Digital taylorism och algoritmisk styrning inom livsmedelslogistik : En kvalitativ studie om arbetstagares motstånd och handlingsutrymme

Sammanfattning

Workplaces are increasingly digitalized, changing how labor is organized, managed and monitored. This study examines algorithmic management within food and grocery logistics, focusing on how it affects warehouse workers’ agency and what resistance strategies emerge in response. This study is based on a theoretical framework consisting of digital taylorism, the panopticon, the autonomy paradox, the Job-Demands-Resources model and workplace resistance. Using a qualitative research approach, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with warehouse workers in the sector. The findings show that algorithmic management significantly limits workers’ agency through technically locked workflows, detailed instructions and continuous performance measurement. Workers describe how the system determines what should be done, in what order and within what timeframe, making them feel like an “autopilot” or “robot”. Digital measurability creates a panoptic control system in which the manager’s physical presence becomes less important, as work is monitored through data and performance metrics. In response, workers develop informal resistance strategies, including manipulation of time and system data, collective concealment of breaks, and prioritizing quantity over quality and ergonomic guidelines. The study shows that these strategies can be understood as attempts to reclaim agency in a work environment characterized by high levels of control. The study concludes that algorithmic management within food logistics reinforces centralized control rather than creating real flexibility for workers. The promised flexibility therefore appears largely illusory.