A rise in remote work and fewer employees in traditional office settings has set off a wave of queries from people wondering if their phones are safe for personal use — or if they are being monitored by managers the same way laptops are being used to track productivity.
So can your job track what you are doing on your phone, including how much time you are or aren’t devoting to your work?
The answer is complicated, but The Hill has broken down the main points you need to know about your rights and what your job can expect when it comes to mobile device surveillance.
Can my employer track my phone?
Essentially, yes, as they have the legal right to do so if it’s a company phone.
Like any other company device, an employer can use phones to monitor the activity of their employees, including their call history, the content of their emails and text messages and which apps they use.
An employer can also track your personal phone under certain circumstances. First, the company has to receive consent from the employee allowing the employer to monitor their personal device.
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An employer may also monitor an employee’s personal phone if they’re using company-provided apps like Slack.
“I would assume that everything you do within a work application like Outlook or Teams, as well as anything over the office wifi, is monitored,” said Mike Sexton, a senior policy adviser for cyber at Third Way’s national security program.
Is it worth it to have a work phone and a personal phone?
From an employer’s standpoint, having control of all the devices an employee uses for work helps with security matters, Sexton said.
It is still helpful even though it could be expensive and labor-intensive as well as inconvenient for some employees.
“On the other hand, as an employee, having a designated work device can help compartmentalize their work and personal digital environments and improve cyber hygiene and policy adherence,” he added.
