Surveillance isn’t just for the NSA anymore. Just ask Dennis Gray, General Manager of pest control company Accurid Pest Solutions.
Gray suspected something wasn’t right with two of his employees. He got GPS tracking on their company issued smartphones for his…troublemakers. The GPS tracking showed this guys weren’t where they were supposed to be. When confronted with the evidence, one admitted slacking off during business hours. One admitted to having an affair with a customer during business hours. Needless to say, neither work for Accurid Pest Solutions anymore. Gray says since then, more employees are telling him they need to take time off rather than just take matters in their own hands.
Dennis Gray’s story isn’t unique. Throughout the blue-collar work world, employers and bosses are turning to technology software to monitor their employees. Employers insist this technology monitoring isn’t just about discipline, it’s about safety and morale. They say this kind of monitoring does everything from reduce theft to help investigate claims. Much of the laws favor the employers. Only in two states, Connecticut and Delaware, are bosses required to tell employees they’re even using such devices on their employees.
I have mixed emotions about this. I do understand from the bosses’ point of view.? Slacking off on the job can costs them money and can lead to other unnecessary problems. And let’s face it, ‘When the cats are away the rats will play.’ But what if something more severe happens on the job, like cries of sexual harassment, theft, workplace bullying, or a serious crime? Without this technology, it would simply be one word against another. Maybe this tracking technology will get to the bottom of such claims. What if someone was injured on the job? Maybe the GPS system can help people learn from these mistakes and prevent them.
But that’s best case scenario. What’s the worst? I wouldn’t take much for an employer to abuse this technology. I wish I can say they wouldn’t, but welcome to the real world, especially the 21st century world. I’m sure someone won’t hesitate to use this technology to follow them outside of business hours and try to spy on them 24 hours a day. What if the boss/employee relationship ends badly? Whose to stop that boss from using this technology to ruin the employee’s life forever? And if they can do this, what’s stopping them from checking your social media accounts every day, and firing you for something you put on these accounts? Lets’ face it, ‘Give an inch and they’ll take a mile’. So is this kind of surveillance helpful or hurtful?