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Most check-in apps are built for offices: one company address, and everyone goes to the same place every day.
Job sites are different.
The same supervisor can be on one side of town this week and the other side next week, and visiting two sites in one day is common.
So the things to look for in a site check-in app are not quite the same as for an office time clock.
Six things to check when choosing a site check-in app
| What to check | The question to ask |
|---|---|
| Check in per site | Can every job site have its own address and coordinates, rather than one company address? |
| Adjustable check-in radius | Can the radius be set per site? A high-rise, a house and a rural site need different ranges |
| What happens off site | If someone isn’t at the site, are they blocked from checking in, or does the app only flag it afterwards? |
| Usable straight away | When staff and supervisors open it on site, do they see check-in and the schedule right away, without learning a whole system? |
| Linked to the schedule | Can you compare who was scheduled at which site on which day with who actually turned up? |
| Month-end reports | Can attendance be exported as a monthly report or turned into payroll, without copying it into Excel by hand? |
Common problems with GPS check-in
- Weak signal indoors and in basements: GPS can drift by tens of metres, so a radius that is too small means people can’t check in. Check in at the entrance or on the ground floor
- Upper floors of tall buildings: the location usually lands somewhere around the building, so a radius covering the whole building works better than one covering a single unit
- Location permission turned off on a teammate’s phone: sit with them once when they first install the app. It’s quicker than phoning people one by one later
- Two sites in one day: people need to be able to check out of one site and check in again at the next, so the records don’t get mixed up
Can GPS stop buddy punching?
GPS proves that a phone was on site, not that the right person was holding it.
Stopping buddy punching properly needs a photo or face recognition. On site, hands are dirty or gloved, and an extra step every day soon gets dropped.
A more practical approach is to look at three things together: the check-in location, that day’s schedule and the site photos.
When who was scheduled, who checked in and what the photos show all line up, most problems become obvious.
How long attendance records must be kept (Taiwan)
In Taiwan, Article 30 (paragraphs 5 and 6) of the Labor Standards Act requires employers to keep attendance records for their workers for five years.
Records must be kept day by day, to the minute, and employers cannot refuse when a worker asks for a copy.
Paper sign-in sheets or check-ins posted in a group chat are hard to dig up five years later. Records kept in an app are much quicker to search.
Rules differ from country to country, so check the requirements where you operate.
One distinction matters here.
Your own employees are covered by the Labor Standards Act; subcontracted crews may not be.
Whether someone counts as a worker depends on whether they are actually directed and supervised, not only on whether the contract says subcontract or employment.
So for subcontracted crews, treat check-in as a record of who was on site, used to track progress, reconcile invoices and count day-rate days, rather than as attendance control.
Three things to explain to your team before you start
- Why check in: it’s for reconciling invoices and planning work, not for catching people out. Saying so up front avoids pushback
- What the location is used for: only for attendance records, not for tracking where people are all day
- What to do if someone forgets: agree how missed check-ins get added afterwards, or the first week will be a mess
Check in per site, with month-end reports ready
Everywhere Design is a project management app for construction and renovation teams.
Each site has its own coordinates and check-in radius.
Outside the radius, check-in is blocked and the screen shows how far away the site is.
Invite staff and supervisors with a link; on site they check in and view the schedule from their phone.
At month end, export the attendance report as a PDF in one tap, or turn it straight into payroll statements.
30-day free trial, no credit card required.
FAQ
Do subcontracted crews need to check in too?
Legally, not necessarily.
But a record of who was on site is useful for tracking progress, reconciling invoices and paying day rates. Treat it as a site record, not attendance control.
Does GPS check-in invade privacy?
Tell employees in advance why their location is collected and how it will be used.
An app that only uses location for check-in, rather than tracking people all day, is far less likely to cause disputes.
What if there’s no GPS signal in a basement or indoors?
Check in at the entrance or on the ground floor where the signal is good.
Don’t set the radius too small; leave some room for GPS drift.