Location and attendance information can help verify coverage, support safety and understand service delivery. It can also undermine trust if workers do not know what is being collected or managers use the data for purposes that were never explained.
The UK Information Commissioner's Office advises employers to identify a lawful basis, be transparent, minimize monitoring and assess proportionality. Laws differ by jurisdiction, so organizations operating across countries should obtain local advice before deploying monitoring or geofencing rules.
Start with a purpose statement
Document the legitimate reason for each data element: e.g., confirming that a scheduled visit occurred at the correct outlet, supporting a time-sensitive store visit or meeting a valid safety requirement. Decide whether visit-level check-in location is enough. Continuous location tracking is more intrusive and should not be switched on merely because it is available.
Give workers understandable answers
- What information is captured, and when?
- Is location tracking active only during working activities or at other times?
- Who can see raw records and aggregated reports?
- How long is the information retained?
- How can someone challenge an inaccurate reading?
- What happens when the GPS signal is poor or a visit is legitimately completed away from the nominated entrance?
Explain the policy before use. Include field representatives in testing, especially where work occurs in underground car parks, remote locations or stores with unreliable GPS.
Design fair exceptions
Location accuracy varies. Do not treat an out-of-bound check-in as automatic misconduct. Support legitimate explanations, review the signal quality and ensure a human can assess disputed events. Never use a single uncertain GPS point as the sole basis for a consequential employment decision.
Include safety and retailer rules
Work should not require unsafe phone interaction while driving or disregard store access restrictions. Plan travel breaks, lone-worker procedures and escalation mechanisms as appropriate. Field productivity targets should not encourage risky driving or unauthorized stock handling.
Where FieldKo fits
FieldKo records check-in and check-out on each visit, with location capture if you turn it on. Set it up around a written purpose, limit who can see the data, and follow the law that applies to your employees and contractors.
See how FieldKo supports this →Further reading
This guide provides operational principles, not legal advice.
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Reviewed October 26, 2026. Examples, scores and thresholds are illustrative, not benchmarks. See the research and sources library for independent references.