How to Use Geotagging for Employee Time Punches

Background
When used in time and attendance, geotagging captures an hourly time punch employee’s clock-in or clock-out to their specific location using GPS coordinates, such as latitude and longitude on a map. Employees must give location data consent tracking, and enable location services on their phone for the mobile app.
Best practices

• Be open with your team about using geotagging; letting them know how and why their location data is being used helps build trust and transparency.
• Address geotagging for time and attendance, along with your company policies, in the company handbook.
• Some states or cities may require employers to cover part of the cost when employees are required to use personal devices for work. Check your state and local labor laws for details.

Don’t have a handbook yet? Consider using Patriot’s HR software to create an employee handbook tailored to the laws and guidance specific to your state and your company’s needs.

How to Enable Geotagging

To enable Geotagging for your company:

1. Go to Settings > Employee Time Card Settings
2. Click the “Enable Geotagging” toggle at the top of the page.
3. You can change this setting by checking the box next to the employee’s name (must have time punch entry type) and choose Required, Not Required, or leave the Optional default setting. Read our help article, “Employee Time Card Settings,” to learn more about how to customize these settings.

💡 Things to note:

• Location tracking is only available for time punch employees who use the mobile app. Manual time entry will not have geolocation.
• Location tracking requires employees to turn on location services for the app and give location data consent in the My Patriot app. If permissions are not enabled, location details will not appear.
• Employees will be prompted to give permission for your company to view their location.
• Share the help article, “Employee Geotagged Time Punches” with employees.
  

How to View Employee Time Punch Locations

1. Go to  Time & Attendance > Manage Time Cards
2. Choose the desired pay period using the dropdown menu.
3. Click on the employee name to view their time card details.
4. Once the time card is open, locate the table displaying the employee’s time punches (e.g., IN and OUT entries).
5. Look for the location pin icon next to the time punches. This icon indicates that a location is available for that time punch.
   • Click on a specific time punch’s location pin to view the employee’s location for that exact time.
   • A map will display with location details
6. Click the “Hide Location Details” or “Show Location Details” link to expand or collapse the map view.
   • You can choose to view all time punches for the time card or select a specific day to view all the locations associated with that day’s punches.
   • Employees and managers will be able to view their location pins in the web version of My Patriot (www.mypatriot.com) and (www.payrolltime.com).

Get Details on Location Information

You can get location information two ways:

In the map view:

1. Hover over the pins on the map to view additional details, such as:
   • Date and time of the punch
   • GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude)
   • Precision (e.g., 50 feet)
2. Use the map toggle to switch between “Map” and “Satellite” views for more context

In the location details panel:

1. At the bottom of the employee time card to the left of the map, click the link that reads Show Location Details
2. A list will expand with each day and the corresponding clock in/out
3. Click the time punch to highlight the gps details:
   • Date and time of the punch
   • GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude)
   • Precision (e.g., 50 feet)

How to Edit a Geotagged Location

1. You can edit a geotagged location by dragging a pin to a new location on the map.
2. When you edit a geotagged time entry, the pin on the map will visually update to orange, signaling the change. For transparency and record-keeping, both the original and edited time and location will be visible on the map.
   

FAQs About Geotagging

Check out the the “Geotagging Status Report,” to confirm employees are set up correctly on their phone.

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