Many businesses are using employee GPS tracking solutions to make their employees more accountable, productive, and safe, as more and more people work from home or in the field.
MarketsandMarkets says that the workforce management market, which includes GPS tracking, will grow to over $9 billion by 2027. This shows how quickly businesses are starting to use digital tracking systems.
The problem is that many companies don’t use employee GPS tracking correctly, even though it has a lot of benefits. Bad practices not only make it less effective, but they can also hurt employee morale and even hurt a company’s reputation.
We’ll talk about three common mistakes that businesses make with employee GPS tracking in this article. More importantly, we’ll show you how to avoid them.
1. Only paying attention to surveillance and not productivity
One of the worst things businesses do is only use GPS tracking as a way to watch people. When employees think they are always being “watched”, it makes them distrustful and resistant.
Why this is a problem:
- Makes employees less happy and less likely to be involved.
- Promotes a culture of fear instead of responsibility.
- Leads to more people leaving because they may feel unappreciated.
Instead of calling GPS tracking a “control mechanism”, call it a “productivity tool”. For instance,
- Use tracking data to find the best travel routes and save money on petrol.
- Find out where workloads are uneven and fairly distribute tasks.
- Give employees who do well on the pitch a reward.
When workers know that GPS tracking is good for both the company and their work-life balance, they are more likely to accept it.
2. Not caring about data privacy and following the law
Not taking care of the legal and privacy issues that come with GPS tracking is another big mistake. Companies have to follow strict data protection laws in places like the EU (GDPR) and even some parts of the U.S.
What could happen if you skip this step:
- There could potentially be lawsuits for violating privacy laws.
- There are fines and other punishments for not following the rules.
- Hurt the employer’s brand and trustworthiness.
Best ways to stay in compliance:
- Please ensure that your employees are fully informed about what data is being collected and the reasons behind it.
- Make sure that only authorised people can access and encrypt the data storage.
- Tracking should only happen during work hours; tracking outside of work hours could be seen as an invasion of privacy.
- Check the rules for your area regularly.
Being open with your employees not only keeps you out of trouble with the law, but it also builds trust and credibility within your company.
3. Not combining GPS tracking with other parts of managing a workforce
Some businesses use GPS tracking as a separate system, which means they don’t get the most out of it. It’s helpful to keep track of where employees are, but the real value comes from adding it to larger systems for managing the workforce.
Why does this error halt growth?
- Managers can see where their employees are, but they can’t link that to performance data.
- There were missed opportunities to better plan schedules and use resources.
- There is insufficient information available for long-term planning.
To fix it,
- Combine GPS tracking with systems for attendance, payroll, and task management.
- Use GPS data to look at productivity metrics like how much time was spent on site, how many customers were visited, and how long it took to complete a service.
- Use tracking data and performance reviews together to make sure that evaluations are fair.
Employee GPS tracking can be a powerful tool for driving efficiency and growth, not just oversight, when used as part of a comprehensive workforce management strategy.
Last Thoughts
Companies with remote or field-based teams can benefit from employee GPS tracking. But if it’s used wrong or not done right, it can backfire and hurt productivity, trust among employees, and compliance.
- To get the most out of your tracking system, don’t focus on watching people; instead, focus on productivity and openness.
- Follow the rules about privacy and compliance.
- For the best return on investment, make sure it works with other workforce systems.
When done right, GPS tracking doesn’t just keep an eye on workers; it gives them power, builds trust, and makes the workplace more efficient and accountable.
Questions and Answers
Q1: What is tracking employees with GPS?
Employee GPS tracking is a type of technology that uses mobile devices or hardware with GPS capabilities to keep an eye on the location of field staff in real time while they are working.
Q2: Is it legal to track employees with GPS?
Yes, it’s legal in most places as long as the employer tells employees about it, only uses it during work hours, and follows data privacy laws.
Q3. What can businesses do to stop their workers from being against GPS tracking?
By being open, focusing on the benefits for productivity, and showing how the system helps workers, such as by cutting down on travel time or making sure that everyone has a fair amount of work to do.
Q4. Which industries get the most out of employee GPS tracking?
Industries that rely heavily on remote workers, like logistics, field sales, utilities, healthcare, and delivery services, benefit the most.
Q5. Will using GPS tracking make customers happier?
Yes. GPS tracking helps businesses give customers a better experience by making sure that deliveries are on time, ETAs are correct, and responses are faster.
