ERPNext HRMS Geofencing for Location Based Employee Check-ins

For some businesses, marking attendance is not as simple as checking whether an employee clicked Check In.

The bigger question is:

Was the employee actually at the required work location when they checked-in?

This became an important requirement for ZAM Engineering, a logistics and engineering company that manages work across multiple locations.

Their employees work across three different sites:

• Head Office
• Nandi Cross, including a Dalmia Cement warehouse
• Gangavaram Port, an Adani port location

ZAM Engineering wanted employees to check in from the correct work location. They needed geofencing for employee attendance, with an approximately 500 meter radius around each location.

During the implementation discussion, we found that ERPNext HRMS supports geofencing through location based employee check-ins.

The feature was introduced in ERPNext v16 and later backported to v15.

The Requirement: Attendance Based on Location

ZAM Engineering's requirement was straightforward.

Employees working at different sites should check in from the location where they are assigned to work.

For example, an employee assigned to the Gangavaram Port location should check in from that location not from somewhere outside the defined work area.

With a 500 meter geofence, the system can validate whether the employee is within the permitted radius when checking in.

If the employee is outside the configured radius, the check-in gets blocked and the employee receives an error message.

If they need attendance marked despite being outside the permitted area, they would need to approach HR for attendance regularization.

This gives the HR team a clear way to validate location based attendance instead of relying only on manual checks.

How Geofencing Works in ERPNext HRMS

The setup uses three main components:

Geolocation → Shift Location → Shift Assignment

Let's break it down.

1. Enable Geolocation Tracking

First, enable Allow Geolocation Tracking from HR Settings.

This allows ERPNext HRMS to use location information for employee check-ins.

2. Create a Shift Location

Next, create a Shift Location from:

Human Resources → Shift & Attendance → Shift Location

Add the location name and define the work location using:

• Latitude
• Longitude
• Check-in Radius

You can enter the coordinates manually or use Fetch Geolocation to fetch the location.

For ZAM Engineering, separate locations can be configured for their different work sites.

For example:

Gangavaram Port → Latitude + Longitude → 500 meter radius

This creates the permitted area for employee check-ins at that location.

3. Assign the Shift Location to Employees

Once the Shift Location is ready, assign it to the relevant Shift Type.

Then assign that Shift Type to employees through Shift Assignment.

This connects the employee's shift with the location where they are expected to check in.

What Happens When an Employee Checks In?

This is where geofencing becomes useful.

When an employee tries to check in, ERPNext HRMS checks whether the employee is within the configured Check-in Radius of the assigned Shift Location.

Within the radius

The employee can complete the check-in.

Outside the radius

The system blocks the check-in and displays an error message.

This means an employee cannot simply mark attendance from another location when the shift requires them to be at a specific work site.

Why This Matters for Multi Location Teams

Location based attendance becomes particularly useful when employees work across:

• Multiple offices
• Warehouses
• Ports
• Construction sites
• Customer locations
• Project sites
• Field operations

Employees don't necessarily work from one central office. They work across different operational locations, making location based attendance validation more relevant than a standard attendance check-in.

Instead of asking HR to manually verify every check-in, the system applies the configured location rule during attendance marking.

ERPNext HRMS Geofencing: A Simple Setup

The complete process can be summarized in four steps:

1. Enable Geolocation Tracking

Turn on Allow Geolocation Tracking in HR Settings.

2. Create Shift Location

Define the location using latitude, longitude, and check-in radius.

3. Assign the Shift

Link the Shift Location to a Shift Type and assign it to employees.

4. Validate Employee Check-in

ERPNext HRMS allows the check-in when the employee is within the configured radius and blocks it when they are outside.

From a Requirement to an ERPNext HRMS Solution

The requirement started with a simple operational question:

How do we make sure employees check in from the location where they are actually working?

With Geofencing in ERPNext HRMS, the answer can be built into the attendance workflow itself.

Instead of continuously tracking an employee's location, the system uses the configured work location and check-in radius to validate attendance at the time of check-in.

For businesses managing employees across multiple work sites, this provides a practical way to add location based attendance validation to their HRMS workflow.

Girman Technologies [ERPNext Partner] can help businesses evaluate and configure ERPNext HRMS workflows based on their specific attendance and workforce requirements.

FAQs

What is geofencing in ERPNext HRMS?

Geofencing in ERPNext HRMS allows businesses to define a geographical radius around a Shift Location and restrict employee check-ins to that area.

How does location based attendance work in ERPNext HRMS?

ERPNext HRMS uses the employee's location during check-in and compares it with the configured Shift Location and Check-in Radius.

Can ERPNext HRMS block an employee check-in outside the allowed area?

Yes. If the employee is outside the configured Check-in Radius, ERPNext HRMS displays an error and prevents the check-in.

How do you configure geofencing in ERPNext HRMS?

Enable Allow Geolocation Tracking, create a Shift Location, configure its latitude, longitude and Check-in Radius, and then assign the location through the employee's shift.

Can geofencing be used for employees working at multiple locations?

Yes. Different Shift Locations can be configured for different work sites and linked to the relevant shifts and employees.