When spying on your workers, don't brag about it in public

Ok, now I am getting concerned about updating CWC from my office! Not really, but geotracking your employees that is rather Orwellian...

By Paul McNamara on Fri, 04/27/12 - 9:56am.



British IT manager offers wrong answer to an easy question

In the headline of a post today, analyst and blogger Richi Jennings poses this question: "Should you warn employees you're geo-tracking them?"

Now before you say - "Of course you should warn them" -- know that Jennings is asking because he heard the question answered differently when posed to a government IT manager at a conference in London:

(The manager) began his response by light-heartedly acknowledging that he's frequently asked this question, and that it's usually the first question asked in a presentation such as this. He went on to disclose that he doesn't, in fact, notify users that they're being tracked.

Really? (These) fearless public-sector employees don't know that their location is being tracked?

He said that he doesn't tell them because the software is being used to track device locations, rather than the locations of people. I must say that my initial reaction was that this was a pretty thin and legalistic argument.

Thin and legalistic is being kind. I find it condescending and offensive.

Where's the Golden Rule when an IT guy and his higher-ups really need it? That's all that's called for to answer the original question (although the practice of tracking people without their knowing it certainly should be illegal ... and the contention that it's only the device being tracked is a load of crap).

Finally: That someone can proudly defend the practice of spying on his co-workers is distasteful enough. That he'd do it in a conference of fellow professionals makes it worse. And, even assuming that his secret spying isn't a total secret at work - word does get around - whoever didn't previously know about their being tracked (after not being told) is certainly going to know now.

Happy campers they will not be.

http://www.networkworld.com/community/blog/when-spying-your-workers-dont-brag-about-it

...being in sales and marketing I imagine my geo-tracking information would be quite entertaining, "convention center, golf course, sports bar, strip joint, detox center"...of course in my line of work all of that is legitimate.

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