On-Site Time Tracking for Events

Why event time tracking is unlike any other sector

In a restaurant or shop, time tracking is simple: a fixed badge reader at the entrance, the same employees every day, the same venue. In events, none of this exists. The venue changes with every assignment. Teams are reassembled for each event. Casual workers sometimes only know the site on the day itself.

This reality makes traditional time tracking impossible. Installing a physical badge reader at an ephemeral site makes no sense. Paper attendance sheets get lost, are filled in incorrectly or are falsified. The coordinator who has to manually clock in 80 casual workers does not have time: they are already managing the event logistics.

The result, in most event companies, is permanent ambiguity about actual hours worked. Casual workers declare 8 hours, the coordinator thinks they did 7, and client billing is based on estimates. This ambiguity costs money — in both directions.

Geolocated mobile time tracking: how it works

The basic principle

Each casual worker has the Shyfter app on their phone. When they arrive at the event site, they open the app and clock in. The system records the exact time and GPS position. At the end of their shift, they clock out the same way.

The coordinator sees in real time who has arrived, who is missing and who is late. No more calling attendance in front of 60 people lined up in a car park at 6am.

Geolocation as proof of presence

Geolocation is not a gimmick. It is proof that the casual worker was at the correct site. In events, you may have three simultaneous events in three different cities. A casual worker assigned to setup in Namur who clocks in from Liège is a problem instantly visible.

The system operates with a tolerance perimeter. You define the event's geographical zone (the venue address with a radius of 200 to 500 metres). Clock-ins are only validated if the casual worker's phone is within this zone. Outside it, the clock-in is rejected or flagged as anomalous.

Offline mode

Not all event venues have perfect mobile coverage. A festival in an open field, an isolated château, an underground warehouse: dead zones exist. A good mobile time tracking system also works offline. The casual worker clocks in, the data is stored locally and synchronised as soon as connectivity returns.

Configuring time tracking per event

One event = one venue = one clock-in zone

Before each event, the coordinator configures the venue in Shyfter: exact address, tolerance radius and expected schedules. This configuration takes two minutes and ensures that all clock-ins will be correctly linked to the event.

For multi-zone events (a festival with a main stage, a food village and a VIP area), you can create multiple clock-in zones within the same event. Each casual worker clocks in at the zone corresponding to their assignment.

Expected schedules and lateness alerts

The system knows each casual worker's planned schedule from the schedule. If a waiter is expected at 5pm and has not clocked in by 5:15pm, an alert is sent to the coordinator. They can then call the casual worker or activate a replacement from the reserve list.

These real-time alerts change the game for operational management. Instead of discovering at 6pm that three waiters are missing (when guests are already arriving), you know at 5:15pm and have time to react.

Break management

For long shifts (10-hour setup, festival day), tracking breaks is essential. The casual worker clocks out for their break and clocks back in when they return. This data is necessary for the correct calculation of hours worked and compliance with mandatory rest times under Joint Committee 304.

Per-phase time tracking: setup, event, breakdown

Why separate the phases

An event typically has three phases, and teams change between them. The technician who built the stage on Friday is not the waiter serving the cocktail on Saturday. Separating time tracking by phase allows you to know exactly how many hours were worked on setup, on the event itself and on breakdown.

This granularity is valuable for billing. If your quote separates setup, operation and breakdown costs, your time tracking data must correspond. A discrepancy between planned and actual hours in the setup phase reveals a planning or productivity problem.

The case of multi-phase casual workers

Some casual workers work across multiple phases. A production manager may be present from setup to breakdown. A handler may work setup and breakdown but not the event itself. The system must allow multiple clock-ins on the same event, each linked to the correct phase.

Real-time monitoring for the coordinator

The event dashboard

The coordinator has a dedicated dashboard for each event. At a glance, they see the number of casual workers expected, the number clocked in, lateness and absences. This dashboard updates in real time as clock-ins come in.

For an 80-person event across 5 roles (kitchen, service, reception, technical, security), the coordinator immediately sees if each role is fully staffed. If the "service" role only has 12 clock-ins out of 15 expected, they know exactly who is missing and can act.

Handling unexpected situations

A casual worker arrives 2 hours late due to transport problems. Another must leave early for an emergency. The mobile time tracking system records these situations automatically. The coordinator no longer needs to mentally note that "Kevin arrived at 7:30pm instead of 5pm" and manually correct timesheets afterwards.

From time tracking to client billing

The link between hours and billing

In events, staff cost represents 50 to 70% of an event budget. The precision of time tracking directly impacts your margin. If you bill the client 8 hours per waiter but clock-in data shows an average of 8h45, you are absorbing 45 minutes of unbilled cost per person. For 20 waiters, that is 15 lost hours.

