When the purpose of technology changes: Ricoh

Operational context

Ricoh wanted to explore ways of collecting vehicle fleet data, including speed, acceleration, fault and fuel consumption. The purpose of this was to increase safety and improve efficiency.

What they did

Ricoh implemented telematics to enable its vehicles to collect data such as speed, harsh acceleration, vehicle faults and fuel consumption. This information helped improve safety, accuracy of mileage reports and operational efficiency. It removed the monotonous task of reporting and calculating mileage each week. The organisation communicated the changes to affected workers before implementation.

Outcomes

Once the system was in use, some drivers on its worker forum raised concerns on who could access the data collected during their private time. This was not the intended outcome of a system designed to make life better for the driver as well as save money for the company.

Ricoh reacted swiftly by removing access to telematics data for line managers and retained access for regional managers. "People don’t normally have an issue with HR having access to the data because it is seen as anonymous. However, they can have concerns with their immediate line manager seeing data", explained Rebekah Wallis, Director – People and Corporate Responsibility at Ricoh.

"We have a very good working relationship with our employee forum, and it is often part of the steering committee, which was the case for the telematics implementation, so we are immediately getting that voice into any decisions. We talk to them about everything, even if there’s not an obligation to do so. They say it as it is, which is exactly what we want", Wallis said.

While telematics is no longer used at Ricoh, Wallis said it provided some timely lessons.

Top tips

If the technology captures data, have a clear understanding of what the data is going to be used for, who will have access to it and what they will do with it. Be mindful of your data protection obligations.

• Managers are critical in any worker-related system change, and the operating model needs to take into account their roles and skills.
• Ensure you ask the vendor to what level of individual that data can be accessed. You may not want this level of analysis, but you need to understand what information you may hold as a result of implementing a system.
• Bring worker representatives, ideally from the impacted group, into the discussion at an early stage.
• Maintain two-way conversations with workers because unintended consequences may later surface and you will need to review.
• Act on the feedback.