Modern-day professional life requires the need to travel frequently, so tracking my employee’s whereabouts might sound useful, if not a perfect strategy, but it also raises many concerns. It brings peace of mind, but simultaneously, the issue of personal privacy arises. In this article, we seek to address some of the most pertinent questions about how the company keeps track of my location travel safety and how to achieve a balance so that all parties involved see the benefit.
The Importance of Location Tracking in Business Travel
Above all else, there is one cardinal rule to abide by when we think of business travel – safety. Take for example, a situation where you have to travel to a different country for an important meeting. You arrive in a strange place where the only means of communication is the mobile that you are using. The connection drops, and almost panic starts to set in. This is where the benefit of being tracked by your employer comes into play.
Safety and Security Of Employees
Safety is imperative while traveling for work. Work-based travel puts employees at risk, and organizations have the duty and mandate to protect the employee during such travel.
- Dangerous Regions: When traveling to infrastructure-deficient regions or those with security issues, tracking your location can be very important for your employer’s ability to warn you about specific threats. One of my workmates experienced a more extreme case when traveling to more remote regions. Her car broke down, and she was stuck in a place with no one else around. Luckily, her workplace pinpointed her location with their app and dispatched assistance.
- Traveling on your own: Nothing is as challenging as attempting to travel to an alien country alone. This kind of travel can be unsettling because you tend to know that there is no one there for you to look for you and there are all kinds of threats. If anything goes wrong, your organization can track your whereabouts.
- Emergency Response: Being monitored in unusual situations, such as natural catastrophes, allows the employer to offer help or pull you out of your place if the need arises. In 2020 when parts of California were affected by wildfires, several companies enabled their tracking systems to locate employees in vulnerable locations.
Can My Employer Track My Laptop Location?
Employer’s Tracking Methods Explained
Employers use different methods to monitor their employees’ whereabouts. A general question and even a bone of contention can be, “Is my laptop location trackable by my employer?” In most organizations, different software is installed on issued devices to keep track of employees’ locations.
- GPS Tracking: If the laptop is GPS enabled, its location can be tracked accurately. This is important in instances when the device is stolen or misplaced.
- Network-based Tracking: If the employee is on the company’s network, the IT office usually can identify his/her position based on the IP addresses associated with that network.
VPN and Location Tracking
Another issue arises when employing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Several employees wish to know the answer to the question, “Can my employer find my location while I am connected to the VPN?” This largely concerns how the VPN is configured and the policies practiced within the company.
- VPN Weaknesses: VPNs have several weaknesses. Most conceal your actual location by masking your IP address. Employers can still monitor the company network, including timestamps and connection logs.
- Data Encryption: VPNs do not simply provide an internet connection; they provide encryption, which gives additional privacy. But there are also ways through which, if policies such as tracking employee websites are needed, the company trackers can still monitor the employee’s activity through a VPN.
Also Read: ABIC Travel Insurance
Enhancing Work-Related Efficiency
Though security is always a major issue, location tracking can also improve the performance of work-related processes.
Meeting Schedules
It’s no surprise that in business, time is of the essence. Knowing one’s location is beneficial as it ensures that one is able to be in the meetings as scheduled, especially where the clients are in different geographic time zones. One time, I was gone for a conference and my company was able to locate me. This ensured that they managed my time properly to avoid me being delayed in showing up at the right places.
Travel Itinerary Management
The management of the travel itinerary can also be improved by introducing location-tracking features. Employers can track whether you are remaining within the set travel routes so that there are no unnecessary delays. So, if there’s an accident on the highway or if you miss a flight, your employer will make changes to your plans so that everything can be adjusted accordingly.
Expense Management
With location tracking, it becomes easier to track travel expenses incurred as they will match those already on the itinerary. Organizations can minimize the risk of fraud by validating that the expenses actually occurred. In this case, both the organization and the employee stand to gain.
Employee Privacy Concerns
Navigating Privacy with Tracking
Several challenges may arise from location-based services, especially regarding the privacy of personal data. Employees frequently raise concerns about the use of their particular information.
The Right to Be Informed and The Right to Provide Consent to Tracking: Regional divisions, employees, or third parties should be able to understand the rationale or business relevance of location-based services adequately.
Security and Privacy Related to Earning and Keeping the Trust of North American-based firms and Their Customers Within The Full Extension of a High level of Professional Ethics and Security: position information should be highly secured; for instance, it can be managed.
- Policies on Data Storage and Their Implementation: Employees’ concerns about how long their data is kept might not be unmerited when such policies are absent.
- Data Use Restrictions And Permissions: Managers and employees must also be mindful of position data or information.
Ensuring Your Privacy and Safety
- Share Your Itinerary: Either let your employer or someone you trust, and give them your travel plans.
- Stay Aware of Your Surroundings: Sometimes, when one is in a new place, one forgets where one is and must not reveal any valuable items.
- Keep Communication Lines Open: Constant conversations with family members and family or scope an opportunity with an employer to lessen their worries.
- Download Safety Apps: Use travel safety apps, which we will discuss later, to help us contact and track locations.
- Know Local Emergency Numbers: One should be aware of local authorities with urgent service in case of emergencies.
Conclusion
In summary, when a company keeps track of my location travel safety, this vertiginous balance between employees’ safety and their data privacy is quite effective. It can improve workflows, help handle emergencies faster, and assure employees and employers. In this regard, openness, the provision of lawful consent to data processing, and effective measures for data security are fundamental in enhancing confidence. With the use of technologies and responsible behavior, businesses can improve their internal processes and security without compromising individual privacy.