A new mobile device has been developed which has taken the concept of using GPS to track workers to a whole new level.
Japanese mobile giant KDDI Corporation have developed a new mobile that suspicious employers have been desperately waiting for. The new device tracks even the tiniest of movements of the employee and beams it straight back to HQ.
While this might not sound that special, the device can detect complex movements and can even tell the difference between them. For example, the device can tell the difference between different cleaning tasks, e.g. sweeping, scrubbing and emptying a bin. The device uses the movement of accelerometers in each mobile to give employers a vivid picture of just what their employers do in a day.
KDDI claim the device will allow workers to perform more productively and will give employers the control over mobile workers which they currently crave.
"Because this technology will make central monitoring possible with workers at several different locations, businesses especially are very interested in using such technology to improve the efficiency of their workers," said Hiroyuki Yokoyama of KDII. "We are now at a stage where we can offer managers a chance to analyse more closely the behaviour of staff."
The firm intend to sell the device to clients including managers, foremen and employment agencies.
Similar GPS tracking devices have been used for years to monitor workforces, particularly those which involve long distance driving and have been fairly successful. However, there are many who feel these devices go one step too far towards a Big Brother environment.
"This is treating people like machines, like so many cattle to be monitored and watched over," said leading human rights lawyer, Kazuo Hizumi. "New technology should be used to improve our lives not to spy on us."
Whether these devices are positive or negative remains a matter of personal opinion, but it's fair to say these devices are certainly set to change the working habits of a large majority of mobile workers in the near future.
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