By Greg Bartlett
Business owners cannot watch their employees all of the time, so a lot of trust is required. However, GPS tracking devices may help to prevent the most destructive misuse of trust on the part of an employee: leaking information.
GPS Tracking & Employees
Every company has certain things that they would like to keep a secret, like the negotiating of their contracts, their sales projections, and their marketing strategies. These secrets could be very valuable to competitors, who would love to gain an advantage. The theft of both recorded data, such as account reports, and observable data, such as advertising and promotional campaigns, can devastate a business if they are sold to a competitor. This makes both current and former employees potential targets for leaking information to other companies.
Vehicle tracking devices in company vehicles would let you know if an employee was frequenting a competitor’s territory, such as their headquarters or one of their plants. The geo-fencing feature of these tracking devices will be particularly helpful in determining when an employee has crossed the line. Although GPS tracking devices will not tell you what your employees are doing all of the time, the information you acquire during working hours may point out an information leak.
Although GPS tracking devices could be helpful in determining if any of your employees are leaking information, it is best to combine GPS technology with other technology in order to get a more complete picture. Company email and phone records could be very helpful, as well. Even monitoring your employees’ internet usage will give you clues as to what they are doing.
Employees who take care of personal business during work hours are likely to cause you trouble in other areas as well. If you suspect a particular employee, having a computer-forensic expert look over their company-issued computer will show you whether or not that employee is loyal to your company. It is also a good idea to protect as much of your valuable company information as you can with levels of access and passwords.
Ultimately, there are always ways for an employee to go behind your back and sell company information, but GPS tracking devices will help to remove that temptation from the minds of your employees. If your employees don’t believe they will be able to steal information from you and get away with it, they won’t try it, and that is the best way to protect your company.
