preserving the institutional function of libraries—both on- and offline—as trusted and, in principle, neutral hubs equalizing access to credible information and knowledge in societies with structural inequalities. In doing so it examines the ongoing Hachette v. Internet Archive litigation before the US District Court of the Southern District of New York in the context of earlier copyright cases, finding that there is a persistent need for electronic access to library material online. Libraries have traditionally served an important role as reserved spaces for legally permissible distribution of books outside of markets. Copyright law, however, has the potential to hinder the fuction of libraries and other cultural heritage institutions particularly in equalizing access to knowledge. While there exist some exceptions and limitations that partially alleviate this, their applicability in the digital environment is still contested. Two novel challenges are interfering: first, an unmet and contentious need for emergency access to electronic library material to be granted online, and second, the need to counteract historical biases and misinformation, both of which multiply when spread within a hyper-connected and digitized society. In order to ensure electronic access to credible information and knowledge, policymakers must address these challenges strategically and reassess the needs of subjects and institutions that are currently subject to copyright exceptions. Hachette v. Internet Archive follows a string of copyright cases that involved challenges to digitization without permission and to providing electronic access to digitized library material. The plaintiffs in Hachette v. Internet Archive, four publishers, brought copyright claims against the Internet Archive for the latter’s operation of a “National Emergency Library” within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case introduces a new dimension to existing debates around electronic access to library material, particularly around e-lending, raising the question: Can emergencies justify additional exceptions to copyright laws covering electronic access to library material, and if so, under what circumstances? After analyzing the relevant settled case law and the ongoing litigation against the Internet Archive and then looking back into the history of and rationale for copyright laws, the article advances a normative claim—that copyright should provide better support to libraries and digital libraries in particular (broadly defined) as the institutional safeguards of our literary treasures. Libraries have a public service mandate to preserve, curate, and provide access to a plurality of original and authoritative sources, and thus ultimately aspire not to compete in the marketplace but to become trusted hubs that equalize access to knowledge. In the context of a society currently struggling to fight historical biases and (online) misinformation, providing libraries with the legal support needed to fulfill this mandate will enable them to more effectively safeguard and provide equal access to (at least relatively) credible information and knowledge, including in the digital environment.Publication “A Worker is a Worker is a Worker” Collective Bargaining and Platform Work, the Case of Deliveroo Couriers(SSRN, 2019) Aloisi, Antonio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75The focus of this commentary is the compatibility of Section 296(1)(b) of the 1992 Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULR(C)A) with Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), insofar as it excludes workers who do not provide their service personally from being represented by a union on the negotiation of pay and terms and conditions of work. The case shows how the domestic term worker may be equivocal and its interpretation seems at odds with various international standards, including the ILO’s instruments. This confusion raises the question of whether steps should be taken to “bring domestic law into alignment [with European law] in the interests of legal certainty.”Publication Actividades esenciales, trabajo a distancia y vigilancia digital. Estrategias para hacer frente al panóptico de la pandemia de COVID-19(Wiley, 2022-06-02) Aloisi, Antonio; European Union's Horizon 2020; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75La expansión de la vigilancia digital a raíz de la COVID-19 ha reconfigurado las relaciones de poder en los entornos profesionales. Aquí se analiza críticamente la interacción entre esa vigilancia intrusiva y la ampliación de las prerrogativas empresariales en el lugar de trabajo físico y digital. Con la supervisión excesiva como denominador común de las actividades «esenciales» y «distanciables», se estudian los inconvenientes para ambas categorías de trabajadores durante la pandemia (y después). Se evalúa la idoneidad del marco jurídico de la Unión Europea para abordar la gestión basada en datos. El diálogo social, el empoderamiento de los trabajadores y la alfabetización digital se consideran formas eficaces de promover la flexibilidad, el bienestar y la competitividad.Publication Activités essentielles, télétravail et surveillance numérique: l'effet panoptique de la pandémie(Wiley, 2022-06-07) Aloisi, Antonio; De Stefano, Valerio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Avec la pandémie, les pratiques de surveillance numérique ont explosé sur les lieux de travail physiques et virtuels, modifiant les rapports de force professionnels, au profit de l'employeur. Tant les travailleurs essentiels que les télétravailleurs ont fait les frais de cette évolution, qui risque de survivre à la crise. Dans ce contexte, les auteurs s'interrogent sur l'adéquation du cadre juridique européen sur la protection des données. Pour eux, le dialogue social, l'autonomisation des travailleurs et la maîtrise des techniques numériques figurent parmi les moyens à mobiliser pour améliorer la protection des travailleurs tout en promouvant la flexibilité, le bien-être et la compétitivité.Publication Artificial intelligence is watching you at work: digital suveillance, employee monitoring, and regulatory issues in the EU context.