Clocking in on a shift and geofencing

On the day, the employee signals the start and the end of their shift. Illizeo can check that they are at the planned workplace. This article describes the two clocking modes, the location zone, reminders, tasks and how long locations are kept; it is for schedulers and administrators.

Before you start #

• The clocking and geolocation settings are in the module settings: you need the “Scheduling module settings” right.
• A location’s zone is set on the office record, in Settings › Manage Organization: you need to be able to edit offices.
• Attendance clocking requires the Attendance module to be installed and the employee to hold the right to clock in.

Two clocking modes #

Illizeo chooses the mode for each employee.

Attendance clocking. If the employee already clocks in through Attendance (module installed, right to clock in), their shift offers “Clock in”. The button opens a real clocking session, linked to the shift. “Clock out” closes it. The hours count like any clocking.

Shift status. Otherwise, the shift offers “Check-in” and then “Completed”. These are simple statuses: no time is counted. These buttons only appear if the “Add a Check-in button” and “Add a Completed button” settings are on, in Settings › General.

Clocking is not imposed #

The employee can always clock in freely through Attendance. A free clock-in, on a day when they have a published or confirmed shift, on the shift’s contract and within the opening window, is linked to the shift automatically. Outside that window, the clocking stays free. It is never blocked.

Clocking in too early. By default, an employee cannot clock in on a shift more than 15 minutes before it starts. They see: “You can clock in from HH:MM.” This limit only applies to shift actions, never to free clocking.

An employee with two contracts clocks in on the shift’s contract.

Defining the location zone #

The zone is set on the location: in Settings › Manage Organization, open the “Office / Site” entity.

1. Open the office record, “Clock-in zone” section.
2. Search for the address, or click on the map. You can move the pin.
3. Set the “Radius (m)”. It is 200 metres by default.
4. Save the record.

Without a zone, no check takes place: the location is only recorded. “Clear the zone” removes the check.

What is checked #

The “Enable GPS location for every status change” setting is on by default. The location is then recorded at each action: check-in, completed, clock-in and clock-out. It is never tracked continuously.

The check only applies to an action linked to a shift whose location has a zone. If the employee is further away than the radius, taking the device’s accuracy into account, they are outside the zone. If the device gives no location, the action also counts as outside the zone.

The “Outside the location zone” setting says what happens then:

• “Accept and flag” (default): the action is accepted and marked “outside zone”. The scheduler sees it in the grid and in the shift’s details.
• “Refuse”: the action is refused. The employee sees: “You are outside the zone of” followed by the location name.

Reminders and notifications #

Illizeo sends three reminders, only one per shift and per event:

• “Shift not confirmed before start”: to the employee and to the person who published, 2 days before by default, if the Confirm button is on;
• “No check-in after shift start”: to the person who published and to the manager, 15 minutes after the start by default;
• “Shift not completed after end time”: to the person who published and to the manager, 15 minutes after the end by default.

A shift that is not completed is never closed automatically. Closing sessions stays with Attendance. Delays and channels are set in Settings › Notifications: Scheduling settings.

Shift tasks #

Tasks are added in the shift’s details. They can be ticked by the shift holder, by the person the task is assigned to (in “My tasks”), or by the scheduler from the shift’s details.

A “Required” task that is not done prevents “Completed”. It does not prevent clocking out.

How long locations are kept #

Locations recorded on shifts and clockings are not kept indefinitely.

• GPS locations: erased after your workspace’s retention period. By default, 2 months. After erasure, the “outside zone” indicator of the clocking remains; the location itself disappears.
• Shift history (“Activity” tab): kept for 5 years by default.

Both periods are set in the workspace’s retention policy: Manage Illizeo › Data Retention. The two rows “Clock-in GPS locations” and “Shift history” are marked Scheduling there. Each row explains its default period. This screen is reserved for the DPO / compliance administrator role. The purge runs every day, even if the module is deactivated.

An employee’s GDPR export includes a Scheduling section. Erasing the employee deletes their schedule data, locations included. Where they were only an actor, for example in the history of a colleague’s shift, their name is replaced by “Deleted employee”.

Informing employees #

Before turning on geolocation or a zone, inform the employees concerned. Illizeo drafts a notice for you: what is recorded, why, and for how long (your workspace’s period).

1. Find the notice in the module’s Settings › General when geolocation is on, or in the location record when a zone is set.
2. Click “Copy the notice”.
3. Share it with the employees concerned before going live: notice board, intranet, e-mail.

When clocking in, the employee sees the statement: “Your location is recorded when you clock in and kept for 2 months.” The period shown follows your workspace’s retention policy.

Good to know #

Employee geolocation is regulated, in France as in Switzerland. A few reference points, to be checked with your data protection officer (DPO):

• a precise purpose: here, checking that clocking takes place at the planned location;
• collection limited to the clocking action, with no continuous tracking;
• informing employees before going live;
• a short retention period. The default 2 months are inspired by the CNIL’s reference points.

In Switzerland, the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) also requires proportionate and transparent processing. Depending on your organisation, other steps may be needed, for example with employee representatives. Your DPO will tell you.