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How to Introduce Tracking to your Field Employees

3 min read

GPS tracking is now a critical capability for field operations. The growing popularity of GPS location services for workforce management allow businesses to have greater insight into the jobs and tasks performed by field employees.

Field employees have a unique level of independence in their daily work. By implementing a tracking solution, employers can establish accountability among their workforce.

Those looking to implement location-tracking services have greater access to increasingly advanced platforms. While businesses are enthusiastic to implement a GPS-tracking application, employees can be reluctant to the concept of being tracked. It is up to business owners to create a system of transparency and information to allow their businesses to experience the advantages of GPS tracking while keeping employees comfortable.

GPS tracking offers many benefits to both businesses and employees:

  • No need for employees to fill in timesheets
  • Employees can easily check-in and check-out at their job site
  • With Geo-fencing, they can automatically check-in and check-out
  • No need for employees submit mileage expense reports since it is tracked automatically
  • Supervisors/Managers can see exactly where the employees are at any given time, helping them schedule jobs more efficiently
  • Businesses can measure their operations against goals/metrics

From timesheets to automation

Traditionally, manual timesheets have been the way businesses have recorded employee hours and attendance. But doing them manually can be both inaccurate and expensive, especially if you find that employees are not filing them on time or with accurate hours. It makes it harder to run the business when you do have accurate information about your employees. For example, did the employee arrive late to a job location? Did they complete the job in time? 

With GPS tracking, businesses have all the information they need at their fingertips. They know exactly when an employee arrives at a job site and when they leave. Employees do not need to file timesheets anymore making it easier for them to carry out their jobs without worrying about filing timesheets every day.

In addition to communicating these benefits, businesses need to get their employees on board by following these suggestions:

Share the Positive Implications of a Tracking System

Host an information session in which you can explicitly outline the benefits that employee tracking can bring to your business. When employees understand the tangible benefits that field tracking offers your daily operations, they are more willing to participate.

Seek Employee Consent

In order to create a transparent tracking policy, employee consent should be given. For mobile tracking systems that operate from an app, employees must willingly download the app on their phones in order to use the platform. Under Connecticut and Delaware state laws, the use of electronic surveillance, including GPS, is prohibited without employee consent.

Use Efficient Tracking Practices through Advanced Privacy Controls

Your business should enlist a tracking platform that offers strong privacy controls. Ethical tracking should occur only during shift hours.

Create an Open Discussion for Employee Concerns

Participate in a question and answer session between managers, HR, and affected employees. Any questions that cannot be answered by your staff can be directed to your tracking service provider in order to best address employee concerns.

Summary

See also  Best Practices: Introducing GPS Based Time Tracking Policy For Your Company

allGeo is a cloud-hosted, carrier grade location and messaging platform that helps SMB and Enterprise businesses better manage their mobile employees by improving productivity and accountability, while reducing payroll and operations costs with solutions such as GPS tracking & time clock, Lone worker safety, Automation of field activity monitoring, Mobile forms & data collection including signature, notes, pictures, barcode/QR code, etc. The allGeo platform enables these solutions across a wide range of industries such as field service management, trade services, emergency responders, sales reps, transportation & logistics and home health care providers.

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