AP: GPS Helps Cities catch Goof-Offs

[Mass_SkinsFan]

GPS Helps Cities Catch Goof-Offs

Nov 15, 1:53 PM (ET)

By FRANK ELTMAN

ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - GPS tracking devices installed on government-issue vehicles are helping communities around the country reduce waste and abuse, in part by catching employees shopping, working out at the gym or otherwise loafing while on the clock.

The use of GPS has led to firings, stoking complaints from employees and unions that the devices are intrusive, Big Brother technology. But city officials say that monitoring employees' movements has deterred abuses, saving the taxpayers money in gasoline and lost productivity.

"We can't have public resources being used on private activities. That's Management 101," Phil Nolan, supervisor of the Long Island town of Islip.

Islip saved nearly 14,000 gallons of gas over a three-month period from the previous year after GPS devices were installed. Nolan said that shows that employees know they are being watched and are no longer using Islip's 614 official vehicles for personal business.

Some administrators around the country emphasized that the primary purpose of the GPS devices is not to catch people goofing off but to improve the maintenance and operation of the vehicles and to design more efficient bus, snowplow and trash-pickup routes. Among other things, the devices can be used to alert mechanics that a car's engine is operating inefficiently.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071115/D8SU9CCO1.html

I know this is a huge issue with some of our workers here at the electric company I work for. All of our new vehicles have an AVLS (Automatic Vehicle Locating System) that tracks location, speed, etc... every 90 seconds. It hasn't been used to fire anyone, but it has definitely been used to punish a number of people and the attitude of all of us who drive company vehicles has definitely changed since the new vehicles came in.

Personally, I think it's a great idea when used properly. It also runs the risk of being used for much less nice purposes. I think the way it ends up being used is actually more predicated on the level of abuse of vehicle usage the employees have done in the past.

Just wondering what the thoughts of the rest of the ES crew are.

[KingGibbs]

If they use this on the MDOT, there's going to be a lot of job opening's.

[rincewind]

[headexplode]

It's sad when you see how human beings are little more than cattle being driven to slaughter.

[The 12th Commandment]

I think it would be big brotheresque if they did it to you while you weren't at work (kinda like drug testing for MJ). When you're on the clock your time belongs to them and they have every right know where you are. The county I work could use these I know far to many of the field staff that would have to change their ways.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

rince, Big Brother is also PAYING these people. Paying them more than likely a pretty decent salary to do a certain amount of work on a daily basis. Work that isn't getting done if they're off getting haircuts, taking 2 hour lunch breaks, driving the most circuitous routes possible to and from meetings to kill time, and doing their Christmas shopping on city time.

All three of those things are among the list of activities we've caught people doing with the new AVLS system. Ours also tracks vehicle SPEED, and several linemen have been called in for excessive speed violations. Some of our on-call personnel have also been caught using company vehicles for personal activities outside of work time.

Are you truly going to tell me that these things are acceptable for an employee or a municipality or a private company? I'd definitely suggest that they aren't.

[rincewind]

rince, Big Brother is also PAYING these people. Paying them more than likely a pretty decent salary to do a certain amount of work on a daily basis. Work that isn't getting done if they're off getting haircuts, taking 2 hour lunch breaks, driving the most circuitous routes possible to and from meetings to kill time, and doing their Christmas shopping on city time.

All three of those things are among the list of activities we've caught people doing with the new AVLS system. Ours also tracks vehicle SPEED, and several linemen have been called in for excessive speed violations. Some of our on-call personnel have also been caught using company vehicles for personal activities outside of work time.

Are you truly going to tell me that these things are acceptable for an employee or a municipality or a private company? I'd definitely suggest that they aren't.

I don't have a problem with them trying to get their employees to get their job done - I just have a problem with the methods they are applying. This just seems like the top of a slippery slope to me. Water coolers are an important cog in the workplace - to eliminate any form of taking a few minutes here and there (especially through technological spying) seems counterproductive and big brotheresque to me.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I don't have a problem with them trying to get their employees to get their job done - I just have a problem with the methods they are applying.

Ok, then how are the supervisors supposed to oversee the activities of employees who are outside of the office on the road much of the time? Especially unionized employees for whom documentation of malfeasance would definitely be required for any sort of discipline.

This just seems like the top of a slippery slope to me. Water coolers are an important cog in the workplace - to eliminate any form of taking a few minutes here and there (especially through technological spying) seems counterproductive and big brotheresque to me.

5 minute water cooler conversations are very different than the employee who stretches their 30 minute lunch into a 2 hour marathon or who takes an entire afternoon to do their Christmas shopping on the company dime.

[rincewind]

Ok, then how are the supervisors supposed to oversee the activities of employees who are outside of the office on the road much of the time? Especially unionized employees for whom documentation of malfeasance would definitely be required for any sort of discipline.

I would suggest boosting morale through a serious of incentive laden bonus packages. Its amazing how much slacking gets cut out when theres something in it for the employee. But thats just me - I always prefer the carrot to the stick.

[Mass_SkinsFan]

I would suggest boosting morale through a serious of incentive laden bonus packages. Its amazing how much slacking gets cut out when theres something in it for the employee. But thats just me - I always prefer the carrot to the stick.

The problem with that idea is that most companies and municipalities believe they're already giving these people an incentive laden bonus package... it's called a paycheck and beneifts package. I don't see this as being an issue of people going above and beyond their normal jobs, but rather actually living up to the expectations of their normal work.

For example....

This summer I got called in on a Sunday morning to do switching related to a motor vehicle accident with a broken utility pole. The SIX field personnel who were called in to deal with the issue (normally only FOUR needed, but on a Sunday when they're getting DOUBLE TIME the formen tend to call in more people than necessary) took eight hours to do a three hour job. For at least three of those eight hours they weren't even on the jobsite (3 coffee breaks, beakfast, lunch) and they milked it for every single minute they could. It turns out they'd forgotten that 2 of the 3 trucks they had that morning had the AVLS in them.

If the job had been done during their regular work hours, they would have had it done in probably less than two and a half hours. They even basically admitted that when the six of them were called in to explain why it took eight hours to do the job.