Geo-fencing involves creating a virtual boundary around a particular geographic area and using GPS to track activity within that boundary. This tool has become much more accessible with the ubiquity of smartphones.
In order to establish a geo-fence, you'll need an app and location permission. There are two types of geo-fencing: active and passive. An active geo-fence requires consent to opt in and out of location services, while a passive geo-fence is always on and runs in the background with Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Geo-fencing has numerous applications in various fields. One of its key advantages is that it can be used by businesses of all sizes.
How is geo-fencing used?
Tracking vehicles and equipment
Geo-fencing is commonly used to track vehicles, packages, equipment, and company assets. This ensures security by notifying users if the object has been taken outside of the defined perimeter.
Location-based marketing
GPS is useful for localized marketing. It has proved to be a cost-efficient way to promote offers and send notifications to people who are near a company's store or in a specific area. Geo-fencing is also used to share media content during festivals or concerts to help audience members better engage with the event.
Emergency updates
Geo-fencing is particularly useful when there are potentially-dangerous situations. The tool can be used to send emergency updates to people within a certain perimeter.
Tracking workers
Geo-fencing is also effective when it comes to keeping track of employee attendance, especially for organizations with remote workforces that are heavily reliant on mobile devices for communication. It produces accurate results and dramatically reduces paperwork.
Five key advantages of using geo-fencing to track workers
1. Accurate attendance tracking from anywhere
Geo-fencing can be handy for maintaining and monitoring attendance records. It can also be beneficial for employees who work from different locations. By setting up a perimeter, you can see the exact time a worker checks in or out of work, as well as their location. This helps minimize fraudulent activity like buddy punching.
2. Improved productivity
With geo-fencing, you can better understand how workers spend their time and help them find ways to improve their productivity. It also leads to greater employee accountability by decreasing the risk of time theft and overpaid wages.
3. Better resource allocation
Collecting data through geo-fencing can help you analyze how much time and resources are spent to complete projects so you can make better decisions on resource allocation.
4. Consistent payments
Geo-fencing makes it easier to aggregate attendance records and be sure that any over-time work is accurately billed and paid for.
5. Enhanced safety
When you are dealing with employees who need to work from different locations, geo-fencing can help you ensure that they are in the right place. It can also be a great way to reduce injury by monitoring workers entering high-risk areas.
Deploying geo-fencing
Before you establish geo-fencing for your workforce, it is crucial to ensure that everybody is notified and on the same page. Explain the importance of the tool and convey the benefits to your workers. This way, you can request consent and address all privacy concerns.
You'll then want to provide formal training on how to use the technology, train new employees during onboarding, and include necessary information about geo-fencing in your privacy policy.
How does Zoho Workerly help?
Zoho Workerly's geo-fencing feature enables you to track your temp's time and location status, including their break times, so you can better understand where the time is spent. Unlike apps that use less-effective centroid fences, Workerly uses polygonal fences so you can draw an exact perimeter around the required location. Plus, our GPS app works on all devices and doesn't drain your smartphone's battery.
To start using the feature, simply have all temps download the Workerly app onto their smartphones and have them clock in and out through the app portal.
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