A leading civil liberties group has warned employers to be careful in their use of technology after a firm launched a system that allows companies to track workers through their mobile phones.
Scottish technology firm Trisent has aimed the Trilocator system at the business market, claiming it is more accurate and less costly than rival systems.
It can be used with normal and unmodified mobile phones, unlike its rivals.
Civil rights group Liberty said that as technology becomes more advanced, it is also opened up to greater abuses.
“Just because you give up eight hours a day to an employer does not mean that they own you,” said Liberty spokesman Doug Jewell. “There is no reason for an employer to know where you are 24/7.”
Trisent said employers had to sign up to a code of conduct and tell employers about the technology if they wanted to use it.
The use of technology to monitor staff is increasingly becoming a flashpoint between employers and unions. Last year, the GMB union called on the European Commission to outlaw the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and GPS satellite-linked wearable computers to tag and track employees in the workplace.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Union calls for halt to RFID tracking of workers
