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Setting Up & Managing Mobile Time and Attendance

Support
Updated

⚡ What is Mobile Time and Attendance?

There are two ways your employees can clock in and out of their shifts in PUSH. They can use a shared device at your location that has the Push Time app installed, or they can use their own phone with the Push Employee app. This article covers the second option, the Push Employee app.

Setting up Mobile Time and Attendance takes a few steps: deciding whether you'd like Geo-Fencing, turning it on and choosing which Positions can use it, and choosing whether to use clock photos and facial recognition. This article walks through each one in order.

💡 | Tip: Prefer to have employees clock in on a shared device at your location? Check out our Registering & Managing the Push Time App article.

🔎 Why Use Mobile Time and Attendance?

Here are some common reasons teams use Mobile Time and Attendance:

  • Clocking in wherever work happens: Employees who don't work from a fixed spot, such as delivery drivers or field staff, clock in from their own phone.
  • Skipping shared devices: Employees already carry their own phones, so there's no on-site device to set up or register.
  • Choose which roles clock in by phone: limit mobile clock-in to specific Positions, while everyone else clocks in via the Push Time app on-site.
  • Checking where employees clock in: Add Geo-Fencing to flag clock entries made outside designated locations for review.

🔐 Access required

Mobile Time and Attendance is part of our Time Tracking feature and is available on both the Signature and Supreme plans.

Note that facial recognition for photo capturing is exclusive to the Supreme plan.

Who can set up and manage Mobile Time and Attendance?

  • Super Administrators: Full access to turn Mobile Time and Attendance on or off, choose which Positions can use it, and request Geo-Fencing.
  • Team Administrators: Do not have access to enable or disable Mobile Time and Attendance, choose which Positions can use it, and request Geo-Fencing. Even when the Setup Clock Settings permission is enabled. If you need changes made, please contact a Super Administrator.

Who can clock in from the Push Employee app?

  • Active Employees: Can clock in and out on any registered device, as long as they have an active Position and a Clock ID, and their Position is enabled for that device.

📋 Topics covered in this article:

Requesting Clock-In Location Checks (Geo-Fencing)

Because employees can clock in from anywhere with the Push Employee app, we recommend setting up Geo-Fencing before you turn on Mobile Time and Attendance. 

Geo-Fencing sets a boundary around your location's address. Employees aren't blocked from clocking in or out outside that boundary. Instead, the clock entry is flagged so an administrator can review it. 

Employees will also see whether they're within the Geo-Fence when they clock in and out. Requesting it first means you can confirm employees are at work from their very first mobile clock-in.

📌 | Note: Only Super Administrators can request Geo-Fencing for their account.

⚠️ | Important: Geo-Fencing only works if employees allow the Push Employee app to access their phone's location. If an employee doesn't allow this permission, their clock entries can't be checked against your location's boundary.
  1. Email our Support team at support@pushoperations.com.
  2. Use the subject line Add Geo-Fencing.
  3. In the email, include your company name and the full address of each location you'd like to add.
    💡 | Tip: Have more than one location? You can add Geo-Fencing for each of them, so every location has its own boundary. Just include each address in your request.
  4. We also recommend attaching a screenshot of the area around each location. This is especially helpful if you'd like a bigger boundary, such as one that includes a parking lot or a large work site.
  5. Once received, our Support Team will set up the Geo-Fence and send you a screenshot of the details if you wish to make changes!

Turning On Mobile Time and Attendance & Choosing Positions

Mobile Time and Attendance lets employees clock in and out from the same Push Employee app they already use to view their schedule, pay stubs and files, and communicate with others. There's no shared device to buy, set up or register, and it's a great fit for employees who don't work from one fixed spot.

You can give every Position access, or limit it to certain Positions. Limiting access is helpful when only some roles work away from your location. For example, you might allow delivery drivers or field staff to clock in from their phones, while staff who work on site,, clock in on a Push Time app device in-store. This keeps clock-ins for on-site staff at your location, where you can see them.

⚠️ | Important: If you're limiting Positions and later create a new Position, it won't be added automatically. Until you add it, employees in that Position either won't see the Time & Attendance option, or won't have their Position available to select when clocking in.
  1. Click the Company name in the top right-hand corner.
  2. In the drop-down menu, click Company Setup.
  3. From the left-hand navigation bar, select Clock Settings.
  4. Scroll down to the Other Settings section.
  5. Check or uncheck the box next to Allow Employees with certain positions to clock in and out using the Push Employee app.
  6. Under Positions, complete one of the following:
    1. To give every Position access, leave the Positions drop-down blank.
    2. To limit access, click the Positions drop-down menu and select each Position that should be able to clock in from the Push Employee app.
  7. Once done, click Update Clock Settings, and employees can start clocking in from the Push Employee app!

📌 | Note: To change which Positions have access later, follow the same steps and select or unselect Positions in the drop-down menu.

💡 | Tip: After any change to Mobile Time and Attendance, ask employees to log out of the Push Employee app and log back in. This makes sure their app reflects your latest setup.

Setting Up Clock Photos & Facial Recognition

Next, decide whether you'd like employees to take a photo of themselves when they clock in and out from the Push Employee app. Clock photos help you confirm the right person is working and buddy-punching is not happening. 

Clock photos need two things: the setting turned on in Clock Settings, and camera access allowed on each employee's phone. Since employees use their own phones, they'll need to allow camera access themselves. Facial recognition is an optional extra check on top of clock photos.

