Where would you draw the line, work place GPS tracking personal phone.

[FNdonkey]

I have a couple of small businesses that I've lived off of for the last 8 years. They've kind of gotten to the point where I'm not that involved with them and in general I got very bored of setting on the couch talking shit on the internet all day. I decided to take a 9-5 about a year ago and for the most part I've really enjoyed myself. I work for a family owned ISP with about 4000 customers. I do some tower work, and service call work. I drive a company vehicle, we were informed up front that they have "Truck tracker" GPS units in them. This doesn't bother me a damn bit, I feel like it's their trucks no big deal. This week they've decided to do away with the time clock and want us to install a time keeping app on our personal cell phone. We are not issued phones and are expected to use our own for work purposes, this also hasn't really bothered me much. Where I do have a problem is they are "making us" enable GPS tracking on our cell phones with the app to know where we're at when we're clocking in and out. I asked them this morning if this was even legal, their reply was "Yes we checked to make sure".

First of all if you have to look up if some shits legal my thoughts you probably shouldn't be fucking doing it. The idea of me letting someone keep tabs on me 24 hours a day seems fucking retarded. I would feel different if they wanted to supply company phones but this is shit that's mine, that I pay for.

Financially the job doesn't mean much and I think I'm probably going to throw a shit fit over this. If they fire me fuck it. Am I being completely unfuckingreasonable here?

[HoodedN]

nah, thats bs. thanks a lot zuckerberg

[Brittney Griner's Clit]

[Dan Druff]

Easy solution.

1) Refuse to sign any documents consenting to this.

2) Turn on GPS when clocking in and off when clocking out.

3) If they fire you, sue for wrongful termination

[Dan Druff]

Bottom line is that, unless you give consent otherwise, they cannot pin after hours GPS tracking to a condition of continued employment.

[HoodedN]

Easy solution.

1) Refuse to sign any documents consenting to this.

2) Turn on GPS when clocking in and off when clocking out.

3) If they fire you, sue for wrongful termination

Question on #2, what happens if he needs to turn on GPS for maps to get directions to a Nevada whorehouse Or something? Is he supposed to uninstall and reinstall his work app? Seems like a huge pain in the ass. If you don't need the money just tell them to eat shit.

[Dan Druff]

Easy solution.

1) Refuse to sign any documents consenting to this.

2) Turn on GPS when clocking in and off when clocking out.

3) If they fire you, sue for wrongful termination

Question on #2, what happens if he needs to turn on GPS for maps to get directions to a Nevada whorehouse Or something? Is he supposed to uninstall and reinstall his work app? Seems like a huge pain in the ass. If you don't need the money just tell them to eat shit.

Good question.

Haven't thought of that.

On iPhones you can disable location services to specific apps.

[Crowe Diddly]

if you are willing to take the stand, just take the stand, no company apps on personal devices without some sort of compensation, either they pay for a company device for you to carry, or they pay for your current phone and bill. It's Orwellian for them to require this on your personal property, also creepy, wrong, and offputting, among other things that you should mention to them at every turn when talking about this.


BTW, are you an employee, or an independent contractor?

[abrown83]

How do they plan to reimburse you for the data and power use?

While there is no Federal law, many states have laws that require employees be reimbursed for expenses.

[duped_samaritan]

No way.

If they want to track you, they should use their own hardware.

[herbertstemple]

Easy solution: Just say "Mom & Pop, no fucking way." It is your phone, not theirs. These people really have some brass asking this of their employees. I assume they call you regularly on your phone. I was a field engineer at one time & understand your position. Your office likely communicates with you often. They are already taking advantage of you & this would compound it a few times. Maybe time to hit the Want Ads or whatever the hell people do now.

GL.

[sah_24]

I have a couple of small businesses that I've lived off of for the last 8 years. They've kind of gotten to the point where I'm not that involved with them and in general I got very bored of setting on the couch talking shit on the internet all day. I decided to take a 9-5 about a year ago and for the most part I've really enjoyed myself. I work for a family owned ISP with about 4000 customers. I do some tower work, and service call work. I drive a company vehicle, we were informed up front that they have "Truck tracker" GPS units in them. This doesn't bother me a damn bit, I feel like it's their trucks no big deal. This week they've decided to do away with the time clock and want us to install a time keeping app on our personal cell phone. We are not issued phones and are expected to use our own for work purposes, this also hasn't really bothered me much. Where I do have a problem is they are "making us" enable GPS tracking on our cell phones with the app to know where we're at when we're clocking in and out. I asked them this morning if this was even legal, their reply was "Yes we checked to make sure".

First of all if you have to look up if some shits legal my thoughts you probably shouldn't be fucking doing it. The idea of me letting someone keep tabs on me 24 hours a day seems fucking retarded. I would feel different if they wanted to supply company phones but this is shit that's mine, that I pay for.

Financially the job doesn't mean much and I think I'm probably going to throw a shit fit over this. If they fire me fuck it. Am I being completely unfuckingreasonable here?

0 chance in hell I would install some GPS shit like that luls ... next step is a chip in the arm ... get cucked

[Sanlmar]

We use a punch clock app called PlanDay that is installed on employees personal phones. It too uses GPS to ascertain that the employee is really on site.

Creepy but the employees give absolutely zero fucks. It’s a new world

It’s a good thing I have low initiative cause it would be interesting otherwise

[hardeight]

get a burner , tell them you cant afford a iPhone or what ever , maybe they step up and buy u one

[Sanlmar]

Easy solution.