(University of Illinois Press, 2019) Aloisi, Antonio; Gramano, Elena; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75By affecting activities in both traditional and modern industries, countless invasive devices constitute a burgeoning terrain for new forms of monitoring assisted by artificial intelligence and algorithms; these range from badges to tablets, from wearables to exoskeletons, from collaborative software to virtual personal assistant, from computer networks to face recognition systems. From a legal perspective, these tools constantly collect, produce, share and combine data that may be used by the employer for all the many different reasons, thus leading to a “genetic variation” of the organizational, monitoring and disciplinary prerogative, considered as the core of the employment contract. When it comes to recruiting, managing, and vetting the workforce, AI applications can be considered as an effective combination of big data analytics and algorithmic governance. Only recently, have international, European and domestic institutions started considering how to update existing regulation in order to face these complex and far-reaching challenges. This article assesses the effects of AI application on the employment relationship, with a view to understanding how social and legal institutions act, react or adapt to a potential experience of unprecedented digital surveillance in the workplace, entrenching command-and-control relationships between management and workers. The paper is organized as follows. After describing the new arenas of workplace surveillance, we provide a comprehensive conceptualization of AI application. Section 2 explores the latest generation of digital devices, understood in their broadest definition encompassing both physical supports as well as intangible tools. In many cases, AI prevents accidents caused by human error or reduce the hazard (or even the burden) of routine and menial activities. On the other hand, these software and devices create an effective, invasive and elusive system of watchfulness increasing conformity and promoting docility. Section 3 describes how the EU has set the tone globally in the regulation of privacy and data protection. In particular, we scrutinize the new GDPR thoroughly. One concern on its effectiveness revolves around the limits on the automated decision-making processes (Art. 22). Section 4 describes how some European civil law systems deal with the regulation of surveillance of workers. The cases of France, Germany and Italy are analyzed by stressing the common elements and loopholes. Section 5 assesses some conclusions by verifying whether the current regulations are suitable to cope with the adoption of AI at work.Publication Commoditized Workers. Case Study Research on Labour Law Issues Arising from a Set of 'On-Demand/Gig Economy' Platforms(University of Illinois Press, 2015-08-14) Aloisi, Antonio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75In the framework of the so-called “sharing economy”, the number of on-demand companies matching labour supply and demand is on the rise. These schemes may enlarge opportunities for people willing to find a job or to top up their salaries. Despite the upsides of creating new peer marketplaces, these platforms may also be used to circumvent employment regulation, by operating informally in traditionally regulated markets. Literature showed how, by 2009, over 2 million worker accounts had been generated within these frameworks. Productivity may be fostered but, at the same time, a new version of Taylorism is disseminated (i.e. the fragmentation of labour into hyper-temporary jobs – they call them microtasks – on a virtual assembly line), strengthened by globalisation and computerisation. All these intermediaries recruit freelance or casual workers (these continue to be independent contractors even though many indicators seem to reveal a disguised employment relationship). Uncertainty and insecurity are the price for extreme flexibility. A noteworthy volume of business risk is shifted to workers, and potential costs as benefits or unemployment insurance are avoided. Minimum wages are often far from being reached. This paper will present a case study analysis of several “on-demand work” platforms, starting from the Amazon Mechanical Turk, one of the first schemes founded in 2005, which is arguably “employing humans-as-a-service”. It splits a single service in several micro “Human Intelligence Tasks” (such as tagging photographs, writing short descriptions, transcribing podcasts, processing raw data); “Turkers/Providers” (workers) are selected by “Requesters” to rapidly accomplish assignments online, are then rated according to an internal system and are finally paid (also in gaming credits) only if delivery is accepted. After having signed up and worked within some platforms, I comment upon TaskRabbit (thousands people on the service who bid to do simple manual tasks), Handy and Wonolo (personal assistance at a local level), oDesk and Freelancer (online staffing), Uber and Lyft (peer-to-peer ridesharing), Airbnb (hosting service), InnoCentive (engineering solutions), Axiom (legal research or service), BitWine (consultancy). Finally I highlight downsides and upsides of