How do I set up Geo-fencing for mobile app clocking?

With Geo-Fencing, staff can clock in and out for work with the Humanforce App whilst giving the management team peace of mind they are in the right place.

Note: This functionality was introduced in version 4.5.0

Geo-Fencing allows for an address and radius to be stored against a Location, Department, Area, Event, or Function. From here the Humanforce app will check when a user attempts to clock a timesheet and validate if the position they are in matches that of the rostered shift.

If an employee has no rostered shift, the system will check to make sure they are in range of the default location geo-fence.

This simple but effective method will help reduce the need for physical hardware and make it even easier to roll out new sites.

To take advantage of geo-fencing, you will need to register for a Google Maps API Key and put it into Humanforce. Before continuing with the below instructions, ensure you've followed the instructions in Google Maps API Key Setup.

Configuring Coordinates

To configure a geo-fence for a location, department, or area, in Humanforce navigate to Admin > Geo-fencing Coordinates.

Note: If you don't see Geo-fencing Coordinates as an option, Access Levels will
need to be updated to display this.

Drill into the level you wish to set a geo-fence for and click Edit. Then simply search for your address. Use the slider at the bottom of the screen to set your geo-fence radius.

To configure coordinates for an Event or Function, go the the Management menu > Event Manager.

When you create a new event or function, click the button to Find on the map and select your coordinates and radius.

Access Levels

To enforce the geo-fence restrictions for mobile app users, the access level permissions also need to be updated. If you wish to enforce the geo-fence, please ensure the following options are turned on.

First, under TimeTarget Online > View Clock Timesheets Page, turn on Enable geolocation tracking and Force geolocation tracking.

We also recommend turning on the option to Hide the geolocation map as this will prevent the map from showing on any kiosks, which uses more credits with your Google Maps API account.

Then under Mobile App, you will need to Allow Timesheet Clocking. Use the table below to understand the mobile app options.

Below are the messages a user will receive when trying to clock outside of the configured geo-fence radius, or if they have location services disabled on their device. To enable location settings check out How do I enable Location Settings on my Mobile Phone?