ZX-TT

I work in the tracking Industry and as long as he has informed you about the tracking facility he is legal allowed to do so, Also just a note that now he has informed staff he can legally use evidence from the tracking app in any disciplinary action if the need arose.

However most companies are now using apps and tracking devices as asset management tools.

If you want any more info please PM me.

Dr Hu

We have a few company iPads - they are routinely registered with 'iCloud-find my iPhone' - specifically for the purpose of if they get lost or mislaid - which they have done in the past - *not* to track the employee who just happens to be using it....

Are you sure your not just being paranoid?

c_maguire

As you know doubt accept, the reasons given by employers for implementing certain policies are often only the justification needed to open the door for the other 'perks' that come along with those policies.
The 'if you've got nothing to hide' argument stinks. Maybe that's alright if we're talking about cameras on poles in city centres that monitor general activity in an area for everyone's benefit, but how many people would accept one of these cameras in their living room or their car?
All this personal monitoring nonsense is just the slackers spoiling things for everybody else.
I expect when the employer would like to 'offload' someone then the logs for these devices will be very useful.
A decent manager (a rare commodity these days) should know who the slackers, p#ss-takers and thieves are without invading everybody's space.

urban

iTrader: (1)

True to a certain degree.

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

Without data to back it up though it can be hard to get rid of someone, hard evidence such as GPS showing them wondering off to the shops for example must make the process much easier

c_maguire

I have worked in the field since 1995 and in that time have worked with people who were conscientious but just not much good, others who were lazy but knew their stuff and others who were not much good and took the p#ss. Even a few who were actually good and conscientious.
I've never had a problem 'picking' the slackers or clueless and neither should any competent manager.
The irony in the field, where normally salary + overtime is payable, is that the better workers get done quicker and therefore often make less money than the others who take longer because they are either less competent or dragging the job out.

If companies are not careful then the working conditions they create just result in workers going through the motions to 'fit' the system.

If a company has problems with the behaviour of some employees then they should deal with those employees directly, not by effectively placing restrictions on everybody as this undermines any loyalty the better employees have to the company.

Thankfully, as I am self-employed these days, I don't have to deal with PDA's, trackers or speed-limited vehicles. Many engineers I meet now have speed-limited company vehicles. In their case, in view of the time they spend in them, I would get another job.

urban

iTrader: (1)

Its actually not that difficult to get rid of someone, it just takes a bit of time.

I agree, and another good way to realign the bad employees with the good, is to introduce bonus payments as a team.
Simply a case of either everyone gets it or no one gets it, that usually gets the slacking workers to toe the line.

ReallyReallyGoodMeat

Unfortunately I've had different experience of bad team members; this person was regularly caught sleeping at their desk, or going for long walks, doing very little work generally, and when it was raised with the MD the response was that this person is well known for being crap but it was too expensive/difficult to just sack this person. Needed a work improvement plan etc. before they could sack them, and this was a small company without the resources/motivation to really implement any of that.

I left this company seven years ago, to my knowledge this person is still there

RobsyUK

iTrader: (2)

Am I rightq in thinking that if I stole an iPad with the tracker app, removed app and restored iPad to factory then you couldn't track it.

Adrian F

my old company fitted trackers to the staffs vans and the engineers productivity dropped 40%

you regularly see engineers parked up sleeping in back roads in London you know they are trackered as its the late afternoon they have finished their days work but cant leave for home as they will get docked so they sleep till the correct time on the tracker.

lol even the tracker engineer use to do that outside our head office when they came out to fix a dodgy unit in a works van

as said above these type of "tools" are used by people who cant manage staff or are to lazy to motivate staff i found the tracker useless to manage my team of engineers and i found it being on my vehicle insulting to the profit i generated on the contracts i managed

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I just disconneted the fuse on mine, the location at their end would just stay at its last known point

*I only did that after I already handed my notice in and was working my last two weeks. By then I really didn't give a shyte as they were fiddling my overtime already...Funny that the trackers proved I did work the overtime, but they ignored it and never paid me for it. Yet should I dare jump in the van during normal hours to move it on site (for example to unload a 80kg air con unit) I'd get a call on the mobile asking me WTF am I doing.