work in these platforms by studying terms of service or participation agreements to which both parties have to agree. I look into several key features such as (i) means of exchange/commodities, (ii) systems of payment, (iii) demographics, (iv) legal issues concerning status and statutory protection of workers, indicators of subordination, treatment of sickness, benefits and overtime, potential dispute resolution, and deprived “moral valence of work” and I discuss potential strategies to address these issues.Publication De-gigging the labour market?An analysis of the 'algorithmic management' provisions in the proposed Platform Work Directive(IE University, 2022-07-21) Aloisi, Antonio; Potocka Sionek, Nastazja ; Aloisi, Antonio; European Commission; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Workers are increasingly being managed by technologies. Before spreading to larger segments of the labour market, algorithmic management systems were a signature feature of platform work. The exercise of power through digital labour platforms is one cause of the precarious working conditions in this area, an issue that could soon concern a wider groupof workers in traditional economic sectors.This article elucidates the provisions regulating algorithmic management in the proposed EU Directive on improvingworking conditions in platform work, which tackles automated surveillance and automated decision-making practices. The proposed Directive mandates the disclosure of their adoption and sets out information and explanation rights regarding the categories ofactions monitored and the parameters considered. Unlike rules concerning the presumption of employment status, the provisions on algorithmic management apply to all platform workers, including genuinely self-employed persons.Before offering a reasoned overview of the legal measures envisaged in the proposed text, this article grapples with the process leading to the proposed Directive in order to reveal the background and alternatives to the current formulation. It addresses the interplay between the textand other instruments regulating the deployment of technologies for managing workers.The steps intended to hold platforms to account are remarkable, but the regulatory technique could result in partially overlapping models, thereby increasing legal uncertainty and arbitrage.Publication Demystifying flexibility, exposing the algorithmic boss: a note on the first italian case classifying A (Food-delivery) Platform worker as an employee(IE University, 2021-03-22) Aloisi, Antonio; European Commission; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75In November 2020, the Palermo Tribunal reinstated a Glovo rider and reclassified him as a full-time, permanent employee, to be remunerated according to the applicable sectoral collective bargaining agreement (for the service sector), on the grounds that his autonomy was merely notional, since the platform could organize the execution of work and discipline noncompliance with rigorous instructions issued through the internal booking system. The judge ordered compensation for wage differentials and reimbursement for the unpaid time the worker spent waiting for orders. This dispatch is organized as follows. After a brief introduction, Section II describes the main facts underlying the legal dispute, as presented by the claimant and ascertained by the judge. Section III is aimed at disentangling the judge’s multi-layered reasoning. It covers four main topics: (i) the legal nature of the service rendered by the platform, (ii) the complementary techniques for classifying working relationships, (iii) the emergence of an adaptable notion of subordination, and (iv) the pervasive role played by management by algorithms. Section IV summarizes the key elements of the ruling and discusses its weaknesses.Publication ¿Des-plataformizando el mercado de trabajo? Un análisis de las disposiciones sobre “gestión algorítmica” de la propuesta de Directiva de la UE sobre el trabajo en plataformas(Revista jurídica de trabajo, 2022-12) Aloisi, Antonio; Potocka Sionek, Nastazja; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Los trabajadores están siendo gestionados por las tecnologías de manera creciente. Antes de extenderse a segmentos más grandes del mercado laboral, los sistemas de gestión algorítmica eran una característica distintiva del trabajo en plataformas. El ejercicio del poder a través de plataformas laborales digitales es una de las causas de las precarias condiciones de trabajo en este ámbito, una cuestión que pronto podría afectar a un grupo más amplio de trabajadores de los sectores económicos tradicionales. Este artículo aclara las disposiciones que regulan la gestión algorítmica en la propuesta de Directiva de la UE sobre la mejora de las condiciones de trabajo en las plataformas, que aborda la vigilancia automatizada y las prácticas automatizadas de toma de decisiones. La Directiva propuesta exige la divulgación de su adopción y establece derechos de información y explicación en relación con las categorías de acciones supervisadas y los parámetros considerados. Las disposiciones sobre gestión algorítmica se aplican a todos los trabajadores de plataformas, incluidos los trabajadores verdaderamente autónomos. Antes de ofrecer una visión general razonada de las medidas jurídicas previstas en el texto propuesto, este artículo aborda el proceso que condujo a la propuesta de Directiva con el fin de revelar los antecedentes y las alternativas a la formulación actual. Aborda la interacción entre el texto y otros instrumentos que regulan el despliegue de tecnologías para la gestión de los trabajadores. Los pasos destinados a hacer que las plataformas rindan cuentas son