Why Employee Location Tracking is a Must for Field Service Industries

For industries with employees working in the field in multiple locations, it’s important to keep track of where workers are throughout their shifts. Doing so ensures employees work efficiently and don’t commit time theft, which can cut costs for your business and help your bottom line.

Why Track Employees’ Locations?

Tracking employee locations is useful for managers in industries with field workers, such as construction, cleaning, or delivery services. Because employees often work in different locations and not from a central office, tracking locations ensures that they’re in the right place at the right time while clocked in.

Doing so allows you to accurately track employee hours, prevent time theft, and ensure that staff are paid correctly. It’s not about micromanaging—it's about ensuring everyone is where staff need to be while on the job, helping you run a more organized and reliable business.

But this begs the question–is it legal to track your employees?

The answer is yes, as long as it complies with the Fair Labor Standards Act. You are legally allowed to track and monitor employee activity as long as you inform employees that you are doing so, only do so while workers are clocked in, and don’t use the information in a way that violates worker privacy rights.

How Does Employee Location Tracking Work?

Employee location tracking works by using GPS technology to monitor and record the movements of employees in real-time. Companies need to purchase GPS tracking software and employees can then download the relevant app to their smartphones.

The app pinpoints employees’ locations while clocked in and records the data so employers can view where employees have been while clocked in. Apps often use breadcrumb technology to create a trail of recorded locations on a visual map, showing a detailed history of employee locations during their shifts.

This allows managers to review routes taken, check if employees are on-site, and ensure that tasks are being completed in the right locations.

3 Best Employee Location Tracking Software

1. Connecteam

Connecteam is a complete employee management app and my top pick for employee tracking software because of its ease of use, user-friendly interface, and practical features.

I also really like that Connecteam is highly committed to user security and privacy and adheres to several key certifications and standards, such as GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2, and ISO/IEC 27001.

The location tracking features are part of a broader suite of tools that integrate with other Connecteam tools, such as task management and scheduling.

The app comes with GPS tracking so you can monitor employee locations while staff are clocked in. Connecteam also tracks and displays employee locations on an easy-to-read map from the admin dashboard so you can make sure they are where they’re supposed to be.

If an employee is suddenly unavailable, you can send the next closest team member to the job site instead to complete the work. You also have the option to rotate employees between job sites to make sure that all work is covered.

You can also enable breadcrumbs if you want to see an employee’s full location history throughout a shift. This can help you determine whether employees are taking indirect routes while moving from job to job or if they visited a specific job site before finishing their day.

Connecteam allows you to set up customizable geofences around job sites, too, which restrict employees from clocking in and out of work outside any digital border you set. If an employee leaves the geofence while clocked in, you’ll immediately receive a notification alerting you.

The geofencing feature is customizable allowing businesses to define different zones for different teams or tasks, which helps ensure precise tracking based on location-specific needs.

Another great thing about Connecteam is that the app comes with multiple communication features for monitoring employees, such as in-app chat and an employee updates feed.

With the chat feature, you can create 1:1 and group chats to communicate with staff in the field, ask and answer questions, and provide any necessary clarification. You can also share important updates and announcements with your entire team using the social media-style updates feed. Employees can respond with likes, comments, and emojis to enhance employee engagement and connection.

2. Timeero

Timeero is a GPS time-tracking and mileage-tracking app for businesses with field workers.

The app offers employee location tracking to help businesses monitor their workforce. The app’s GPS functionality allows you to view the real-time locations of employees and provides accurate location data throughout the workday.

The app displays where employees are when they clock in and out and monitors where they are throughout their shifts. The ‘Who’s Working’ view displays where employees are currently working at any given time, including a detailed map showing their exact locations.

Timeero offers location history tracking and segmented tracking, too, so you can review the routes employees drive while working. The app also has a mileage tracker to record the number of hours employees spend commuting from job to job.

You can also set up geofencing to make sure employees don’t leave designated areas while working. If they do, you’ll receive a notification.

3. Jibble

Jibble is a field service management app for monitoring, scheduling, and managing your workforce. Like its competitors, it comes with GPS location tracking that’s integrated into the app and provides updates on employee locations throughout the day.

In addition to GPS tracking, Jibble offers a geofencing feature that adds an extra layer of control and security. With geofencing, employers can set virtual boundaries around specific job sites or areas. Employees are only able to clock in or out when they are within these predefined zones.

Jibble also includes route tracking, which, while not providing detailed turn-by-turn navigation, allows managers to review the routes employees have driven during the day. This is particularly beneficial for businesses that need to verify that employees followed the expected or most efficient routes or to ensure that employees visited all required locations simply.

Jibble also comes with reporting and analytics tools. Managers can access reports that summarize employee movements, clock-in and clock-out times, and any deviations from geofenced areas.