Work settings, whether in factories, offices, or corporations, are organized into bureaucratized hierarchies. In the chain of command each position in the chain gives orders to those below, taking responsibility for their actions and following orders from above. The hierarchical arrangement controls workers by holding out the possibility of advancement . More prestigious job titles, higher wages, and greater benefits accrue as one moves up the ladder. Technological Control Management's use of technology to monitor and supervise is a form of control .
Some businesses use lie detectors to assess worker loyalty.
Telephone taps have been used to decide whether workers use company time for personal use. The most common contemporary technology for worker control is the computer. The computer can count keystrokes, time phone calls, monitor frequency of errors, assess overall employee performance, and even issue citations when the employee fails short of the ideal. If workers become too militant in their demands for higher wages, safe working conditions, or benefits, management can threaten them with reprisals . E. Unemployment 1.