Geofencing
What is geofencing?
Geofencing ties clock-in and clock-out to approved physical locations. When it's on, an employee clocking in from outside an allowed area can be blocked, flagged, or silently logged — depending on the mode you choose. It's how you verify that on-site staff are actually on site.
Fences
A fence defines an allowed area. Each fence has a type (for example, a site) and a shape:
| Shape | Defined by |
|---|---|
| Circle | A center point + a radius |
| Polygon | A set of boundary points |
Each fence is assigned by scope, with separate toggles for whether it enforces clock-in, clock-out, or both:
| Scope | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Organization | Everyone |
| Department | Members of a department |
| User | A specific user |
| Project | Work logged to a project |
The fence map editor
Fences are drawn on a map. The editor supports Google Maps when a Maps API key is configured, and OpenStreetMap, which is always available.
Enforcement modes
A single master mode governs how out-of-bounds events are handled:
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| REQUIRED | Out-of-bounds clock-in/out is blocked. A clock event is also blocked if no location is provided. |
| OPTIONAL | Allowed, but the entry is flagged as outside the fence with a warning. |
| LOG_ONLY | Allowed silently; the event is flagged for admin review only. |
GPS tuning
| Setting | Default | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Master enable | — | Turns geofencing on/off |
| Mode | — | REQUIRED / OPTIONAL / LOG_ONLY (above) |
| GPS accuracy tolerance | 50 m | Padding added to every fence radius to forgive normal GPS jitter |
| Maximum acceptable GPS accuracy | 500 m | Readings worse than this are rejected as "accuracy too low" |
Confidence is graded from the GPS accuracy of each reading:
| Confidence | GPS accuracy |
|---|---|
| High | ≤ 20 m |
| Medium | 20–100 m |
| Low | 100–500 m |
| Unverified | > 500 m |
Scope resolution: most-specific-wins
When more than one scope could apply to a clock event, the most specific level wins:
Project > User > Department > Organization
- The first level that has any fence wins; lower levels are then ignored.
- If no fences apply at any level, the clock event is unrestricted.
So a project fence overrides a user fence, which overrides a department fence, which overrides an organization-wide fence.
What employees see
Above the clock buttons, employees get a live status banner reflecting their current situation:
- Acquiring location
- Inside fence
- Near fence
- Outside fence
- No fences (unrestricted)
- Disabled
Employees are read-only for geofencing — they see their status but cannot create or edit fences.
What admins see
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| Compliance dashboard | Out-of-bounds clock-ins with 7-day and 30-day summaries |
| CSV export | Download the out-of-bounds records |
| Test tool | Simulate any user at any coordinate to preview the result |
| Audit log | Every blocked attempt is recorded |
Roles
| Role | Capability |
|---|---|
| Administrator / Executive | Full control; any scope, including organization-wide fences |
| Department Head | Manage fences only within their own department — that department, its users, and its projects. Cannot create organization-wide fences. |
| Employee | Read-only — sees their status banner only |
Troubleshooting
| Message / symptom | Meaning | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| "You are N m from the nearest allowed location" | REQUIRED mode, out of bounds (403) | Move inside an approved area before clocking in/out |
| "Location accuracy is too low" | GPS reading worse than the max acceptable accuracy | Move for a clearer sky view / better signal, then retry |
LOCATION_REQUIRED | Location services are off | Enable location and grant the app permission |
| Blocked even though no location set, in REQUIRED mode | REQUIRED mode blocks any clock event without a location | Provide a valid location; REQUIRED never allows a no-location clock event |
| Department head can't create an org-wide fence | Not permitted for that role | An Administrator/Executive must create organization-wide fences |
| Fence map won't load Google Maps | No Maps API key configured | The editor falls back to OpenStreetMap, which always works |
Related
Overtime & Pay-Period Lockdown
Overtime settings and how they're reported, the approval flow for time entries, pay-period lockdown for payroll compliance, and schedule/timesheet visibility settings.
Time & Projects
The Time & Projects section allows administrators to configure organization-wide time tracking, scheduling, project requirements, and approval settings. These controls determine how employees log time, clock in/out, manage schedules, and track overtime.