Location-based technology is transforming workforce management by improving efficiency, compliance and employee accountability. Two important tools, geolocation and geofencing, often get confused but serve different purposes. Understanding their differences, especially in the context of time and attendance, can help businesses better manage mobile and field teams.
Geolocation records where an employee is at a specific point in time such as when they clock in or out. This provides a snapshot of their location for verification and operational insight. It helps managers confirm attendance and monitor workforce activity at key moments.
Geofencing creates a virtual boundary around a physical location such as a depot, warehouse or customer site. Employees can successfully clock in and out when they are within the defined geofenced boundary. If an employee tries to clock in outside the boundary, the system can reject the attempt or flag it for review via exception reporting. This supports compliance and reduces time fraud.
Geolocation shows where an employee was at a particular moment such as clock-in or clock-out. It provides visibility of location at these critical times.
Geofencing sets defined virtual boundaries around physical sites and controls workforce actions such as enabling or restricting clock-ins based on presence within these boundaries.
Put simply, geolocation tells you where your workforce was at a specific time while geofencing defines where workforce actions are allowed.