notables, pero la técnica regulatoria podría dar lugar a modelos parcialmente superpuestos, aumentando así la inseguridad jurídica y la arbitrariedad.Publication Deus ex Machina Boss: Managerial Powers in Workplaces Governed by Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence(Nomos, 2023) Aloisi, Antonio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Is the existing legal framework capable of responding to the phenomenon of so-called "algorithmic bosses"? What will happen if technology ultimately disrupts the traditional boundaries of managerial powers that are, in principle, considered lawful? This study aims to examine the extent to which digital automation has led to the expansion of the organizational, supervisory, and disciplinary privileges already available to employers and managerial staff. Using plain language, the study is structured into four sections. Section 2 explores the purposes of the employment relationship and clarifies the notion of the authoritative position held by employers. Section 3 presents the most prevalent artificial intelligence and algorithmic technologies currently entering the workplace; it is argued in this section that, despite their diverse applications, a common denominator lies in their capacity to record and process information that may be used to support managerial staff in making executive decisions. Section 4 identifies the risks that arise when managerial privileges are expanded through the adoption of automated decision-making, as mandatory legal provisions, procedural safeguards, and compensatory mechanisms stemming from collective bargaining are subject to continuous pressure. Adopting a multidimensional approach, this section proposes remedial measures derived from data protection law and anti-discrimination regulations, which—when combined with labor law—could serve to rein in the power of algorithmic bosses. Section 5 offers some concluding observations.Publication Essential jobs, remote work and digital surveillance: Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic panopticon(Wiley, 2021-06-19) Aloisi, Antonio; De Stefano, Valerio; European Union's Horizon 2020; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75An unprecedented COVID-19-induced explosion in digital surveillance has reconfigured power relationships in professional settings. This article critically concentrates on the interplay between technology-enabled intrusive monitoring and the augmentation of managerial prerogatives in physical and digital workplaces. It identifies excessive supervision as the common denominator of “essential” and “remotable” activities, besides discussing the various drawbacks faced by the two categories of workers during (and after) the pandemic. It also assesses the adequacy of the current European Union legal framework in addressing the expansion of data-driven management. Social dialogue, workers' empowerment and digital literacy are identified as effective ways to promote organizational flexibility, well-being and competitiveness.Publication Festina Lente': The ILO and EU Agendas on the Digital Transformation of Work(IE University, 2020-12-01) Potocka Sionek, Nastazja ; Aloisi, Antonio; European Commission; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75This article compares the International Labour Organization (ILO) and European Union (EU) agendas concerning the digital transformation of work, and addresses possible policy gaps and their implications for international and EU labour law. It critically reviews the current social acquis of both institutions and concentrates on the key analogies between the ILO’s Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work and some of the various regulatory initiatives taken by EU institutions in the context of the Pillar of Social Rights. The article finds that, despite the often articulated calls for urgent and original measures, both institutions’ programs present largely a prudent continuation of traditional narratives, failing to strengthen the adequacy of existing labour regulation regimes. Besides their predominantly non-binding nature, the efficacy of the most future-oriented instruments is profoundly undermined by the unreasonable exclusion of those workers who bear most of the brunt of social disparities accelerated by digitization and casualization of work. Also, the implementation of these initiatives may be jeopardized by complex governance methods and never soothed tensions between conflicting approaches and objectives. The study concludes that, although positive signs are emerging in the supranational legal order, much remains to be done to address the multifarious challenges brought about by the digital transformation.Publication Hierarchies without firms? Vertical disintegration, outsourcing and the nature of the platform(SSRN, 2018-02) Aloisi, Antonio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75New forms of labour intermediation through digital platforms such as Uber, Deliveroo or Amazon Mechanical Turk can be conceptualised as the latest stage of a long-lasting process of disaggregation of the firm and “disorganisation of labour law.” In particular, the rise of platform-mediated work can be seen as an instantiation of deliberate business strategies aimed at outsourcing labour while retaining intense and pervasive managerial prerogative. The phenomenon is exacerbating several unresolved tensions inherent in the contemporary world of work, let alone the perverse impact that “platformisation” is having on precariousness and social inequalities. In short, new technologies allow platforms to abandon traditional methods of workplace governance and adopt a stronger version of the “command and control” logic. Direct