In service companies with distributed teams, proving that an employee was at the right place at the right time has always required expensive hardware or manual paperwork. UnikPeople‘s GPS Check-In eliminates both — delivering location-verified attendance with sub-10-metre accuracy from any smartphone, with no app installation required.
1. The problem: proving presence without fixed infrastructure
A cleaning company with 120 employees operates across 40 client sites. A security firm deploys guards to 25 locations on rotating shifts. A maintenance provider sends technicians to facilities spread across three districts.
In every case, the fundamental question is the same: was the employee actually at the client site, at the time they were supposed to be?
Traditional attendance systems were designed for fixed locations — a biometric terminal at the office entrance, an optical card reader at the factory gate. They work well when everyone reports to the same building. They fail completely when the workforce is distributed.
The workarounds that service companies rely on create their own problems:
- Paper sign-in sheets: easily forged, lost in transit, and impossible to audit in real time
- Phone calls to supervisors: time-consuming, unverifiable, and dependent on the supervisor being available
- Client-side terminals: require hardware investment at every site, maintenance contracts, and client cooperation
- Manual timesheet entry: prone to rounding errors, buddy punching, and delayed submission
The American Payroll Association estimates that buddy punching alone costs employers between 2% and 5% of gross payroll annually. For a Portuguese service company with a EUR 2 million payroll, that represents EUR 40,000 to EUR 100,000 in unverified attendance.
2. How GPS Check-In works
UnikPeople‘s GPS Check-In is a mobile-first web application — no native app installation required. The employee opens it in any smartphone browser and registers their attendance with two taps.
The check-in flow: ( Online Demo: itsec.unikpeople.com/checkin )
The employee accesses the GPS Check-In page (a Progressive Web App hosted on the UnikPeople infrastructure), enters their name and mobile number, and the system automatically captures their GPS coordinates with precision displayed in real time. When accuracy reaches the required threshold — typically under 10 metres — the employee presses CHECK IN. At the end of their shift, they press CHECK OUT from the same interface.
What gets recorded with each event:
- GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) with measured accuracy
- Timestamp (server-side, tamper-proof)
- Device identifier
- Employee identification (name, mobile number)
- Notification email sent automatically to the designated manager or client contact
Precision matters. The system uses the device’s high-accuracy location mode, combining GPS satellites, Wi-Fi positioning, and cellular triangulation. In urban environments — where most service operations take place — this typically delivers accuracy between 3 and 10 metres. The interface displays the current accuracy in real time, so the employee can wait a few seconds for the signal to stabilise before confirming. A Refresh button allows recalibration if the initial reading is too broad.
3. Why this replaces biometric terminals for service companies
Biometric terminals (fingerprint, facial recognition, RFID cards) have a clear role in fixed-location environments with high employee density — factories, hospitals, corporate headquarters. But for distributed service workforces, the cost-benefit equation inverts:
Cost comparison for a 40-site service operation:
- Biometric terminals: 40 devices at EUR 800-2,000 each = EUR 32,000-80,000 upfront, plus annual maintenance, connectivity, and installation at client premises requiring client approval
- GPS Check-In: zero hardware cost, works on devices employees already carry, deployable to a new site in minutes by sharing a URL
Operational flexibility:
- New client site won in a contract bid? GPS Check-In is operational from day one — no hardware procurement, no installation schedule, no client IT coordination
- Temporary event staffing? Works immediately for a one-day assignment
- Employee’s terminal breaks? There is no terminal to break
Data integrity:
- GPS coordinates provide an objective, auditable record of where the employee was at check-in and check-out — something a fingerprint at a fixed terminal cannot prove if the terminal is located in a different building from the actual work site
- Each record is timestamped server-side, eliminating the clock-drift and offline-sync issues common with standalone biometric devices
- Email notifications create an independent confirmation trail for client-facing accountability
4. Compliance with Portuguese and European regulations
Codigo do Trabalho (Portuguese Labour Code) — Article 202 requires employers to maintain attendance records including start and end times. GPS Check-In fulfils this obligation digitally, with tamper-proof server-side timestamps.
GDPR and location tracking — GPS data constitutes personal data under the GDPR. UnikPeople’s GPS Check-In is designed with data minimisation as a core principle:
- Location is captured only at the moment of check-in and check-out — there is no continuous tracking or route monitoring
- Only the coordinates and accuracy are stored — no background location history
- Employees initiate the capture themselves (consent by action)
- Data is processed under the legitimate interest basis (employer’s obligation to verify attendance) or explicit consent, depending on the organisation’s data protection policy
- Records are stored within the EU on Microsoft Azure infrastructure
The Portuguese data protection authority (CNPD) has consistently held that employer attendance tracking systems are permissible when proportionate and transparent. Point-in-time GPS capture at check-in/out — as opposed to continuous surveillance — falls within the proportionality standard established by CNPD Deliberation 61/2004 and subsequent guidance.
5. Use cases across service sectors
Facility management and cleaning
A facility management company with 200 employees and 60 client sites deploys GPS Check-In across all locations. Each supervisor receives automated email notifications with GPS proof when team members arrive and depart. Monthly attendance reports feed directly into client invoicing — replacing the previous system of paper timesheets collected weekly by area coordinators.
Private security
Security guards working night shifts at commercial premises check in at the start of each shift with GPS verification. The system provides the security company with auditable proof of presence for contractual compliance and insurance purposes, without requiring the client to install any equipment at their premises.
Home care and healthcare
Domiciliary care workers visiting patients at home register each visit with GPS Check-In. The care provider can verify that visits occurred at the correct address and duration, meeting the reporting requirements of the Portuguese Social Security (Seguranca Social) for subsidised home care services.
Technical maintenance and field service
Maintenance technicians servicing equipment across industrial facilities check in on arrival and check out on departure. GPS records are cross-referenced with work orders, providing clients with verifiable proof of on-site time for billing purposes.
6. Integration with UnikPeople ESS Portal
GPS Check-In operates as part of the UnikPeople Employee Self-Service ecosystem. Attendance records captured via GPS feed into the same data layer as:
- Payroll processing: worked hours calculated automatically from check-in/out pairs
- Time allocation to projects: GPS-verified hours can be allocated to specific client projects or cost centres
- Absence management: GPS attendance data integrates with leave and absence records for complete workforce visibility
- Client reporting: automated attendance reports per site, per employee, per period — exportable for client billing reconciliation
The system is accessible at itsec.unikpeople.com/checkin and runs on any modern smartphone browser. No app store download, no device provisioning, no MDM configuration. Current version: GPS Check-In System v1.0.59.
About Uniksystem
Uniksystem is a Portuguese company specialising in low-code BPM platforms and AI-powered automation. With over 15 years of activity, it serves organisations including Edenred, Equifax, Eurobic, ANEPC, and IHG, managing over 6,000 employees on the UnikPeople platform and processing EUR 7 million in monthly payroll. More at www.uniksystem.com.
Contact:
www.uniksystem.com/self-service-portal/
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