Top Employees’ Concerns on GPS Tracking [Survey Results]

For construction and field service workers, GPS time clock is a growing trend that helps both employers and their workers but how do employees really feel about it?

One of the greatest challenges is addressing employees’ concerns when adopting GPS time tracking. Many fear employee pushback and, because of this, might tend to avoid the shift, rather than learning the best practices when introducing it.

That’s why ClockShark commissioned a study asking more than 400+ Americans how they feel about employee GPS tracking.

Most Had Never Experienced GPS Time Tracking

Over half of survey respondents - 62 percent - had never experienced GPS tracking while a quarter had and 14 percent were not sure.

What does this mean?

It means more than half of employees surveyed have never experienced GPS tracking before and many of their responses are therefore likely influenced by uncertainty and a misunderstanding of how the technology works.

Would GPS time tracking be a good or bad experience?

The majority - 64 percent - responded they felt GPS tracking would be a negative experience compared to 36 percent who believe it would be a positive experience.

However, there’s an interesting note to this. The majority of those who reported they had experienced GPS time tracking - 67 percent - reported it was a positive experience. The majority who felt it would be a negative experience - 75 percent - had never used it (or weren’t sure).

What does this mean?

It indicates that educating workers on the truth about GPS time tracking is helpful. Once they understand how it benefits them as well as the company, they are much more likely to accept it without reservations.

What would you do if your employer adopted GPS time tracking?

However, when asked what they would do if their employer adopted GPS time tracking, overwhelmingly respondents reported they would “Accept the change, no problem.”

• 48 percent would accept the change
• 29 percent would complain to the manager
• 18 percent would complain to coworkers but say nothing to leadership
• 12 percent would quit
• 10 percent would threaten to quit

What does this mean?

Most people will accept the shift to GPS tracking and the least say they would quit. The reality is, employees who are doing what they’re supposed to do, won’t mind and those who would quit, may not be the assets you think they are.

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How do employees feel about employers knowing where they are?

Overall, employees have no problem with their employers knowing where they are when clocked in. Our survey found that almost 63 percent would not mind compared to 38 percent who said it would bother them.

What does this mean?

Most employees don’t mind their employers knowing where they are while working. There’s not much difference between that and having the boss in the office observing.

Most Common Employee Concerns

When asked to choose their greatest concerns, half of respondents - 50 percent - said they were concerned about micromanagement or “big brother mentality.”

In order of ranking, employee concerns included:

1. Micromanagement
2. Privacy/Security
3. Fear of being tracked while off the clock
4. Accuracy of the app
5. Battery/Data usage
6. Other

What does this mean?

Most employees don’t mind their employers knowing where they are while working. There’s not much difference between that and having the boss in the office observing.

Are They Already Being Tracked?

When asked which apps they use their devices to access, respondents overwhelmingly answered they use apps that are already tracking their locations.

• Google - 86 percent
• Facebook/Instagram - 74 percent
• Weather - 67 percent
• GPS navigation - 65 percent
• Uber/Lyft - 34 percent
• Yelp - 24 percent

What does this mean?

This means that every respondent answered they use at least one of these services which already track their locations.

Conclusion

In order to stay competitive, it’s important to get the facts about GPS time tracking and learn the right way to introduce it to your crews.

The truth is, many employee concerns can be eliminated by helping them to understand what it is and how it works. There are a lot of common myths and misconceptions about GPS time-tracking technology so it’s important to learn how to demystify it so your employees understand how it will help both them, and the company at large.