Organisations in the UAE are adopting tracking technology to better manage the safety of their staff, even as they travel to highly volatile areas across the region, according to a recent study.

Most organisations in the Middle East are still streetlight to meet their duty of care and understand the privacy risk involved in adopting such technologies, said the study entitled ‘Duty of Care v. Right to Privacy: How should an MNC adapt to modern expectation?’ by leading technology developer and provider of security tracking solutions Track24.

The study aimed at highlighting the challenges associated with the use of tracking technologies and the barriers to establishing a common platform for navigating the conflicting Duty of Care and Right to Privacy principles.
 
In the Middle East, these issues are of particular significance as organisations now have a responsibility to account for and manage a more dispersed workforce.

Tim Grant, chief executive officer, said: “Dispersed personnel, operating in today’s unpredictable business environment, require strong Duty of Care policies supported by tracking technologies. However, with no legislations in place, the debate surrounding an individual’s right to privacy is being hotly contested across the globe and there is a very real risk of organisations overstepping these rights in their efforts to fulfil their Duty of Care obligations.

“Recognising the need for clear guidelines to help navigate the conflicting issues, Track24 has laid out a set of recommendations based on the research commissioned for the whitepaper.”

The key recommendations of the study included involving employees from the start, working collaboratively to make them partners in the process; utilising adaptive technologies that empower employees and provide choice – such as “opt-in” equipment and applications; and increasing awareness of existing Duty of Care and Right to Privacy legislation, developments on these issues and implementing solid internal processes.

The concept of Duty of Care in the current scenario has evolved from being associated with occupational health and safety policies to cover a broader notion of the relationship between employer and employee, said the study.

Despite variations across jurisdictions and geographies, it is now generally accepted that employers are responsible for the wellbeing of their dispersed staff and are held liable if anything goes wrong, it said.
 
Therefore, in order to meet Duty of Care obligations, organisations are increasingly turning to tracking technologies that alert a company if an individual is in danger. However, in today’s digitally connected era, a new global privacy debate has emerged.

As corporations operating in hazardous environments increasingly embrace tracking systems, concerns about the employer being at direct risk of infringing on the right to privacy of their employees, must be addressed, said the study.

The conflicting principles associated with Duty of Care and Right to Privacy policies mean that businesses are presently having to navigate unchartered territory, it said.

Ttaking on non-invasive and user-led tracking systems that place both the employee and employer in control, is one key way in which companies can ensure that they fulfil both their Duty of Care and Right to Privacy obligations, it added. - TradeArabia News Service