Most businesses want to monitor their employees to know if the work is getting done.
While they have CCTVs and monitoring tools for their PCs at the workplace, it is often challenging to keep eye on remote or field employees.
Whether you are a contractor, cleaning company, courier firm, a food delivery service, or any other business with field or remote staff, you need to know the location and whereabouts of your people so that you can know if the work is getting done.
Yeah, you can use a phone tracking tool. But there is a catch. You can get into legal trouble if your employees file a privacy violation case against you.
Therefore, be extra careful while tracking your employees’ cell phones.
Luckily, there are many safe ways to do that. Here’s how…
Buy a Genuine Phone Tracking App:
First of all, choose the app that can meet your purpose.
There are many apps on the market, making it quite overwhelming to choose the right app. Therefore, ponder over the functions you are looking in the app.
For example, some employees want to check the GSM location while some want to be aware of their online activities. The point is here that look for the tracking app that can go well with your requirements. You can ask your peers or other fellow businesses in your industry what they use.
Avoid apps that require jailbreaking or make claims like “track without them knowing”.
Run a Comparison:
Compare the apps found to find out the right one.
Here are some points to consider while comparing the apps:
- Can it be installed on multiple phones?
- Is it equipped with the necessary feature?
- Is it free? If not, is it in your budget?
Provide Your Employees with Cell Phone:
Keep in mind that you can’t spy on your employees’ personal phones.
Therefore, provide them the phones owned by you or the company.
This can make you immune to privacy violations as you are tracking your own phones legally.
If you can’t afford a phone for every employee, you can take their consent to download the app on their personal phones. This can be done by having them signed a certain agreement that allows you access to their phone. This agreement can be added to your employment contract.
However, this method might not be completely legal, requiring you to consult a lawyer for that. The next point can help you with that.
Get to Know the General Law:
The strict privacy rules in the USA prohibit spying or illegal tracking of electronic communication. However, the law can give relaxation to the businesses to monitor their employees if they have a genuine business need to do so.
For example, they can be allowed to monitor the device for improving customer service, ensuring that employees are working and preventing harassment.
Again, talk to your lawyer before taking such steps.
The Legal Ways to Monitor Employees’ Activities over Phone
As we have told you earlier you can only monitor the device or phone owned by you. Don’t try to illegally access an employee’s private cell phone. You shouldn’t try to access their password-protected account like Gmail or any social media account EVEN when they are using it on your company phone. You are asking for trouble if you do so.
The U.S. law also prohibits the listening or tracking someone’s personal conversation made over the phone. However, you can take action if an employee is found using a company phone for personal use.
Bottom Line:
There is a blurred line between the terms of legal and illegal when it comes to monitoring someone’s phone. Thanks to the complicated and vague privacy laws.
What you consider legal might be the violation of the rules. While employers can track their own phones being with their employees, they still need to understand certain legal barriers.
Therefore, talk to your business lawyer to get familiar with your rights and limitation when it comes to tracking your employees’ phones.
What do you think? Let us know by commenting below.
Author Bio:- Founder at Phone Tracker, Daniel Ross is a tech enthusiast and educates the audience on gadgets, software and futuristic technology through his writings.
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