GPS verification, ensure they're clocking from the salon

By default, the time clock trusts where the colleague says she is. If you don't want to trust that blindly (and some salons don't), turn on GPS verification. At clock-in, the system checks the phone's location and only marks the entry "verified" if it's near the salon.

How it works

1. Colleague taps Clock in.
2. Phone (or browser) requests GPS coordinates.
3. The system compares against the salon's coordinates.
4. Within 100m (default, configurable) → entry status: Verified (green badge).
5. Outside → status: Unverified (no badge or red).

Unverified entries aren't deleted, just flagged. The manager decides what to do.

When to turn it on

Turn on if

• Multi-location team: useful to know which location the colleague clocked at.
• Trust is unproven: new team, fluctuating members, or you suspect someone clocks from home.
• Audit context: if labor inspection demands proof of physical presence.

Skip if

• Small, trusted team: 3-person salon, everyone knows everyone, unnecessary friction.
• Location-bug bad: salon deep in a mall where GPS often doesn't reach.

Setup

Settings → Time Clock → GPS verification:

• Enable: on / off.
• Radius (meters): default 100m, configurable 50-500m.
• Enforcement level: warn (just flag) or block (refuse the clock-in).
• Location coordinates: under Settings → Locations, set the exact salon position (copy from Google Maps).

Use case scenarios

Scenario 1: New hire monitoring

New team, trust not yet built. Enable GPS. Through the 3-month probation, every entry is verified. If all green, drop the monitoring.

Scenario 2: Home-office suspicion

A stylist's monthly hours are improbably high. You check GPS status: 5 days "Unverified", all clocked at 7am. Turns out she clocks from home and goes in later. Gentle but firm conversation.

Scenario 3: Multi-location salon

Two locations, colleagues move between them. GPS tells you which salon the colleague clocked at, so payroll attributes to the right location.

Scenario 4: Customer-timing complaint

Customer says, "Anna wasn't here when she should have been." Manager checks: Anna clocked in at 09:00 at the salon (green, GPS-verified). The customer was mistaken or seen by a different colleague.

Scenario 5: GPS error

Salon in a shopping mall, GPS signal often doesn't arrive. 80% of entries "Unverified". You re-evaluate: bump the radius to 200m, set enforcement to warn-only. Compromise.

Privacy

• Only at clock-in/clock-out: the system doesn't track the colleague continuously.
• Manager-only visibility: stylists don't see each other's GPS status.
• Only for attendance verification: coordinates aren't used for anything else.
• GDPR-compliant: the colleague is informed in advance that GPS verification is on. Worth covering in the employment contract.

Tips

• Start at 100m: if too many errors, increase. Starting at 500m defeats the purpose.
• Use Google Maps for coordinates: find your salon, right-click the pin, "What's here?", copy the coordinates.
• Mobile vs web accuracy: the mobile app is GPS-more-accurate than the browser. Encourage app use.
• Inform the team: GPS verification doesn't happen secretly. Trust matters more than the surprise element.
• Don't punish: if someone has 1-2 unverified entries, that might be a GPS glitch. Only address consistent patterns.