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Geofence

Geofencing is a term used primarily in the corporate world that refers to the practice of limiting mobile employees to a specific geographic location by tracking their whereabouts via the technology of a global positioning system (GPS). The idea is to make sure that a company’s mobile employees, or rather those that travel locally or drive company vehicles as part of their job, stay within the boundaries that the company deems productive. It is essentially another way for large corporations and businesses to monitor their employees’ actions on the clock.

Companies that have fleets of company vehicles available to employees are the most likely to employ this practice. Delivery drivers, service technicians, and outside sales representatives are examples of jobs where it may apply. In order for geofencing to work, the company’s vehicles must be fitted with a GPS tracking unit or the employees themselves must carry a wireless phone or other device equipped with GPS. Whenever a given person or vehicle goes somewhere out of limits, an alert is sent back to the company’s monitoring headquarters.