Geofencing is a term utilized 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 premise of geofencing is to make sure a company’s mobile employees, or rather those that travel locally or drive company vehicles as part of their job, stay within the boundaries the company deems productive. It is essentially another way for large corporations and businesses to monitor their employees’ actions on the clock.

Companies who have fleets of company vehicles available to employees are the most likely to employ the concept of geofencing. Delivery drivers, service technicians, and outside sales representatives are examples of jobs where geofencing 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 devise equipped with GPS technology. Whenever a given person or vehicle goes somewhere off limits, an alert is sent back to the person(s) at the company’s monitoring headquarters.

While companies may feel that geofencing prevents employees from wasting company time, geofencing is a concept that could easily offend some employees. More and more employees question the ever-increasing watchfulness of their boss, especially as companies continually put more and more emphasis on monitoring Internet and email use at work. Geofencing is yet another concept that raises eyebrows. Some argue it’s an invasion of privacy, while still others believe it’s not a practice designed to single out loafers, but rather save the company money. Regardless of how you feel about geofencing as an individual, it remains to be seen how popular the concept will become in the workplace.

The technology and ease of use that fuels the very concept of geofencing became evident after the United State’s Federal Communications Commission’s Enhanced 911 service mandated that wireless phone carriers fit 95% of their devices with GPS chips by the end of 2005. Though GPS technology has been around since the 1970s, availability and cost today make it that much easier for the technology to be imparted on almost any level – from recreational to personal to business.