GPS staff tracking and lone worker protection
In this article, we will be looking at GPS tracking for remote staff and lone workers. We’ll be answering the following questions:
What are staff tracking systems?
What are staff tracking systems used for?
Who could use a staff tracking system?
How do staff tracking systems work?
How does staff tracking affect privacy?
What are staff tracking systems?
Staff tracking systems allow companies to oversee their staff when they’re out and about. The system may consist of a bespoke tracking device, or companies may choose to use an employee tracking app.
Some staff tracking systems may be built into a vehicle, but some can be worn or carried in the pocket, which allows for much more continous tracking.
What are staff tracking systems used for?
Employers may wish to track their employees for a number of reasons:
To monitor the safety of their lone working and at-risk staff.
To see where their staff are, and what they’re working on.
To better organise their team.
To keep track of timescales.
To provide information for customers and clients. For instance, a client may ask how far away a delivery driver is, or whether a security guard made their regular rounds.
To keep track of working hours, mileage and overtime.
For safety auditing.
Who could use a staff tracking system?
Tracking employees through GPS can be incredibly beneficial for a wide range of businesses. Some examples include:
Delivery drivers and couriers. This may include drivers of vans, lorries or cargo bikes. GPS tracking can provide safety monitoring, as well as management and auditing benefits.
Employees who make house visits such as health and social care workers and estate agents.
Staff who work in remote locations, such as agricultural and environmental workers.
Staff who are isolated despite being ‘on site’ such as some warehouse, construction and utility workers.
Employees with meetings or tasks that shouldn’t be disturbed. For instance, a social care worker may not want to be called during a sensitive session with a client.
Organisations that monitor staff hours, mileage, or other logistical considerations.
How do staff tracking systems work?
All staff tracking solutions are different but, in essence, employees use a device to share their location and status with their team. In most cases, location is tracked by GPS and shared over the internet (such as 4G).
Through the GPS device, an employee can be monitored by their assigned supervisor. Often these supervisors can also see historical information, as well as current jobs.
How does staff tracking affect privacy?
A common worry about staff tracking relates to employee privacy. It is natural for employees to worry about being ‘snooped’ on and when implementing any tracking solution, it’s important to communicate with your staff, address any concerns they may have and explain why the tracking is beneficial, and how their privacy will be respected.
It is also important to take these considerations into account before committing to a tracking solution. Consider whether a more flexible solution could help provide a better balance between monitoring and privacy.
How does Safepoint do staff tracking differently?
Safepoint offers organisations the tools to track their staff’s location with affordable, flexible solutions –whilst also providing award-winning protection.
With Safepoint, you can start keeping track of your team with nothing more than a smartphone and a web browser. Through our online dashboard, it’s easy to see where your team are and what they’re up to. There’s no costly setup and no risks to your employees’ privacy (your staff can’t be monitored unless they start an active task or request emergency help).
Plus, over the next few months, we’re providing lots of exciting new logistical features. Want to know what your employee’s workday looked like last Wednesday or how many hours your team worked last month? No problem. We are even bringing in safety analytics tools, so you can see where your team are experiencing dangerous or threatening experiences.
Find out how Safepoint is bringing together employee tracking, logistics and lone worker protection while protecting employee privacy in our new article.