📌 | Note: Clock photos are optional. If you don't plan to use them, you can skip this section.

This section will guide you through the following:

  • Turning On Clock Photos in Clock Settings
  • Allowing Camera Access on Employees' Phones
  • Turning On Facial Recognition

Turning On Clock Photos in Clock Settings

  1. Click the Company name in the top right-hand corner.
  2. In the drop-down menu, click Company Setup.
  3. On the left-hand navigation bar, click Clock Settings.
  4. Scroll down to the Other Settings section.
  5. Check the box next to Allow employees to take photos of themselves during clock-in and clock-out.
  6. Once done, click Update Clock Settings, and employees will be asked for a photo when they clock in and out!

📌 | Note: This setting applies to both the Push Employee app and the Push Time app.

Allowing Camera Access on Employees' Phones

Each employee needs to let the Push Employee app use their phone's camera. This is set in the phone's own settings, not in PUSH. 

For steps you can share with your team, refer to our Clocking In/Out From The Push Employee App article.

Turning On Facial Recognition

Facial recognition compares each clock photo to the employee's past photos to confirm the right person is clocking in. This helps prevent one employee from clocking in for another.

📌 | Note: Facial recognition is available exclusively on the Supreme plan, and clock photos must be turned on for it to work. If you don't see facial recognition working, please reach out to our Support team, who can review your account settings.

To make sure mismatched clock photos get your attention, we recommend also turning on Require approval when a clock photo fails facial recognition. This marks any clock entry where the photo doesn't match as unapproved, so it's flagged to you in Clock Approvals for review before payroll.

  1. Click the Company name in the top right-hand corner.
  2. In the drop-down menu, click Company Setup.
  3. On the left-hand navigation bar, click Clock Settings.
  4. Scroll down to the Require Manager Review/Approval section.
  5. Check the box next to Require approval when a clock photo fails facial recognition.
  6. Once done, click Update Clock Settings, and entries with mismatched photos will be flagged in Clock Approvals!

Turning Off Mobile Time and Attendance

Turning off Mobile Time and Attendance removes the Time & Attendance option from the Push Employee app for every employee.

⚠️ | Important: Before turning this off, make sure your employees have another way to clock in, such as a registered Push Time app device at your location.

  1. Click the Company name in the top right-hand corner.
  2. In the drop-down menu, click Company Setup.
  3. On the left-hand navigation bar, click Clock Settings.
  4. Scroll down to the Other Settings section.
  5. Uncheck the box next to Allow Employees with certain positions to clock in and out using the Push Employee app.
  6. Once done, click Update Clock Settings, and mobile clock-in will be turned off for your account.

Customizing Your Clock Settings

Once Mobile Time and Attendance is set up, you can fine-tune how clock entries are handled. This includes what counts as on time, early or late, how breaks are captured, and what happens when an employee forgets to clock out. For every option, refer to our Managing Clock Settings article.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Time and Attendance

Have questions about Mobile Time and Attendance? Whether you're wondering why an employee can't see the Time & Attendance option, how Geo-Fencing works, or what's available on the Push Employee app, this section provides quick answers to help you set up mobile clock-in with confidence.

Q: Do employees need to register their phone? 
A: No. Only Push Time app devices need to be registered. Employees using the Push Employee app log in with their own account, and Mobile Time and Attendance controls whether they can access the option to clock in and out.

Q: Why can't anyone clock in from the Push Employee app?
 A: If no employee in any Position can clock in from the app, Mobile Time and Attendance most likely hasn't been turned on. Refer to the Turning On Mobile Time and Attendance & Choosing Positions section of this article.

Q: Why doesn't an employee see the Time & Attendance option when their coworkers do? 
A: Their Position likely isn't selected for Mobile Time and Attendance. Refer to the Turning On Mobile Time and Attendance & Choosing Positions section of this article, then ask the employee to log out of the app and log back in.

Q: We created a new Position, and those employees can't clock in from the app. Why? 
A: If you're limiting Mobile Time and Attendance to certain Positions, new Positions need to be added manually. Refer to the urning On Mobile Time and Attendance & Choosing Positions section of this article.

Q: Does Geo-Fencing stop employees from clocking in outside our location? 
A: No. Employees can still clock in and out, but any clock entry made outside the boundary is flagged for review. Employees will also see whether they're within the Geo-Fence when they clock in and out. For details, refer to the Requesting Clock-In Location Checks (Geo-Fencing) section of this article.

Q: Can employees break in and out on the Push Employee app? 
A: No. Breaking in and out during a shift is part of the Advanced Breaks feature, which only works on the Push Time app. For other ways to capture break time, refer to the Breaks section of our Managing Clock Settings article.

Q: Why doesn't the camera appear when employees clock in on the Push Employee app? 
A: Check both parts of the setup. Clock photos must be turned on in Clock Settings, and the employee must allow the Push Employee app to use their phone's camera. Refer to the Setting Up Clock Photos & Facial Recognition section of this article.

Q: I'm a Team Administrator. Why can't I change Mobile Time and Attendance? 
A: Only Super Administrators can make changes to Mobile Time and Attendance, even if you have the Setup Clock Settings permission. Please reach out to a Super Administrator on your account.

Additional Information

Need further help? Refer to our Getting Help & Contacting Support article for the latest support options and ways to connect with our team.

 

 

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