GPS clock-in with geofencing: how to set it up for a retail store
Quick tips
- Set the store location and radius before you train the team on clock-in.
- Use a radius that covers the parking lot and loading area, not the whole block.
- Re-check the pin after a remodel or address change.
- Review out-of-range exceptions the same day they appear.
What does a geofenced clock-in actually check?
A geofenced clock-in compares the phone location at the moment someone punches in against a circular boundary you draw around the store. If the punch happens inside the circle, it records normally. If it happens outside, the punch is still captured but flagged for a manager to review.
That distinction matters. Geofencing is not a lock that stops work from being recorded; it is a signal attached to a record you already needed. Nobody gets stranded outside the system because their GPS drifted, and you still find out when a punch came from somewhere unexpected.
The check runs only at the moment of the punch. TimelyHours does not follow anyone around during or after a shift, which is both a privacy commitment and the reason the feature is easy to explain to a team.
How big should the clock-in radius be?
Size the radius to cover everywhere people legitimately start work, and nothing more. For most single-unit retail and shipping stores, that lands somewhere between 100 and 200 meters: the storefront, the parking lot, and the loading or dock area.
Too tight and honest employees get flagged constantly, which trains managers to ignore the exception queue. Too loose and the check stops meaning anything, because someone can punch in from the coffee shop across the street. A boundary that generates one or two real exceptions a month is calibrated about right.
Strip malls and shared plazas need a second look. If a neighboring business sits inside your circle, tighten it until it does not.
Where to set the geofence in TimelyHours
Open Store settings and go to Location. Drop the pin on the building, then adjust the clock-in radius until the map circle covers your working footprint. The setting saves per store, so multi-unit owners tune each location independently.
Walk the property once with the map open before you finalize it. The view from a desk and the view from the dock are rarely the same, and five minutes on site prevents months of noise.
Revisit the pin after any move, remodel, or address correction. A geofence pointed at an old suite number quietly flags every punch until someone notices.
What to do when someone clocks in out of range
Out-of-range punches surface as exceptions on Home. Handle them the same day, while the shift is still fresh and the answer is a quick conversation rather than an archaeology project.
Most exceptions have mundane explanations: a delivery run, a bank deposit, a phone with location services throttled. Resolve those, note the reason, and move on. What you are watching for is the pattern, not the single event.
When the same person generates the same exception every week, the issue is a habit or a settings problem, not a one-off. Fix whichever it is instead of re-approving indefinitely.
Common questions
- Can employees clock in from home with a GPS time clock?
- They can attempt it, but the punch is recorded outside the geofence and flagged as an exception for a manager to review. The punch is never silently discarded, so legitimate off-site work such as a bank run can be approved with a note.
- Does geofencing track employees when they are off the clock?
- No. TimelyHours checks location only at the moment of a clock-in or clock-out. There is no continuous location history, and nothing is recorded between punches or after a shift ends.
- What happens if GPS is inaccurate inside the building?
- Indoor GPS can drift by tens of meters, which is why the radius should cover the parking lot rather than hug the storefront. If a specific spot in your store drifts consistently, widen the radius slightly rather than approving the same exception every day.
Keep reading
Clear open time clock exceptions every morning
Late clocks, missed shifts, and out-of-range punches pile up quietly. A five-minute morning review keeps payroll clean and reports trustworthy.
Export payroll-ready timesheets without retyping hours
If you are copying hours into another sheet by hand, you are paying a tax every period and inviting typos into your payroll.