Workers Object to Babylon’s Tracking System
We interrupt our regularly scheduled 10 part series on the return On Investment (ROI) of GPS for a timely news article that is very appropirate to GPS ROI. Our regularly scheduled series will resume next post.
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BY BRANDON BAIN
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
March 13, 2006
When the Town of Babylon installed global positioning system technology in most of its fleet of 250 vehicles in January, officials touted it as a way to improve efficiency, particularly during emergencies such as snowstorms. However, the system also is being used to monitor worker behavior — a realization that has left town .employees increasingly nervous … “If they are not doing their job, they are hurting the town,” Town Supervisor Bellone said. “I’m not running a day care.”…
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Running the 10 part series has been very rewarding so far. I almost hesitated to break the flow but when I read this article, I just felt I had to make a comment.
This idea of government workers that they have “put in 20 years and this is what you get” … just … just … just pisses me off. Excuse my “French” but there isn’t another way that I quite know how to put it.
This idea of government workers that they have “put in 20 years and this is what you get” … just … just … just pisses me off. Excuse my “French” but there isn’t another way that I quite know how to put it.
I worked for the US government for more than 38 years. I know for a fact I performed some useful functions. I am sure there are others who could criticize some of my actions and performance. That’s life. I left government service with my legally entitled pension. It’s a nice amount … but I get no more and no less than what the law provides for.
Why should I? I did a job, and I got paid. Was my work checked? You bet it was. That’s what the officers and senior civilians above me got paid to do … and, actually, I’m proud that my work was checked and that I stayed on the job - successfully - that many years.
What really ‘chaps my hide’ in these government workers versus GPS stories is this misplaced sense of entitlement that always bubbles to the surface. An employee has been there 20 years. OK, great. Like any employee I am sure there are things he did of great value and, since we are all human, there are things he did that could rationally be critical. But so what? Didn’t the town of Babylon pay him each and every work day for those 20 years? Why does it owe something else?
What really ‘chaps my hide’ in these government workers versus GPS stories is this misplaced sense of entitlement that always bubbles to the surface. An employee has been there 20 years. OK, great. Like any employee I am sure there are things he did of great value and, since we are all human, there are things he did that could rationally be critical. But so what? Didn’t the town of Babylon pay him each and every work day for those 20 years? Why does it owe something else?
“Trust” was mentioned. Is taking unauthorized paid breaks at home “trust”? Is taking a supervisor’s pay and failing to correct subordinates illegal behavior “trust”?
One of the most significant objections in my sales work with municipalities and other government agencies has been this word “trust”. As in, we know we might find problems if we put GPS on our vehicles, but we don’t want to destroy our employee’s “trust”.
Well, hat’s off to Supervisor Bellone. A supervisory-level government employee who takes his work seriously.
One of the most significant objections in my sales work with municipalities and other government agencies has been this word “trust”. As in, we know we might find problems if we put GPS on our vehicles, but we don’t want to destroy our employee’s “trust”.
Well, hat’s off to Supervisor Bellone. A supervisory-level government employee who takes his work seriously.
Are you a supervisor in a government entity? Or a business owner? Are you living up to the same standards Mr. Bellone is? 1-800-306-1206
January 19th, 2007 at 10:09 am
[...] One of the many witticisms Yogi Berra never said is, “It’s deja vu all over again.” I featured the town of Babylon, Long Island back in March of last year. They were taking proactive action to improve their worker’s safety and efficiency and provide better service to their customers .. the citizens of Babylon. Never figured on this re-visit, though. [...]