Buddy punching is when one employee clocks in or out on behalf of a colleague. It is rarely malicious in intent, but it quietly inflates payroll and makes attendance data unreliable. Traditional controls such as PINs and shared kiosks are easy to get around because they verify knowledge, not presence.
What a geofence actually does
A geofence is a virtual boundary drawn around a work location. When an employee taps clock in, the app compares the phone location with that boundary and records the result alongside the punch. If the person is outside the zone, the punch can be blocked, flagged for review, or allowed with a note, depending on your policy.
Rolling it out without friction
- Start with a generous radius around each site, then tighten it using real accuracy data.
- Define what happens when a punch fails: block, flag, or request a manager override.
- Tell your team what is collected and why. Location is only checked at the moment of a punch.
- Review flagged punches weekly so genuine problems, such as poor signal in a basement, get fixed.
Combine signals for stronger proof
Location on its own can be spoofed on some devices. Adding a second factor, such as face or fingerprint verification, makes it much harder for someone else to clock in for you. The two checks together give managers confidence without adding much effort for employees.