1) Refuse to sign any documents consenting to this.

2) Turn on GPS when clocking in and off when clocking out.

3) If they fire you, sue for wrongful termination

Alright, I’ll play.

1) consent documents? Whatcha talkin about Willis? There will be no documents offered you

2) if you are an hourly employee it was reasonable and customary to have you punch in and out on a time clock like Simplex or Kronos. It proved your physical location & when you were there.

The marriage of GPS and the software accomplishes the exact same thing. This is gonna be all pervasive in months cause it is cheap and efficient

3) you have no claim for wrongful termination

*******

The GPS “time clock” adds the benefit of efficient payroll calculation. Supervisors review & approves the hours against schedule. Flows right to the payroll processor.

Field service management had software that tracked service truck location against outstanding calls and provided effiency for dispatch decisions assuming all tech skills were equal.

Downloading an app is a shit ton cheaper than wiring up trucks. Same information. Same efficiency.

We’ve saved a ton on payroll processing and elevated our service manpower effiency.


I lived through the decline of field service from the techs perspective

1) Here’s a phone card call in a couple times of day.
Availability is entirely at the techs discretion

2) Here’s a pager and a phone card
Lousy coverage - no way to prove you got page. Tough to find a phone to reply. “Sorry, I was on the road and stuck in traffic”

3) Here’s a fixed car phone.
Lol the status that curly antennae conveyed. $1/min nobodies calling you unless somebody is dying

4) Here’s a cell phone.
I should have finished dental college

5) Here’s your truck with GPS
FML this job sucks

Field service 100% should be union especially if you are state licensed. But that died with the middle class.

Field service ain’t what it used to be. You were once a cowboy roaming the range free. Then came the barbed wire.

In the end a dozen Facebook lovin, Instagram posting millennials will queue up to take your job. They give zero fucks about privacy. You’re a privacy dinosaur. So am I.

[Jayjami]

Easy solution.

1) Refuse to sign any documents consenting to this.

2) Turn on GPS when clocking in and off when clocking out.

3) If they fire you, sue for wrongful termination

This would not be a basis for a wrongful termination suit in California. Despite the prevailing belief, an employer does not need a reason to fire someone. Employers are prohibited from firing people based on certain protected classes, such as gender, race, religion, age. If you don’t like it, you are free to choose another place to work.

[herbertstemple]

I lived through the decline of field service from the techs perspective

1) Here’s a phone card call in a couple times of day.
Availability is entirely at the techs discretion

2) Here’s a pager and a phone card
Lousy coverage - no way to prove you got page. Tough to find a phone to reply. “Sorry, I was on the road and stuck in traffic”

3) Here’s a fixed car phone.
Lol the status that curly antennae conveyed. $1/min nobodies calling you unless somebody is dying

4) Here’s a cell phone.
I should have finished dental college

5) Here’s your truck with GPS
FML this job sucks

Field service 100% should be union especially if you are state licensed. But that died with the middle class.

Field service ain’t what it used to be. You were once a cowboy roaming the range free. Then came the barbed wire.

In the end a dozen Facebook lovin, Instagram posting millennials will queue up to take your job. They give zero fucks about privacy. You’re a privacy dinosaur. So am I.

My evolution was a little different.

(1) Pager. Got used to it then company had a shortfall & they took a few pagers away including mine. Didn't realize how much I hated it till I lost it.

(2) Phone card/ Pager That damn card was handy as hell.

(3) Local branch gets its own 1-800 number/phone card/pager. OK, but starting to run out of excuses for being out of contact.

(3) Cell Phone.

(4) Cell Phone/GPS in trucks. The week after I left the company they were installing this shit. I was setting in the meeting when they announced this thinking "perfect timing."

As far as being a field tech, if you can do the job its the greatest job in the world. You are out on your own, you can do things your way. And there is nobody looking over your shoulder. Well customer may, but this was rare.
Every day is going to be different. You get to use your brain & think on your feet. Also, you get to meet good looking pussy every day. What's not to like? Really enjoyed my time doing it.


You would have hated being a dentist.

[ErickAA]

My case isn't as bad as GPS tracking, but in a similar vein due to security issues I can't check my work email on my phone or laptop when I am not in work unless I let them install some sort of software into said devices which I am sure gives them complete access to said devices.

It is completely voluntary. I have resisted for awhile out of principle but am probably going to bow and get the software installed. It is just too big a pain in the ass for me not to be able to check me emails when I am not at work. I don't do anything illegal and probably the thing I do that theoretically would get me in the most trouble is the stuff I post here which I have been doing at work for years anyways (where I know they have access), so not worrying too much about it.

[duped_samaritan]

I hope op keeps us updated, curious how things turn out.

[Draymond]

Regarding a company installing a GPS on your personal phone or car, is a HUGE grey area for an employer. It's my understanding the case law is ill defined, so when they say "they checked" my guess it was someone from the company scouring the internet, which is typical for a small company.

Now, an employer has every right to issue you a company phone or a vehicle and you would have to agree to it. But forcing an employee to use their own device or car for GPS means they are eventually going to get sued when someone refused, just a matter of time.

I guess you can refuse, and sue for wrongful termination. You'd need to find a firm though in advance interested in taking a case with little cash value, but able to use the case to win and get headlines for establishing an employer/employee precedent. There are some firms that would probably be interested.