US Worker Sues After Employer Fires Her for Refusing to Send 160 Webcam Photos Per Day

A U.S. worker has sued her employer after the company fired her for refusing to take a photo of herself on a webcam every three minutes.

Longtime employee Glennis Von Sander-Timinski filed the lawsuit against her former employer Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, which is based in Clifton, New Jersey.

According to a report by NewJersey.com, Von Sander-Timinski had worked for the company, which provides health care services outsourcing, since 2018. Court documents state that she had been working remotely at home for Sutherland Healthcare Solutions, with no issues since the start of her employment. Von Sander-Timinski had achieved positive performance reviews during that time.

That changed in August, when the company told her that they would be using a new tool called Sentinel AI. This software would take a photo of her through her webcam about every three minutes over the course of the working day, for a total of about 160 photos per day.

Fears About AI Seeing into Her Home

According to the lawsuit, Von Sander-Timinski objected to the new AI camera tracking system, worried about the AI seeing the inside of her home, and whether the data would be securely stored. She also told her employer that the requirement would increase her stress levels and risk triggering her lupus, a condition that can cause fevers, rashes, and sores. Von Sander-Timinski also submitted a letter from her doctor requesting an exemption from AI camera monitoring, suggesting that the photos could be “intermittent or less frequently.”

Despite this, Sutherland Healthcare Solutions maintained its position on Sentinel AI. The company instead gave Von Sander-Timinski three options: accept the AI monitoring, commute to the office daily, or lose her job. The commute to the office was not practical, as she lived in Atlantic County, roughly six hours round-trip from the company’s office in Clinton, New Jersey, according to court documents.

So when Von Sander-Timinski refused these terms, she was fired by Sutherland Healthcare Solutions on September 8 despite having worked at the company for eight years.

Von Sander-Timinski has now sued Sutherland Health Solutions, alleging it violated anti-discrimination laws in New Jersey and retaliated against her for requesting “reasonable accommodations” from the AI monitoring system. She is seeking back pay, compensation for emotional distress and the denial of workplace accommodations, reinstatement to her position, and removal of the incident from her employment record.

According to a report by Inc., only a few U.S. states restrict employer surveillance, but New York, Connecticut, Delaware and California are beginning to introduce limits. New Jersey is also considering a bill to regulate AI-powered workplace monitoring tools. Earlier this year, Maine passed a law banning surveillance inside employees’ homes unless it is deemed necessary.

The news of the lawsuit comes after an anxious travel consultant working from home for a British travel company successfully sued the company for discrimination after it made her turn on her camera during meetings.

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