Big brother or big boss?

There's something creepy about Cisco's announcement that it is selling a server that can track you using a Wi-Fi network and RFID tags.

This has good applications but tracking employees is not one of them. I can't think of anything more likely to get employees' backs up than being monitored so closely. It's the equivalent of the corporate head telling you he doesn't trust you not to slack off.

Ah, but if you've done nothing wrong you've nothing to fear, goes the counter argument. But who amongst us can honestly say he hasn't wasted a single second of the day? Indeed there's a strong case for having a wander around just to clear your mind for some new ideas.

In certain highly specialised fields this kind of employee tagging is useful; hospitals could find doctors quickly, for example. Even large scale deployment could be justified over a short period if you wanted to determine general patterns of behaviour in the office with the intention of improving design.

But for the vast bulk of companies long-term large-scale monitoring would be counterproductive. You might know where everyone is but, considering the liberties you'll take with staff, you won't get many free thinking creative types applying to join.