How do you verify remote or field employees are actually working when you can't see them?
I've been building a workforce/attendance tool for the past few months, and the more I talk to other founders and operators, the more I realize this is a genuinely unsolved problem for a lot of small teams.
The core tension: too much oversight (screenshots, constant check-ins) makes good people feel like suspects and quit. Too little oversight means you find out something's wrong months later, usually during a payroll or client audit.
I ended up building something (Trackly) to sit in the middle, GPS-verified check-ins visible to both employee and manager, no hidden tracking. But I'm genuinely unsure if this is the right model, or if there's a better approach other builders here have found.
A few real questions I'd love this community's take on:
If you manage remote or field teams, how do you currently verify attendance or output?
Where do you personally draw the line between accountability and surveillance?
Has anyone here built something similar and found a different approach that worked better?
This sits in a very sweet spot, Shahroz. Most tools go to the extreme with keystroke logging or random webcam shots, which completely destroys company culture. GPS-verified check-ins that are transparently visible to both sides feel fair. It treats employees like adults while still giving managers the data they need for payroll and audits.
This is something I've been wondering too. I don't think most employees mind accountability, but they do mind feeling like they're being watched all day. For me, the ideal solution is one that gives managers enough visibility to stay informed without making employees feel uncomfortable.
This resonates. The interesting part isn't the tracking itself it's designing a system that both managers and employees are willing to trust. In my experience, transparency changes the conversation. When employees know what's being tracked and can see the same information their manager sees, it feels much more like accountability than surveillance.
I think you drew the line perfectly. Accountability becomes surveillance when it's hidden or continuous (like keystroke logging). A clear, transparent check-in that the employee can see too builds trust rather than destroying it. Keep it up!