Old school punch clock vs app tracking, the app got me written up

Last month my boss switched us from a physical punch clock to a phone app that tracks your location. I clocked in from the parking lot like I always did with the old system, but the app showed me 200 feet from the building. Got a warning email saying I was stealing time. The old clock never cared where I parked. Now I have to walk in and stand by the door for the app to register, which takes 3 extra minutes every shift. Has anyone else had a manager use tracking tools to nitpick instead of actually managing people?

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hugos673h ago

Used to be on the "if you're not doing anything wrong you've got nothing to hide" train about these apps. Figured tracking was fine since I show up on time and do my work. Then my cousin got flagged at her warehouse job because the app pinged her at the wrong spot during a lunch break, and it turned into a whole meeting with HR over nothing. That was the moment it clicked for me. The problem isn't the tracking itself, it's that bosses use the data as proof of guilt instead of a rough idea of where you are. A parking lot 200 feet away is not "stealing time," it's a phone's location being wrong like phones always are. If they want people in the building before they get paid, fine, but then say that out loud instead of hiding behind an app and a warning email.

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