How GPS Technology in Construction Changes Time Tracking

Construction projects are notorious for their unpredictability, with crews constantly moving between sites and daily labor hours fluctuating regularly.

For contractors, efficiently managing this dynamic workforce is a constant battle — one that directly impacts project timelines, budgets and ultimately, the bottom line.

In fact, the  Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that businesses lose roughly 5% of their annual revenue to fraud, a significant portion of which can stem from inaccurate time tracking in the construction sector.

Enter GPS technology in construction: a game-changer that’s revolutionizing how contractors track their crews and manage labor costs.

By integrating GPS capabilities into mobile time tracking apps, contractors gain unparalleled visibility into their workforce, leading to improved accuracy, increased productivity and enhanced accountability.

Let’s get into how GPS technology is transforming the construction industry and how it can empower you to better manage your labor force.

Key Takeaways for Contractors:

• GPS tech provides real-time location data, ensuring that employees are where they need to be and reducing instances of time theft.
• Combining GPS with geofencing allows contractors to streamline clock-ins and track crew movement between jobsites.
• GPS data enhances payroll accuracy, equipment utilization and project cost tracking.
• Using a mobile time tracking app with GPS capabilities enables contractors to optimize routes and improve overall project efficiency.

Real-Time Location Tracking

One of the most impactful features of GPS technology is its ability to provide real-time location tracking.

With a GPS-enabled time tracking app, contractors can see exactly where their employees are at any given moment.

This visibility eliminates the guesswork in verifying attendance and maximizes worker productivity by ensuring that workers are on-site as scheduled.

According to the American Payroll Association, up to 75% of companies experience losses due to time theft, including practices like buddy punching.

GPS location tracking solves this issue by linking time entries to a specific physical location, ensuring that employees are clocking in and out only when they’re on the jobsite.

Geofencing for Streamlined Operations

Geofencing takes GPS technology a step further by creating virtual boundaries around jobsites.

When employees enter or leave these geofenced locations, the mobile app can automatically log their time, eliminating the guesswork and manual errors that often come with paper time cards or spreadsheets and saving time for both workers and managers.

This feature is particularly useful for managing large crews across multiple locations.

For example, if a worker moves from one jobsite to another, geofencing ensures their hours are tracked accurately for each project.

This level of precision helps contractors allocate resources more effectively and maintain tighter control over labor costs.

Enhanced Payroll Accuracy

Accurate time tracking is the foundation of reliable payroll processing.

By integrating GPS data, mobile time tracking apps provides an additional layer of verification for recorded hours.

Managers can easily cross-check time entries with exact location data to ensure that all hours worked are legitimate.

This reduces the risk of payroll errors and disputes, which can be costly and time-consuming to resolve.

Precise labor data also helps contractors stay compliant with wage and hour regulations, avoiding potential fines and legal issues.

Using a time tracking system that also offers seamless integrations with payroll software can be a game changer for managing payroll.

This feature allows the time tracking data to be directly transferred to a payroll system, reducing manual data entry while saving time and ensuring real-time reporting to pay employees on time.

Better Workforce Management

Managing crews across multiple jobsites is no small feat. A time tracking app with GPS location tracking for construction improves field and office communication by providing insights into crew locations and movements throughout the day.

For instance, if a contractor notices delays at a specific site, they can use GPS data to reassign nearby workers to address the issue quickly.

Additionally, tracking employee routes can reveal inefficiencies, enabling contractors to optimize travel paths and reduce fuel costs.

Data-Driven Decision Making

The insights gained from GPS-enabled time tracking go beyond day-to-day operations.

By analyzing location and field data over time, contractors can identify trends and make informed workforce management decisions about staffing, scheduling and project management.

For example, if GPS data reveals that certain tasks consistently take longer at specific locations, contractors can adjust schedules or allocate additional resources to improve efficiency.

These data-driven adjustments can significantly impact project profitability and timelines.

See How WorkMax’s GPS Tech Can Help Your Business

GPS technology in construction has undoubtedly changed the game for contractors, offering a powerful tool to track labor hours with unmatched accuracy and efficiency.

By integrating GPS functionality into your time tracking solution, you can:

• Reduce time theft and improve accountability
• Enhance payroll accuracy and compliance
• Optimize crew management and resource allocation
• Gain actionable insights to improve project performance

WorkMax is a mobile time tracking app built for construction that makes it easy to harness the power of GPS technology.

Equipped with important time tracking features like GPS location stamps as well as patented biometric facial recognition and pin entry, WorkMax verifies that the employee who is clocking in is the correct employee.

Regardless of its size, our construction time tracking software empowers businesses to better track and manage their labor force.

Chat with a specialist today to learn more about WorkMax!