A worker wakes up and gets ready for a day on the job. On his way, his friend and co-worker calls. His friend can’t believe it. He slept through his alarm once again and he’ll be late for the third time this week. He pleads with his co-worker: “Can you just clock in for me? I’ll be there really soon.”
“Buddy punching” is a common occurrence, especially in the construction industry. One worker clocks a friend in, a friend who isn’t really there at the worksite.
From an employer’s point of view, buddy punching adds up to stolen hours paid for but never worked. It also creates an inaccurate record of hours worked on each jobsite. With the use of geofencing technology on a worksite, this problem can be controlled, making geofencing a very attractive system for employers.
But what about employees? Are they likely to trust the technology? Here’s how you can help them to love geofencing.
How Geofencing Works
Geofencing is a type of virtual border or boundary that acts like an invisible fence. It is used in many applications, for example, users may be surprised that ads for nearby stores pop up in their social media feeds only when they are close to those locations. The advertiser has set up a geofence and limited the distribution of their advertising to users inside the fence.
In the construction industry, geofencing products like ExakTime work in the same way, and do more. Administrators can build a geofence around a worksite. Each worker using the ExakTime app signs in with their own pin. Using the ExakTime Connect software, the administrator can tell if a worker is inside the geofence when they clock in or clock out.
It Won’t Invade Workers’ Privacy
Geofencing enables administrators to determine whether or not a worker is actually at a worksite when they clock in or clock out. It doesn’t track workers outside of the geofence. In fact, with the ExakTime app, once a worker packs up and clocks out, however, all GPS tracking stops. Geofencing and all forms of GPS tracking through the ExakTime app will not invade a worker’s home or private life in any way.
Once workers understand this and trust the technology, they can begin to see the benefits.
Geofencing Helps Ensure an Accurate Paycheck
Just as geofencing can put an end to practices employers dislike such as buddy punching, the technology can also work in the employee’s favor. On a busy worksite, confusion or disputes about hours worked can delay a paycheck.
By using a time tracking app with geofencing, uncertainty is eliminated. Workers and employers alike are held accountable. Disputes can be quickly resolved with data that is synced from the app to the back office.
Statistics show that over 50% of workers say they would be likely to accept a job using GPS tracking, or geofencing, if it meant they would receive correct pay.
It Helps Save Employees (and Managers) Time
Geofencing has further benefits for employees. By using a time tracking app with GPS technology on your worksite, employees no longer have to stand in long lines waiting to punch in or out at a physical time clock or fill out paper time cards.
Once work is done, employees can punch out immediately and the app will record not only that they have clocked out but that they were, in fact, at the jobsite when they did so. In this way, geofencing allows employees to save time and avoid waiting around on a work site when it’s not necessary.
Educate Your Workforce About the Benefits of the GeoFence
As with any new practice in a workplace, it’s important that employers are upfront with employees about how geofencing works. Employers should describe the technology openly and answer questions workers may have.
By assuring workers that using geofencing is in the best interest of everyone involved, you can gain their trust. It’s important to reinforce that the employee’s personal information will not be accessed and that workers will never be tracked outside of work hours.
ExakTime is a leader in the construction industry when it comes to attendance tracking. The ExakTime app offers companies a powerful cloud-based solution that can improve workplace culture and efficiency.
