Tracking Remote Employees in the Field

Posted April 16, 2019

Payroll, Tax Compliance, Employees, Time & Attendance

With geo-location, you know where each time clock punch occurred on a map…

There are apps for almost everything, it seems. You may have heard about using apps to track remote employees, such as repair technicians who are out and about repairing across a dozen locations in a single day. You may be ready to delve into what features are out there so that you choose the right app for your purposes.

Features can include automatic GPS and timestamp, so you know where your employees are and when.

Tracking Features

Track time against jobs, equipment and departments. Employees can even clock in with a PIN.
Track time and location, while allowing employees to add notes to timesheets.
Interface with administration systems, particularly integrating with Quickbooks Online Payroll.

By using simple tools that most everyone has access to, small businesses like yours are able to get rid of paper timesheets and track time accurately. The system works through a cloud-based mobile time clock program that’s accessible to field offices and mobile workers, including GPS location, tracking time and job costs.

Advantages

Mobile apps often work with iPhones, iPads and Android technology
You receive real-time reporting from the field so you can track who’s working from your dashboard. And data can be exported into spreadsheets.
With the GPS feature, you know where each time clock punch occurred on a map.
Supervisors can track entire crews so that even workers who aren’t carrying smartphones can be accounted for.
Say goodbye paper timecards that get dirty and become unreadable.
Tracking crews while they are working eliminates guesswork.

How does this play with your employees? They don’t have to write down work shifts or job activities at all, and they don’t have to turn in anything on payday. Jobs are tracked while work is actually happening, so no one is forced to remember time and attendance numbers.

Even field notes can be written on mobile devices. These solutions work well for the rugged outdoors. Each worker can track his or her own hours, and/or a foreperson can track an entire crew from one device.

Tracking Remote Employees in the Field