Mobile App: Restricting locations with geofences

Implement geofencing to limit clock-in locations and prevent unauthorized time tracking

With Jibble’s GPS tracking software, geofences can be used to restrict the areas where employees are authorized to clock in and out from. In this article, we’ll guide you on how to utilize geofences to restrict locations for your employees.

Before you start enforcing geofences, you will need to set up your locations first. Check out our article on managing locations and geofences on mobile.

This article covers:

What are geofences?
Why use geofences for location restriction?
Assigning locations to schedules
Enabling geofencing for time tracking
Enabling geofencing for kiosk clock-ins with Jibble

What are geofences?

Jibble’s geofences are virtual boundaries you can create around specific locations. When combined with a powerful time tracking software, these geofences allow employees to clock in and out only within the geofences’ authorized locations. This location-based approach ensures accurate time tracking, particularly for remote or mobile employees.

Why use geofences for location restriction?

Jibble’s geofences offers these benefits:

Improved control & accuracy – Geofences restrict clocking in and out to authorized locations, preventing unauthorized access and potential time theft.
Enhanced compliance – They can help ensure employees adhere to company policies or legal regulations regarding work location.
Verification of work location – Geofences provide a way to verify employee presence at the designated worksite during scheduled hours.

Assigning locations to schedules

By default, all locations will be automatically assigned to every work schedule. However, you can assign locations to specific work schedules to restrict employee clock ins/outs within these authorized sites.

Note: Before you start assigning, ensure you have already set up locations and work schedules. Read more about managing locations and managing work schedules on mobile.

Go to Menu > Work Schedules.
Select the work schedule you want to assign the location(s) to.
Click on Assign locations.
Tap on the locations you want to assign and click Save.
Your locations will now be assigned to the work schedule.

▶️ Check out this walkthrough:

Enabling geofencing for time tracking

After adding locations and assigning them to your work schedules, you will need to enable geofencing under your time tracking settings to restrict these locations.

Go to Menu > Time Tracking.
Click on Time Tracking Rules.
Under the Location section, enable the toggle for Require location tracking and Enable geofencing.
Once done, tap Save.

▶️ Have a look at how it’s done:

Note:

Alternatively, you can also enable this feature to certain employees only through Jibble’s group advanced settings.
If geofencing is enabled but locations haven’t been created, members will be blocked from clocking in and out.

Enabling geofencing for kiosk clock-ins

Jibble allows you to restrict kiosk clock-ins to specific locations using geofences. Here’s what you need to know:

Kiosks function as a separate entity and do not take into account work schedule rules or time tracking policies.
Any location restrictions defined within the work schedule are not taken into account for kiosk clock-ins.

To set up geofenced kiosk clock-ins:

Go to Menu > Switch to Kiosk.
Select the kiosk you want to enable geofencing for.
Tap on the settings icon on the top left corner.
Under the kiosk settings of your selected mode, enable both Record GPS locations and Geofencing options.

Once enabled, employees using the kiosk can only clock in if they are physically present within the designated geofenced area. This ensures accurate time tracking for kiosk users regardless of work schedules.

▶️ Try this guided demo yourself: