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[powerslinky]

Any oofers heard of this system ?

Seems the employer issues you with a mobile phone with this "crystal ball" app installed & it tracks both the vehicle  & the employee , just tracking the employee when  the employee leaves the vehicle.

Apparently works 24/7  & accurate to 1 Metre.

Big Brother has arrived if what I've been told is correct.

So big question is :   are employers allowed to track the employees themselves ?

Does the employee have to agree to be tracked personally?

How does the employee know he / she is not being spied on out of working hours ?

Interesting one this   

[STEMO]

Should imagine you'd switch your work phone off outside of working hours. I certainly would.

[powerslinky]

Should imagine you'd switch your work phone off outside of working hours. I certainly would.

Don't know too much as yet Steve , and this seems unlikely, but been told switching phone off does NOT stop it tracking you 

Just trying to have "google" on it now   

[Doctor Gollum]

Not news...

[powerslinky]

Not news...

What are you suggesting with that comment Dr. ?

Ah yes . . .I know I'll look in the crystal ball 

[Jimbob]

Yes - MDM software such as Soti....

Can do one hell of a lot more with it than that too

[Doctor Gollum]

Been possible ever since the mobile phone was invented, coming into its own now with linked accounts/emails/online shopping/map searches/TV viewing etc.

Wasn't mentioned in the Daily Fail per chance?

[Nick W]

In my last job, they started tracking the trucks about 14 years ago to lots of complaints from my colleagues. Operationally it was well worthwhile; the controllers soon stopped sending us across each other's paths. The complainers were mostly those doing private jobs.
When we went paperless(which is always a misnomer), the software tracked both the phone and the vehicle. But it didn't work with the phone turned off. Or in the radio deadspot where I live .


My opinion was that they were paying me to use their equipment, so I couldn't care less whether they track me or not at work. I never had my work phone on me, or even switched on outside of work hours.

[powerslinky]

Been possible ever since the mobile phone was invented, coming into its own now with linked accounts/emails/online shopping/map searches/TV viewing etc.

Wasn't mentioned in the Daily Fail per chance?

No  . . .  but lets just say I  may need to know what it's all about . . .& very soon  >:
 
Also  . . .my vehicle is already tracked and has been for ages , also have a personal alarm for lone working 

[STEMO]

Should imagine you'd switch your work phone off outside of working hours. I certainly would.

Don't know too much as yet Steve , and this seems unlikely, but been told switching phone off does NOT stop it tracking you 

Just trying to have "google" on it now   

Well. I've had a google, Al, and phone off means no tracking.

[TheBoy]

We use a similar system. Choice is to comply, or find alternative options to pay the mortgage

[biggriffin]

At work, I'm fully tracked, with real time camera, and full vehicle telemetry, starts from the moments the key is turned until 1hour after ignition off. 

It's not a problem, if your playing by the rules, its also for my protection too,. 
There are company's who will and do harass you all the time, young mangers trying to prove themselves are the worst, .
But were lucky, as long as the jobs done were left alone.

[powerslinky]

Should imagine you'd switch your work phone off outside of working hours. I certainly would.

Don't know too much as yet Steve , and this seems unlikely, but been told switching phone off does NOT stop it tracking you 

Just trying to have "google" on it now   

Well. I've had a google, Al, and phone off means no tracking.

Thats not so bad then 

[powerslinky]

At work, I'm fully tracked, with real time camera, and full vehicle telemetry, starts from the moments the key is turned until 1hour after ignition off. 

It's not a problem, if your playing by the rules, its also for my protection too,. 
There are company's who will and do harass you all the time, young mangers trying to prove themselves are the worst, .
But were lucky, as long as the jobs done were left alone.

Exactly . . . gonna be problems there . . . but we'll see   

[Lazydocker]

As long as you are told about it then it's legal.

I could read call logs and text messages and see what apps were installed on the work phones I issued, in addition to tracking them and the vehicles separately 

In fact, it's how I managed to provide proof to the police that an employee had robbed me of a sizeable sum

[Keith ABS]

  We were issud PDA,s at workfor jobs to be sent to us electronicly. Absolutly in no way are they able to track your whereabouts at any time we were all told. On issue, our techy work mate got into it all found two hidden apps tracking all and every movement when device is turned on.
 A building company I worked from a few years ago had trackers fitted to all vans to halve their insurance costs. Then one very nasty contracts manager started using the tracker data agains the work force and docking wages. Head office told all managers and directors to stop this practice but our branch was the only one to fully continue it from director level down to contracts managers against every one out on the tools.
Much fooling was then done with vans parked all over the place and lifts arranged to job sites.

Keith ABS

[LC0112G]

You will find the system doesn't work very well if the battery is flat, or removed completely.

[redelitev6]

  The trackers on our company vehicles actually send a message to the office warning the manager of "harsh acceleration " from the vehicle , drivers are then told off, big brother indeed !