interaction is replaced by a significant reliance on information communications technology: workers are monitored more closely and intimately than they ever used to be by means of tech tools, including algorithms, artificial intelligence and customers’ reviews. This leads to the question whether the existing concept of “firm” is appropriate to face this transformational new reality, whether minor or major adaptations may be necessary or whether we need a total re-invention of the underlying assumptions of the employment relationship. After describing the theoretical antecedents of hierarchical outsourcing, the article explores the literature on the nature of “non-standard forms of firm” by applying transaction-cost economics. In an attempt to update the incomplete trichotomy among “hierarchies,” “markets” and “networks,” I present a complementary model combining pre-existing schemes. By building on theories unfolding the disarticulation of the formal employing entity and the pulverisation of work-related responsibilities, this paper demystifies the prototypical business model of rampant socio-economic actors.Publication J.K. v TP S.A. and the ‘Universal’ Scope of EU Anti-Discrimination Law at Work: A Paradigm Shift?(Oxford, 2023-10-05) Aloisi, Antonio; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Case C-356/21 J.K. v TP S.A. has been hailed as a transformative step forward in defining the personal scope of application of European anti-discrimination law and, potentially, determining the wider construction of labour rights.1 Its significance relates to several aspects. First, the ruling clarified the personal scope of application of Directive 2000/78/EC concerning equal treatment in employment and occupation,2 which the Court considered to explicitly extend to self-employed workers such as the claimant, an audio–visual editor engaged by one client via multiple short-term contracts. Second, it asserted that refusal to conclude or renew a contract for services with a freelancer on the grounds of their sexual orientation falls within the prohibition of discrimination contained in Directive 2000/78/EC. Third, it stated that Polish law has failed to implement the Framework Directive correctly due to permitting a derogation from the general prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation that is purported to be justified by the need to protect the rights and freedoms of others (that is to say, the parties’ freedom of contract).Publication La reglamentación y el futuro del trabajo. La relación de trabajo como factor de innovación(Wiley, 2020-04-02) Aloisi, Antonio; De Stefano, Valerio; FWO Research Foundation de Flandes; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75La transformación digital y la reorganización de la empresa han generado fórmulas distintas de la relación de trabajo típica. Frente al modelo de disrupción digital que proclama la inadecuación del marco jurídico a los modelos de trabajo y de negocio «innovadores», en este artículo se aboga por la reglamentación laboral como factor de innovación. La relación de trabajo es un instrumento flexible y las formas típicas de empleo resultan rentables y eficientes. Además de permitir el pleno ejercicio de la prerrogativa empresarial y la flexibilidad interna en la gestión del trabajo, constituyen un mecanismo eficaz de formación y capacitación.Publication Platform work in Europe: Lessons learned, legal developments and challenges ahead(Sage journal, 2022-01-31) Aloisi, Antonio; European Union’s Erasmus+; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Several years since first emerging in Europe, platform work continues to represent a ‘social dilemma’ for workers, social partners, policymakers and society as a whole. As a result of intense litigation, analysis and reporting, much is known about the contractual and working conditions in this growing labour market segment. While the European Union (EU) institutions are considering adopting a new Directive based on Art. 153 TFEU, there are a number of significant top-down and bottom-up national cases worth discussing. Workers across Europe have been reclassified by many courts; some governments have taken regulatory initiatives to address the risk of precariousness and have implemented new comprehensive legal instruments to safeguard a level playing field for both workers and platforms. This article discusses how existing and new domestic and EU labour law provisions can improve the labour conditions of platform workers. Its overarching goal is to address possible policy gaps and the implications for EU social law by exploring the lessons that can be drawn from recent policies and legal developments. Section two briefly touches upon the policymaking initiatives in France, Spain and Italy. Moreover, it presents and reviews the main outcomes of litigation at the domestic level, focusing on the pervasive role played by algorithmic management. After introducing the Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), section three critically analyses two key achievements at the EU level: the Directive on transparent and predictable working conditions and the Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed. Section four explores the elasticity of the triad of Directives that regulate atypical forms of employment (part-time, fixed-term and temporary agency work). It is argued that the narrow construction of the Directives’ scope of application could represent an obstacle. However, an adaptive and purposive approach by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) could result in the classification of platform workers as falling within the scope of the social acquis in certain fields. Finally, section five concludes