How GPS time tracking actually works
When a crew member clocks in from the mobile app, their phone captures a GPS coordinate and pairs it with the time-in stamp. Same on clock-out. That gives you a verifiable record of when and where the shift started and ended — instead of a scribbled paper timesheet you get on Friday.
What geofences do
A geofence is a virtual boundary drawn around a job site. If a clock-in happens inside it, the shift is marked in-fence; if it happens far away, it's flagged for the owner to review. Geofences are a filter, not a punishment — you still approve every shift.
Privacy trade-offs to be honest about
GPS should be captured on clock in/out and while a shift is active — not silently in the background. Explain the setup to the crew before rolling it out, and make sure people understand what's recorded and what isn't.
A good crew workflow
- Set up a geofence for each recurring job site.
- Employees clock in from the site with an optional note.
- Shifts land in an owner review queue with location and geofence status.
- Approved shifts flow into payroll and job costing automatically.
JobWorks365's GPS time clock pairs this workflow with a payroll ledger so approved shifts feed directly into gross pay. For the day-to-day mechanics of running this well, see how to track employee hours on job sites.