Considering GPS Tracking at Work? What Employers Need to Know
August 24, 2020
GPS tracking at work generates strong opinions. Employees worry about privacy. Employers worry about accountability. The good news is that with transparent communication and appropriate scope, GPS tracking serves both interests.
What GPS Tracking Actually Tracks
In TimeClock 365, GPS is captured at the moment of clock-in and clock-out - not continuously throughout the day. Employees are not being followed; their location is verified at the boundaries of their working time. Managers can only access GPS data when an employee's device is logged into the system.
Legitimate Use Cases
- Field workforce accountability - verifying that service calls were made at client locations
- Job site clock-in verification for construction and field service teams
- Accurate project/task costing for billing purposes
- Employee safety - knowing where field workers are in real time
- Preventing time theft - employees clocking in from home for on-site work
Geofencing as a Balanced Approach
Geofencing is the most privacy-conscious form of GPS tracking. Rather than tracking movement continuously, it simply verifies that the employee was at the designated location when they clocked in. The system records presence, not the path.
Communication Is Everything
Employee acceptance of GPS tracking correlates strongly with how transparently it's introduced. Explain the reason (accurate payroll, billing accuracy, safety) and what specifically is tracked. Employees who understand the purpose accept GPS tracking at significantly higher rates than those who don't.