by providing concrete policy proposals focussed on cross-border issues, algorithmic transparency, the introduction of a presumption of employment status and collective bargaining.Publication Réglementation et avenir du travail: la relation de travail facilite l'innovation(Wiley, 2020-04-02) Aloisi, Antonio; De Stefano, Valerio; FWO Research Foundation de Flandes; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75La transformation numérique et la réorganisation des entreprises font apparaître de nouvelles modalités de travail fort éloignées de la relation de travail typique. Selon les partisans de la rupture numérique, le cadre juridique actuel n'est pas adapté aux formes de travail et modèles d'entreprises «innovants». Pourtant, la réglementation du travail peut faciliter l'innovation et la flexibilité, comme l'emploi typique peut être un moyen d'améliorer l'efficacité et de réduire les coûts. En effet, la relation de travail permet le plein exercice des prérogatives de l'employeur et le déploiement interne de la main-d'œuvre; c'est aussi un bon moyen d'assurer formation et montée des compétences.Publication Regulating Algorithmic Management at Work in the European Union: Data Protection, Non-Discrimination and Collective Rights(International Journal of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations, 2024-01-01) Aloisi, Antonio; European Commission; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75In recent years, algorithmic management practices have been widely adopted by employers to monitor remote work, analyse how applicants behave during job interviews, rate workers' performance and calculate wage adjustments. As a consequence, the condition of workers being subjected to the upstream authority of managers has intensified. Employment protection legislation recognises the importance of curbing the bosses' unilateral discretionary power by deploying several controlling factors. However, the traditional guardrails have now been displaced by the transformative impetus of data-driven technologies. As a response to this challenge, several European Union law tools could be pragmatically adapted to curtail the expansion of managers' decisional leeway. By applying a multidimensional, anticipatory and participatory approach, this paper integrates substantive and procedural rules that contribute to rebalancing informational asymmetries within workplaces and assesses the effectiveness of those rules. Using examples from case law, administrative decisions and legislative developments, it also discusses the mutually reinforcing relationship between data protection provisions and anti-discrimination measures, which renders automated decisions documentable and contestable. Beyond defensive tactics, this paper calls for the involvement of worker representatives in co-designing digital human resources policies. Indeed, as data are relational, collective bodies are uniquely placed to exchange information, raise awareness and bring claims, thereby preventing algorithmic abuses.Publication Regulation and the future of work: The employment relationship as an innovation facilitator(Wiley, 2020-02-06) Aloisi, Antonio; De Stefano, Valerio ; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75Digital transformation and the reorganization of the firm have given rise to new forms of work that diverge significantly from the standard employment relationship. Advocates of digital disruption suggest that the existing legal framework cannot accommodate “innovative” working templates and business models. This article, however, argues that labour regulation can continue to facilitate innovation, presenting the employment relationship as a flexible instrument, and standard forms of employment as the means of achieving efficiencies and cost advantages. First, they allow for the full exercise of managerial prerogative and attendant internal flexibility in workforce deployment, and, second, they constitute an effective device to deliver training and develop skills.Publication The “spillover effect” of algorithmic management and how (not) to tame it(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2024-04-22) Aloisi, Antonio; Potocka Sionek, Nastazja; European Union’s Erasmus+; https://ror.org/02jjdwm75This chapter delves into the implications of the algorithmic management (AM) “spillover effect”, namely the diffusion of AM systems and practices from the platform economy to conventional work settings and the broader labour market. The AM spillover is tracked across the factual, jurisprudential and legislative dimensions. The crucial questions on which this chapter is targeted are as follows. Are the existing judicial and regulatory responses keeping pace with developments? What are the lessons to be learned from the first wave of litigation concerning AM in the food delivery sector and the first generation of laws targeting AM in the platform economy? Finally, what is the way forward when it comes to addressing the AM spillover most effectively? This chapter begins by dissecting the tools and practices adopted to engage, dispatch, manage, control and assess people who perform platform work. It then examines the case law and regulatory instruments addressing AM in the platform economy and beyond at both EU and national levels. The analysis reveals a significant shift in focus towards data protection, non-discrimination, and working conditions for larger workforce segments. Moreover, a normative critique of the emerging fragmented regulatory approach is presented, contending that a comprehensive solution requires the effective implementation of the existing legal framework and the design of AM specific legislation to close the gaps in the EU and national acquis.