Conversely, if your casual workers clock 7h15 while you bill 8 hours, your margin increases but you take a risk in the event of a client dispute. Objective time tracking data protects both parties.

The post-event report

After each event, Shyfter generates a complete report: hours worked per person, per role, per phase, with exact arrival and departure times. This report serves as the basis for client billing, casual worker payment and profitability analysis.

The report also includes anomalies: lateness, early departures, absences, out-of-zone clock-ins. This data feeds each casual worker's reliability score in your pool.

Student worker time tracking: enhanced monitoring

The 475-hour counter in real time

For student workers, each clocked hour is added to the 475-hour allowance counter. The time tracking system automatically feeds this counter. When a student approaches the threshold (for example at 420 hours), an alert notifies the manager.

This automation prevents nasty surprises. A student who exceeds 475 hours without anyone noticing incurs a significant additional social contribution cost. At a summer festival with 50 student workers, the risk is real.

Dimona and time tracking: the automatic link

The Dimona (Belgian employee registration) declaration states the planned hours. Time tracking records the actual hours. If a significant discrepancy appears (the casual worker worked 2 hours more than planned), the declaration must be updated. Shyfter handles this update automatically, preventing inconsistencies between schedule, time tracking and declarations.

Time tracking and legal compliance

The working time recording obligation

In Belgium, the employer must be able to demonstrate the working hours of their employees and casual workers. In the event of a social inspection check, time tracking data constitutes proof. A geolocated mobile time tracking system with timestamping offers far superior traceability to paper attendance sheets.

Premium calculation

Joint Committee 304 provides premiums for night work (after 8pm), weekends and public holidays. Precise time tracking allows these supplements to be calculated automatically. A casual worker who starts at 7:30pm and finishes at 2am is entitled to a premium on the portion after 8pm. Without precise time tracking, this calculation is approximate and prone to error.

Rest periods between assignments

Legislation imposes a minimum rest period between two assignments (generally 11 consecutive hours). A casual worker who finishes breakdown at 3am cannot be scheduled for a setup at 7am the next morning. The time tracking system, combined with the schedule, detects these conflicts automatically.

Integrating time tracking into the payroll cycle

From raw data to payslip

Time tracking generates raw data: arrival time, departure time, breaks, location. This data must be transformed into hours worked, broken down by type (normal hours, night hours, weekend hours, overtime) and transmitted to the social secretariat for payroll calculation.

With Shyfter, this transformation is automatic. Time tracking data is exported in the format required by your social secretariat, with the correct breakdown by hour type. The payroll manager simply validates and processes.

Validation before export

Before transmitting time tracking data to the social secretariat, the coordinator reviews anomalies: missing clock-ins, inconsistencies, unusually long hours. This validation step takes 15 to 30 minutes per event, compared to 2 to 3 hours of manual entry in the old system.

Return on investment of mobile time tracking

Direct gains

Mobile time tracking generates measurable savings. Hour precision eliminates approximations that cost an average of 3 to 5% of the staff budget (sometimes in the employer's favour, sometimes in the casual worker's favour). Client billing based on real data reduces disputes. Automated payroll export frees up 2 to 4 hours per week of administrative work.

Indirect gains

Geolocated time tracking creates accountability for casual workers. When everyone knows that their arrival time is objectively recorded, punctuality improves. Hour disputes disappear: the data speaks. Trust between employer and casual workers increases, reducing pool turnover.

For an event company managing 200 casual workers and 10 events per month, switching to mobile time tracking represents a net gain of 5,000 to 8,000 euros per year in saved administrative time and billing precision.

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FAQ

Does geolocated time tracking work in venues without mobile coverage?

Yes. Shyfter works in offline mode. The casual worker clocks in normally, the data is stored locally on their phone and synchronises automatically as soon as network connectivity returns. The time and position recorded are those of the moment of clock-in, not of synchronisation. You lose no data, even in a château in the middle of the countryside or a warehouse basement.

How do you handle a casual worker who forgets to clock in?

The coordinator can manually add a clock-in via the management interface, with a "manual clock-in" note for traceability. To reduce omissions, activate automatic reminders: a notification is sent to the casual worker 5 minutes before their shift start time. If the clock-in is not completed 15 minutes after the scheduled time, an alert is sent to the coordinator. Over time, casual workers get into the habit and omissions become rare.

Is time tracking data sufficient in the event of a social inspection check?

Geolocated time tracking data constitutes solid evidence: precise timestamp, GPS location, casual worker identity via their personal account. This data is more reliable and more detailed than paper attendance sheets. It is exportable on request and demonstrates the employer's compliance with working time recording, rest period observance and correct payment of hours worked, including premiums.