With a smartphone in nearly everyone’s pocket, companies are adopting a mobile-first approach to managing their workforce. This extends to how they track employees’ time on and off the clock. By allowing workers to punch in and out from the convenience of a mobile device, companies are giving their people the flexibility, ease and speed they crave. But here’s the catch. Employers still need to maintain a level of control and oversight.
Today, we’ll discuss a location-based technology called geofencing. You’ll learn what it is, why it’s critical for mobile timekeeping, and ultimately, how it helps businesses achieve that perfect balance between convenience and control.
Geofencing is a technology that uses GPS — a satellite-based radio navigation system — to create virtual boundaries around a specific location. While you might be familiar with GPS from consumer apps like Google Maps or Find My iPhone, it also has important applications in the business world. By using timekeeping tools with GPS-enabled geofencing, employers can pinpoint a worker’s location and, using location parameters they set in the system, confirm whether that worker is within an approved perimeter for clocking in or out. This provides oversight and timekeeping accuracy, as well as a number of other positive business outcomes.
As you know, the ability to track employee time correctly impacts the accuracy of payroll, which in turn, affects employee satisfaction, payroll processing efficiency, employer trust, compliance and more. Geofencing equips employers with a safeguard to prevent mobile timekeeping missteps and inaccuracies that can easily trickle into bigger problems. In other words, incorporating a timekeeping solution with geofencing capabilities offers numerous benefits, such as the below:
Time theft occurs when employees accept pay for time they have not actually worked. Time theft can come in a variety of forms, ranging from accidental over-reporting to buddy punching and other intentional timesheet scams. With geofencing, employers can ensure that employees are only clocking in and out when they are on-site. No more punching in and going back to sleep, clocking out from happy hour up the street, or accidentally punching in a few minutes early. Geofencing is that extra line of protection against accidental and not-so-accidental timekeeping errors.
Reducing time theft has obvious implications on labor costs. That savings alone makes a pretty good case for geofencing technology. That said, think about the trickle-down benefit of having an automated way to prevent time theft. Managers no longer have to spend their valuable time policing employee check-in points or questioning the accuracy of clock-in and clock-out times. Instead, they can focus their efforts on more valuable, business-driving activities that will benefit the organization’s bottom line.
Geofencing gives employers the power to manage workers, without actually being present. With a few quick clicks, managers can quickly set up a geofence in their timekeeping system. Even without an exact address, some timekeeping solutions allow employers to approximate a location, which is particularly helpful when employees are working at unmapped locations, such as a new construction site or a specific building. With certain systems, employers can just drag and drop a pin on a map — and go back to whatever tasks or people demand their attention.
Retention, retention, retention. It’s on the mind of so many businesses today. Geofencing offers a straightforward way to reduce employee turnover through transparent and reliable timekeeping practices. With geofencing, employees can feel confident that their work hours are recorded accurately and fairly, fostering a sense of trust. Geofencing also supports a healthier work-life balance by enabling employees to clock in and out from a range of locations, whether at the office, remotely or on multiple job sites. This flexibility minimizes feelings of micromanagement and helps create a more positive workplace culture. With geofencing, companies can focus on building a supportive environment where employees feel valued and respected, leading to greater job satisfaction and, ultimately, higher retention rates.
As our B2E Solutions name implies, solutions are at the heart of what we do. Our human capital management (HCM) solution, UKG Ready, offers a Time & Labor product that helps businesses manage employee timekeeping, time-off requests, approvals, overtime, other pay rules, scheduling, reporting — and of course, geofencing.
Here’s what to expect with the geofencing capabilities available through our Time & Labor solution:
To learn more about how UKG Ready Time & Labor can improve the accuracy of your timekeeping practices. request a demo today.