Notes

Is Employee GPS Tracking Legal?
Using GPS for employee tracking can be legal, but it’s important to disclose its use and obtain consent from employees before tracking them. You should also make sure that your GPS data is only used for business-related purposes and that it’s securely encrypted.

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1. Increased Efficiency

As an employer, you have the legal right to monitor your employees with GPS technology while they are on company-owned vehicles or devices. However, it is important to establish clear and transparent policies and communicate them with your staff before you introduce this technology. This will alleviate any privacy concerns and make it clear that you are only monitoring them for business purposes that are legitimate.

When employees are aware that their location is being monitored, they will be less likely to slack off during work hours or engage in other questionable behavior that could negatively impact the company. This can improve customer satisfaction, which will also lead to increased efficiency for the company as a whole.

For example, if your employees are in the field and bill per client, tracking their location will allow you to verify that they are meeting with clients on time and not deviating from their route. It will also help you calculate mileage reimbursement accurately. This type of data will save you a lot of time and money.
2. Increased Productivity


Whether your team uses a personal vehicle or company-owned vehicles for business purposes, GPS tracking allows you to monitor how efficiently your employees use those assets. If an employee is taking longer routes or is slacking on their delivery schedule, your managers can easily address these issues by providing them with feedback and training opportunities.

Using GPS monitoring for employee accountability may feel like an invasion of privacy to some, but it can be an excellent way to increase productivity and encourage your workforce. The key is to only monitor your employees during agreed-upon working hours, and to make sure that the monitoring is justified by a clear business need (such as timecards or route optimization).

Employee pushback is inevitable, but it is important to have open conversations with your team about the why and how of GPS tracking and explain the benefits that they can expect. It is also helpful to provide training for employees, so they understand the logistics of the system and can feel more comfortable with being monitored. This will lead to greater acceptance and ownership of the new technology and higher levels of accountability.

3. Enhanced Safety

GPS tracking is a powerful tool that can help foster productivity and accountability for field or mobile employees. However, employee privacy concerns have resulted in laws regulating how and when GPS monitoring can occur.

Generally, it is legal for employers to monitor employees with a GPS device on company-owned vehicles and devices when the employer has a legitimate business need to do so. The law is murkier when it comes to tracking personal vehicles and devices owned by employees, which may raise a red flag for legal action if monitored outside of agreed working hours.

lone worker device To avoid such risks, it is important for companies to communicate openly with employees about the use of GPS tracking and establish clear written policies outlining the reasons for its implementation, how it will be used, and employee rights. Employers should also consider using an innovative lone worker safety solution, such as SHEQSY by SafetyCulture, which offers streamlined travel for delivery drivers, enables supervisors to monitor real-time locations of lone workers, and provides safeguards like duress alarm activation and automated welfare check-ins.
4. Accurate Mileage Reimbursement

Employee GPS monitoring can be a sensitive subject, but most employees will accept it once they understand the benefits of tracking data. Most courts agree that it is legal for employers to monitor employees’ usage of company property (including vehicles) so long as the employer is transparent about its purpose and does not violate an employee’s reasonable expectation of privacy.

A simple, unobtrusive GPS device will make it much easier for employees to accurately report mileage. A GPS-verified mileage log will help reduce tax paperwork, administrative expenses, and customer billing disputes.

Vehicle fuel costs are the second largest expense for most transportation companies. A GPS tracking system can help fleet owners manage fuel expenditures by analyzing trends and identifying areas of improvement. This is especially important for unauthorized vehicle use such as speeding or other poor driving behaviors that decrease fuel efficiency and increase operating costs. Some systems can also track engine hours to prevent costly maintenance and repairs. This will also assist with invoicing and payroll. Streamlined back-office processes will benefit most companies regardless of size.
5. Enhanced Accountability

Whether you use Buddy Punch to verify time or GPS tracking for your employees, it’s important to have the right policy in place. This will help ensure compliance with privacy laws and that all information is used appropriately for business purposes. It should also be made clear to all employees how the data will be accessed, who will have access, and what the consequences are for disabling tracking devices without consent.

When used improperly, GPS tracking for employees can be an invasion of privacy. This type of monitoring is best used when it can be justified as a reasonable part of business operations, such as tracking a courier during their shift to make sure they are meeting with customers and not taking breaks or leaving early.

It is much harder to justify the surveillance of private life, such as watching where an employee goes to eat or attend church. These types of activities could potentially violate privacy laws and invite a lawsuit. Developing the right policy, and then training employees on it, is essential to the success of this technology.


Read More: https://loneworkerdevices.co.uk/