Geofenced Attendance: How Location-Based Check-In Works

Location-based attendance replaces punch cards and biometric machines with something every employee already carries.

#What is a geofence?

A **geofence** is an invisible boundary — usually a circle with a centre point and a radius, such as 150 metres around your office. Apps use the phone's GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile signal to work out whether the phone is inside it.

#How check-in works in Yapie Work

1. The employee opens **Work › Attendance** and taps **Check in**. 2. Yapie asks the phone for its location (the employee allows location access). 3. If the phone is inside an office geofence, the check-in is recorded with the time. 4. If not, and **remote check-in** is off, Yapie explains they need to be at an office.

#Setting up offices

In **Work › Organisation › Settings**: - Stand at the office and tap **Add where I am**, then name it and choose a **radius**. - Add as many offices, branches or sites as you need. - Adjust names and radii later, and save with **Save changes**.

#Choosing a radius

- **50–100 m** for a single building in a dense area. - **150–250 m** for campuses, factories or where GPS is weaker indoors. - Larger for construction sites or farms.

Indoors, GPS can drift; too small a radius frustrates honest staff.

#Remote and field staff

Turn **Allow remote check-in** on if your team works from home or in the field. With it off, check-in only works inside a geofence.

#Privacy and fairness

- Yapie records location **at the moment of check-in**, not continuous tracking. - Tell employees how attendance works and what's recorded. - Combine attendance with sensible **grace minutes** — see [setting a fair grace period](/blog/late-arrivals-grace-period-policy).

#Frequently asked questions

What is geofencing in attendance?

A virtual boundary around a workplace; check-in is accepted only when the employee's phone is inside it.

Does Yapie track employees all day?

No. Location is checked when the employee checks in.

What radius should I use for an office?

Usually 100–200 metres, depending on the building and how accurate GPS is indoors.