Set Up Mobile Based Attendance

HRStop supports three channels for attendance capture: Biometric, Web, and Mobile. Biometric is the default channel and is configured through separate biometric machine setup. Web and Mobile attendance are managed from the Configure Attendance settings page.

Mobile Based Attendance lets employees mark attendance from the HRStop mobile app. When mobile attendance is enabled, employees can punch in and punch out from their phones, and the system automatically captures the location coordinates of each punch. This automatic location capture is called Geo Tagging, and it is available by default with mobile attendance.

This article is meant for administrators who want to enable mobile based attendance for their organization.

When to Use Mobile Based Attendance

Mobile based attendance is useful in the following situations:

  1. Field teams who spend most of their time outside the office, such as sales representatives, service engineers, or delivery staff.
  2. Remote or hybrid workforces where employees may not always have desktop access to mark web attendance.
  3. Organizations without biometric infrastructure at every location or branch.
  4. Multi location businesses where centralized biometric setup is not feasible, and web attendance alone is not enough.

Step by Step Instructions

Navigation Path: Control Panel > Settings > Attendance > Configure

You must have administrator permissions on the Settings module to access this page.

Step 1: Enable the Attendance Module

  1. Go to Control Panel > Settings > Attendance > Configure Attendance.
  2. Tick the checkbox for Enable Attendance Module.

This activates attendance tracking across the portal.

Step 2: Confirm Mobile Attendance is Active

Scroll down to the Mobile Attendance section on the same page.

  1. Ensure the Disable Mobile based attendance checkbox is left unticked.
  2. When this checkbox is not ticked, mobile attendance is active and the punch button appears in the HRStop mobile app for employees.
  3. If the checkbox is ticked, mobile attendance is disabled and the punch button is hidden from the mobile app.

Related Configurations

Mobile based attendance works alongside the following features. Each is optional and configured separately.

  1. Attendance Exceptions. Control which employees, departments, or designations can use Web or Mobile attendance, and set default attendance status for specific groups. Refer to Configure Web and Mobile Attendance Exceptions.
  2. Geo Fencing. Restrict mobile attendance to approved geographic locations, so employees can only punch in from within defined coordinates. Refer to Configure Geo Fencing for Mobile Attendance. Geo Fencing is an add on feature and needs to be enabled by the HRStop team before it can be configured.
  3. Selfie Attendance. Capture a selfie with each mobile punch for identity verification. Selfie Attendance is an add on feature. Raise a request with HRStop support to have it enabled for your organization. Refer to Set Up Selfie Attendance.
  4. Trusted Device Verification. Restrict HRStop mobile app login to devices registered with HRStop. Since the mobile app is used for attendance punches, this indirectly controls which devices employees can use to mark mobile attendance. Refer to Trusted Device Verification.

Where It Reflects

Once mobile based attendance is enabled:

  1. Employees see the punch in and punch out option in the HRStop mobile app.
  2. Every mobile punch is Geo Tagged with the employee's latitude and longitude at the time of punch.
  3. Reporting managers and HR can view punch details, including location, from the employee's attendance record in the web app.
  4. The Geo Tagged coordinates can be plotted on Google Maps directly from the attendance summary.

Important Notes

  1. Disabling Mobile attendance only removes the punch option from the mobile app. It does not affect Web attendance or Biometric attendance, both of which continue to work as configured.
  2. Geo Tagging is automatic and cannot be turned off separately when mobile attendance is active. If you want to restrict punches to specific approved locations rather than just tagging them, configure Geo Fencing.
  3. Changes to attendance settings take effect immediately for all employees, unless exceptions have been configured for specific groups or individuals.

FAQ

An admin can enable Mobile Based Attendance by going to Control Panel > Settings > Attendance > Configure Attendance, ticking the Enable Attendance Module checkbox, and leaving the Disable Mobile based attendance checkbox unticked in the Mobile Attendance section.

Once Mobile Based Attendance is enabled, employees see the punch in and punch out option inside the HRStop mobile app.

Geo Tagging is the automatic capture of an employee's latitude and longitude at the time of a mobile attendance punch. It is available by default with Mobile Based Attendance and does not require any separate configuration.

No, Geo Tagging cannot be turned off separately. As long as Mobile Based Attendance is active, every mobile punch is automatically Geo Tagged with the employee's location.

Yes, Mobile Based Attendance can be disabled independently of Web Attendance. To do this:

1. Go to Control Panel > Settings > Attendance > Configure Attendance.
2. Scroll to the Mobile Attendance section.
3. Tick the Disable Mobile based attendance checkbox.

Web Attendance and Biometric Attendance continue to work as configured.

If both Web Attendance and Mobile Based Attendance are disabled, employees cannot punch through the portal or the mobile app. Biometric Attendance continues to work if biometric machines are set up, and employees can still raise attendance regularisation or punch requests through the portal.

No, Geo Fencing is a separate add on feature and needs to be enabled by the support team before an admin can configure it, even after Mobile Based Attendance has been turned on.

Yes, changes to Attendance settings take effect immediately for all employees, unless specific exceptions have been configured for individuals or groups.

Geo Tagging automatically records the location of every mobile punch and comes by default with Mobile Based Attendance. Geo Fencing is an add on feature that restricts mobile punches to approved geographic locations, so employees can only mark attendance from within defined coordinates. 

Example of Geo Tagging in action: A field sales executive marks attendance from a customer meeting. Geo Tagging captures the customer location and stores it with the punch record. There is no restriction on where the punch can be made. 

Example of Geo Fencing in action: The same company sets up Geo Fencing with a 100 meter boundary around the office. Now, the sales executive cannot mark mobile attendance from the customer site, since that location falls outside the defined geo fence. Only punches from within the boundary are accepted. 

In summary, Geo Tagging is about recording location. Geo Fencing is about restricting location.

A manager can view the location of mobile punches for employees who report directly to them or fall within their reporting line. 

1. Open the self service portal and go to the Attendance section. 
2. On the right, select the employee whose details you want to see. 
3. The complete set of attendances for the selected duration (weekly or monthly) will appear. 
4. Navigate to the date of your choice to see all the punches for that date. 
5. For every mobile punch, a mobile icon appears alongside the punch. 
6. Click the mobile icon to open Google Maps and view the exact location from where the punch was made.

Note: If you want to view punches for a different month, use the date filters available on the details page.

HR and administrators can view the location of mobile punches for all employees they have access to, based on the permissions assigned to them. 

1. Go to Control Panel and open the Attendance section. 
2. The monthly attendance view for all employees appears for the current month. 
3. Click on an employee name to open the employee details page, which shows daily attendances for the entire month. 
4. Scroll to the date of your choice to view all punches for that day. 
5. Mobile punches are marked with a mobile icon. 
6. Click the mobile icon to view the exact location on Google Maps. 

Note: If you want to view punches for a different month, use the date filters available on the details page.