Clock-in restrictions and location verification
Set up GPS areas, recognized internet connections or browsers, and the allow, warn, or block policy for clock-ins that do not match.
Guided tour 3:22
Set up and test clock-in restrictions
Learn how Clockspot recognizes approved places and devices, then test what happens when a clock-in does not match.
Transcript
- 0:00Clock-in restrictions and location verification
- Clockspot can help you confirm that employees clock in from a place or device you recognize. When an employee uses the Time Clock page, Clockspot can check their current location, the workplace’s internet connection, or the browser and computer they’re using. If none match, you can allow the clock-in, show the employee a warning, or block it. Let’s set up these checks and test them before anyone is blocked. Start by opening Settings at the bottom of the menu on the left.
- 0:31Choose the restriction that answers the question
- On the Settings page, Time Entry Rules is for schedule-based limits, such as requiring a published shift. Kiosks and Phone Clocking each have their own settings. For employees using the Time Clock page, choose Clock-in Verification. This is where you manage GPS, internet connection, and browser checks.
- 0:51Recognize a physical workplace
- GPS areas are managed inside Work Sites. On the Clock-in Verification page, scroll to GPS areas and select it. The Work Sites page shows every workplace your business has saved. Choose the workplace you want to use, then select Edit Work Site. Inside the editor, scroll down to GPS areas. The map shows the circle Clockspot will recognize around this workplace. Select Edit to change its center or coverage. Coverage is the distance from the center, so make it large enough to include anywhere employees may reasonably stand while clocking in. Save your changes when the area looks right. When an employee clocks in, their device shares its current location once. Clockspot checks whether it is inside the circle; it does not continuously track the employee.
- 1:40Use stable workplace devices and connections
- If GPS is not the right fit, return to Settings, then choose Clock-in Verification. Select Internet connection to recognize the public internet address used by a workplace’s Wi-Fi or wired network. You can use the connection you are on now, or enter an address provided by your internet provider or IT team. Select This browser to recognize only this browser on this computer—for example, a front-desk computer. Either option can be linked to a Work Site if matching clock-ins should also be assigned to that place. That link is optional and is not needed for verification.
- 2:16Prove every real clocking path first
- Next, choose what happens when a Time Clock page clock-in matches none of the options you set up. Allow records the clock-in normally. Warn and record explains the problem but still lets the employee continue. Block clock-in refuses to record a start time. Begin with Warn and record while you test, then save the policy. Open the Time Clock page and try a clock-in from every place, connection, and browser employees will use. Here, nothing matches, so a warning appears. The employee can select Clock In Anyway, and the entry is still recorded. Switch to Block clock-in only after every test passes.
- 2:54Keep the restriction useful over time
- To review the results, open Reports from the menu on the left, then select Clock Verification. The report shows which clock-ins were verified and which need attention. If an expected clock-in did not match, check the employee’s location permission, the workplace internet connection, or the registered browser. Clock-out always remains available, even when unrecognized clock-ins are blocked.
Clockspot can check a schedule, place, internet connection, or browser when an employee clocks in. Set up the evidence that fits the way people actually work, then decide whether a mismatch should be allowed, warned about, or blocked.
Keep the restrictions separate
Different settings answer different questions:
- Time Entry Rules decides whether a published shift is required and how early an employee may clock in.
- Clock-in Verification decides what happens when a clock-in from an employee's own account does not match a GPS area, recognized internet connection, or registered browser.
- Kiosks recognize their own clock events.
- Phone Clocking can restrict both clock-in and clock-out to approved caller numbers.
A Work Site identifies a physical place for clock activity and reporting. Verification records whether an applicable clocking method matched. Those are separate facts: a clock event can identify a Work Site without proving a GPS match, and a recognized browser can verify a clock-in without being linked to a Work Site.
Add a GPS area for a Work Site
Use GPS when employees should be inside a geographic area at the moment they clock.
- Open Settings, then Work Sites.
- Add or open the physical Work Site.
- Under GPS areas, choose Add GPS area.
- Place the area over the work location and choose a radius that fits the site.
- Save the Work Site, then test from the kind of phone or browser employees will use.
The device must provide a position inside the radius for the GPS area to match. Accuracy varies by device and surroundings. Clockspot checks the position at the clock event; it does not continuously track the employee. If a browser asks for location access, allow it before testing. Enable Geolocation has device-specific steps.
Recognize a workplace internet connection
Open Settings, then Clock-in Verification, and press Internet connection. Choose This internet connection to use the public IP address you are currently on, or Another internet connection to enter one address or a range. Your internet provider or IT administrator can provide a public IP address you do not know.
You can link the connection to a Work Site when a match should also identify that place. The link is optional; an unlinked connection can still verify the clock-in.
Recognize this browser
On Clock-in Verification, press This browser to register the browser and device you are using now. Give it a name you will recognize later. Other browsers, browser profiles, and devices must be added separately.
You can optionally link the browser to a Work Site. Register a browser only when that exact browser is an appropriate clock-in source, such as a dedicated workplace computer.
Choose what happens when a clock-in is not recognized
Use Unrecognized clock-ins to choose what happens when at least one GPS area, internet connection, or browser is set up but none matches a clock-in from an employee's own account:
- Allow records the clock-in without warning the employee.
- Warn and record warns the employee before they continue. If they proceed, the time entry is highlighted for review and Administrators and the Owner can be notified.
- Block clock-in refuses the clock-in.
Clock-out is never blocked by this setting. Kiosks recognize their own clock-ins, and phone caller IDs use the separate Restrict phone clocking to approved numbers setting.
Before choosing Block clock-in, add an active GPS area, internet connection, or browser. While blocking is on, Clockspot keeps you from removing the final recognized option. If none has been set up, the clock-in is recorded as Not checked and this policy does not restrict it.
Test and review the result
- Use an Employee account on the same kind of device, browser, connection, and location employees will use.
- Open Time Clock and press Clock In.
- Confirm that the expected verified result appears, or that the chosen warning or block behavior appears when nothing matches.
- Press Clock Out so the test does not leave an open entry.
- As an Administrator or Owner, review the captured result in Time entries or Clock Verification.
Test GPS from the employee's actual device. Test a network while connected to the workplace Wi-Fi or wired connection. Test a registered browser in that exact browser profile. One successful method does not prove that the others are ready.
Common questions
- Which option stops an unrecognized clock-in?
Only Block clock-in refuses it. Warn and record lets the employee continue after a warning, and Allow records the clock-in without a warning. Clock-out is never blocked by this setting.
- Does one saved browser recognize every browser on that computer?
No. This browser registers the browser and device you are using now. Add other browsers or devices separately.
- Where do I add GPS coverage?
Open Work Sites, choose a work site, and add one or more GPS areas there.
- Should I use GPS, an internet connection, or a browser?
Use GPS for a geographic area, an internet connection for workplace Wi-Fi or wired internet with a stable public address, and a registered browser for one specific browser and device. You can configure more than one method; any applicable match verifies the clock-in.
Clockspot keeps clock-ins, corrections, approvals, and payroll-ready hours connected so owners and managers can review the workweek before payroll.
Want to simplify how your employees track time? See how Clockspot works.