[Varche]

The trackers on our company vehicles actually send a message to the office warning the manager of "harsh acceleration " from the vehicle , drivers are then told off, big brother indeed !

Ye gods! that would have been a nightmare for me a few years back 

[Terbs]

That seems a bit harsh, but I know on our trips to Dorset, I have seen sign written vans being driven fast and dangerously. I
have on more than one occasion said to Swmbo..'If I was boss of a company and saw my vehicles being driven like that, in the morning
those drivers would be looking for another job!!!!'
So I can see the wh's and wherefore's of such actions

[Doctor Gollum]

The trackers on our company vehicles actually send a message to the office warning the manager of "harsh acceleration " from the vehicle , drivers are then told off, big brother indeed !

Wear and tear is a fact of life and budgeted accordingly... unnecessary abuse is a different prospect and costs money...

If you cost the company money unnecessarily, then why do you think you should have a pay review, let alone a rise

[TheBoy]

The trackers on our company vehicles actually send a message to the office warning the manager of "harsh acceleration " from the vehicle , drivers are then told off, big brother indeed !

Wear and tear is a fact of life and budgeted accordingly... unnecessary abuse is a different prospect and costs money...

If you cost the company money unnecessarily, then why do you think you should have a pay review, let alone a rise

I used to eat tyres and brakes, receive regular bollockings, but my then mgr always said I was worth the extra costs, but to discourage the lazy, had to publically reprimand me every time

[powerslinky]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

I suppose they have the right to instruct you to keep it on you during all the time they are paying you.
Outside of those hours they would deserve to be told to stick it up their arris.

[Kevin Wood]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

Not a problem if it's in a biscuit tin.

[biggriffin]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

Not a problem if it's in a biscuit tin.

With a magnet on top.

[Doctor Gollum]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

What's the problem? Honestly. If you're working alone, with tools etc and you don't check in, then they can at least have somewhere to send help to.

We work by ourselves 80% of the time and are not expected to carry radios... We do carry company phones, usually diverted to personal ones as the speakers on ten year old Nokia 5310s don't age well..., but if we don't check in periodically then we can expect to be called, if only to be sure we're still alive

[Sir Tigger KC]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

What's the problem? Honestly. If you're working alone, with tools etc and you don't check in, then they can at least have somewhere to send help to.

We work by ourselves 80% of the time and are not expected to carry radios... We do carry company phones, usually diverted to personal ones as the speakers on ten year old Nokia 5310s don't age well..., but if we don't check in periodically then we can expect to be called, if only to be sure we're still alive

Quite obviously, if you choose to spend your lunch hour in the bookies, pub or brothel, you don't necessarily want your boss to know! 

[Doctor Gollum]

There's that, but then you've other issues if 'er indoors finds out

[TheBoy]

Not bothered about the van being tracked  . .  . been like that for ages  . . .

it's the  tracking of me when I leave the van to actually do my job  I'm concerned about 

Question seems to be  . . .are we going to be instructed to keep the phobne with us at ALL times ?   

Not a problem if it's in a biscuit tin.

We actively go out looking for those who's phone hasn't reported location in a while, or if phone strayed too far from vehicle, or vehicle ever loses contact. Obviously, under the context or H&S rubbish, but we all know reality.

I'm not tracked, as I'm office based, but I wouldn't be that concerned about it if I was mobile, as long as there was flexibility to drive to local building for dinner, via a bakery etc.

[Lazydocker]

Although I'm generally left alone, I know that the phone is tracked and monitored and the van is tracked along with an uploading dash cam. So not only can they see where I am and what speed I'm driving they can log in and watch how I'm driving if they so wish!

Doesn't bother me in the slightest

[Andy B]

So Geo Orwell wasn't far off the mark ....... 

[Doctor Gollum]

Five hundred years ago, the whole Southern hemisphere didn't exist (unless you lived there). Three hundred years ago it took months to get to Australia assuming you hadn't died from dysentery between the poor house and being exported. A hundred years ago women and Negros couldn't vote and only the well to do had indoor plumbing. Fifty years ago there was talk of flying cars and driving across the Atlantic.

We are where we are and George Orwell was no nearer than the Jetsons... Only difference being that he applied a modicum of hindsight and common sense to take a stab at life in the future...

Who knows what the future holds, but it isn't unreasonable to think that in a hundred, three hundred or five hundred years time that it will be awesome in its truest sense.

[Terbs]

Very true, Dr.

No one can truly predict anything on this earth. Good estimated guesses are the limit.
From day 1 life is an unpredictable gamble. You take what comes and get on with it.
( I do talk of 'normal' people, not those who want the gamble of taking more than is usual, crime, for instance)

[Kevin Wood]

Who knows what the future holds, but it isn't unreasonable to think that in a hundred, three hundred or five hundred years time that it will be awesome in its truest sense.

Yep, maybe we'll be able to fly to the moon, or fly to New York in 3 1/2 hours. 

[Doctor Gollum]

Two steps forward...

[biggriffin]

Two steps forward...

Concorde!