As mentioned tracking tools is not a replacement for bad managment - my old project manager couldn't even manage his own arsehole (as his head was stuck up it ).

jods

Not strictly "On Topic" but similar.

Until recently the company I work for allowed people to work from home as and when it suited them.

This came to a crashing halt after a message was sent to everyone who was "Working from Home". The UK Staff replied within a few seconds. It took several staff in the USA over two and a half hours to reply. Thankfully the curtailment only applies to the USA :-)

hodgy0_2

Yes, this raises several interesting issues

You could argue those that replied instantaneously were not that busy, and those that did not respond were in fact working on something important

I find it annoying that email now is used as a "virtual" tap on the shoulder, demanding an instant response.

Sometimes if I am busy and pushed for time writing a report ect, I wll just close down outlook.

I am lucky enough to be able to work from home whenever I want/need too, my local office is an easy 25 min drive away in any case

But If I have a "slow" day with no pressing deadlines - I find it easier to actually go to the office rather than work from home

As to me a very easy work day, working from home, seems uncomfortably like a day off

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

get a case for it and make up a tinfoil sleeve . pop it in when you leave work, no signal job done, it works on my phone at weekends

Markus

If it's a company device, then don't take it home with you. If this means having to visit the office to drop it off every night, then explain that to management, saying you don't wish to be tracked on personal time and as such you will leave the device in the safety of the office.
If you're in a position where you need it with you, say you're on call, then it's a little more difficult, but as others have said, if you're not doing anything that warrants attention, then is it really a problem?

I have "Find my iPhone / iPad" enabled on all of the devices our team has. We only occasionally take them home, and it is only there for us to find a device if it has gone for a little walk, as has happened in the past a few times, and management were not overly happy. Some of the devices were "on loan" to other teams, and they lost them.

I have created a sign out system, so when you borrow a device you run an app on the device and sign it out to yourself, and then sign it back in when you are finished.

Bottom line, when it's signed out to you, it's your responsibility. If you lose it, or leave it on your desk overnight, rather than in the secure device drawer then we will try and track it down using find my iphone, but you will be held accountable for it going missing. If it's stolen from you, or say a house break-in then that's out of your control.

I'm known for being very fussy about devices being signed out. We've had other teams want to borrow devices and they have got a bit funny about having to jump through hoops, but when I mention that a) devices have gone missing, and b) if you borrow it and don't give it back, you WILL buy the team a new one, they tend to take the 5 minutes to fill out the registration and sign it out.

BlueBugEye

iTrader: (12)

There's no need to add your boss as a friend, no problems with them using the find my iPhone app but the friend finder is linked to social networks I believe so therefore I wouldn't add my boss.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

Just turn it to your advantage , keep an eye on where THEY are ! Wonder if they have anything to hide

mikescooby

iTrader: (2)

i had it on my i phone but i turned it off when my boss set it off, my work phone gets used more for my personal use than it does for work, use it more on the net. but i never asked for one and wasnt botherd about one either, but my boss is soft so he dont bother me. when he first got me it i asked him if he put internet allowance on it but he didnt give me a yes answer, so end of the month he got a £300 bill, that was his fault

hodgy0_2

Sorry just a noise

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Are you paying tax on it as it's a benefit in kind. As for it being your bosses fault

mikescooby

iTrader: (2)

No dont pay tax or anything on phone. Also because im more into the technology on things he got to more iphone for the other 2 blokes and i told him you will need allowance on them as they do search the net for updates. Plus we use the calander i cloud thingy for putting work jobs on and alerts us. Best app i have on my phone is the works cctv

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I used to install tracking systems, or as the industry likes to call them "vehicle asset management systems" and we (i'm going back a few years as well) could monitor every single event that happens with the vehicle if so desired, everything from opening and closing doors to what speed in what gear, which is an aspect that is used by insurance companies to determine driving style and risk, I was involved in the first pilot scheme with Norwich Union who were the market leaders when it came to offering this to customers.

I also undertook many many covert installations into vehicles either prior to delivery or while they were in for service or the user was out with a colleague.

I can't tell about the stuff the DSS and Police got up to when I worked for the old BT Cellnet, and that was with analog, so god only knows what's happening with digital, although thats not strictly true I do know quite a bit about what is possible these days.

Moral of the story, never underestimate the power of technology or the deceitfulness of employer or employee.