The depersonalisation of the employer.

The central issue

The research considers how automation and algorithmic management are changing the exercise of managerial authority, from recruitment and work allocation to performance assessment, monitoring and decisions affecting the employment relationship. Its central question is who remains legally responsible when an employer’s decision is made through an algorithmic process.

The dissertation places the depersonalisation of the employer in its historical context, tracing the shift from direct personal supervision and industrial models of organisation to contemporary corporate, digital and algorithmic systems of decision-making. This is not merely a technical issue. It concerns the continued protective function of employment law where the person or organisation exercising managerial power becomes less visible to the worker.

What the dissertation examines

The first part explores digital work and labour platforms, remote working, algorithmic management and the consequences of automated decisions. It considers data protection, human oversight, the European Union’s regulatory framework and collective employment rights.

The second part examines the identity of the employer: how managerial prerogatives have changed over time, how managerial authority is spread across organisational and technical networks, and the legal criteria by which responsibility continues to be attributed.

Key conclusion

The dissertation argues that the use of technology does not extinguish the employer’s status or legal responsibilities. An algorithm is a technical means through which authority is exercised; it does not, in itself, replace the party responsible for the employment relationship. Transparency, the ability to challenge decisions, human oversight and collective protections therefore become particularly important.

The study identifies several priorities: stronger transparency requirements, the right to an explanation and scrutiny of algorithmic decisions, workers’ participation and the adaptation of collective mechanisms of protection.

Primary source

The complete dissertation is available from the university’s institutional repository, Pergamos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. This page is an introduction to the research; it is not a substitute for the full text or for checking the legislation currently in force.