Geo-fencing Attendance
Table of Contents
Geo-fencing attendance is an attendance tracking system based on a geographical location wherein the employee is allowed to punch in attendance only if he or she is within a certain virtual fence. The term “virtual fence” is also known as geo-fence which is generally made around the work premises or office location.
In essence, the system determines if the mobile device of the worker is located within the acceptable working premises for check-ins and check-outs to be recorded. Geofencing is achieved through the creation of a virtual perimeter around a physical one, which triggers an action whenever there is entry into, exit from, or presence within the perimeter.
Where geo-fencing attendance is useful
Geo-fencing attendance is effective where employees do not operate out of a single office desk location. This approach is frequently applied to the following categories of employees: field sales force, service engineers, employees of branches, delivery teams, on-site project teams, security guards, cleaning teams, and contractors.
For instance, the service technician who has been posted to serve at the client’s premises should only record attendance if he/she is located at the place where the client’s business operates. Another example is the employee who works in a shop, and can record attendance while working in that particular shop.
What HR teams need to control
Geo-fencing attendance functions optimally when it is well-defined. The HR and operational departments should determine the allowable locations, the size of the geographic location radius, the ability for check-ins to be done outside the radius, and exception handling methods.
A very tight geo-fence can block legitimate attendance if the accuracy of the GPS is poor. On the other hand, a very large geo-fence can accommodate poor attendance reporting. It is for this reason that companies require an appropriate balance between both.
Geo-fencing could similarly be leveraged within a large company to facilitate cleaner entry of attendance data used by payroll. If the location-based attendance data is integrated with the Time & Attendance Management system, it would allow the HR department to have visibility on who logged in and where they logged in from.
Privacy and employee trust
Geo-fencing attendance involves the use of location data, which requires caution. Employees need to understand what location data is being collected, when it is collected, how the information will be used, and who will have access to it.
In India, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 serves as the regulatory legislation concerning digital personal data. This Act acknowledges that there is a right on the part of the individual concerned as well as the need for processing data for any legitimate purposes. Thus, from an HR point of view, any attendance through location should serve some purpose.
Key takeaway
Geofencing for attendance ensures that employees’ attendance can be validated through their attendance in the approved place of work. Geofencing increases controls over field forces, branch offices, worksites, and dispersed workforce activities. However, due to the utilization of the geolocation data of employees, it requires careful management.
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