SURVEILLANCE

Whole Foods Tracks Stores at Risk of Unionizing With Heat Map: Report

The Amazon-owned company is reportedly using an interactive heat map to assess each store’s employees on their loyalty, violations, and calls to human resources.

Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, has been using an interactive heat map tool to track its 510 stores across the country to determine their “risk of unionization,” according to Business Insider. Every Whole Foods store is assessed by a rating scale that determines the plausibility that employees might unionize, Business Insider reported. The heat map also reportedly rates each store’s employees on their “loyalty,” calls to human resources, racial diversity, violations, and the unemployment rate in the designated location. “The [Team Member] Relations Heatmap is designed to identify stores at risk of unionization,” according to a statement on the heat map, obtained by Business Insider. “This early identification enables resources to be funneled to the highest need locations, with the goal of mitigating risk by addressing challenges early before they become problematic.”