
Do you think clocking in is just a simple "ding" and you're done? Think again! In the world of DingTalk, every check-in is like a mini tech show. Imagine your phone as a secret agent, arriving on time each day to “check in” at company headquarters—it doesn’t rely on luck, but on GPS positioning, Wi-Fi recognition, and even Bluetooth beacons—digital signals that verify your identity. Just like showing a ticket at the movies, DingTalk checks whether you’re actually sitting in the right “seat”—your office.
Fixed-location check-ins work like swiping access cards when you enter your home; field attendance is more like nomadic reporting—employees can clock in from anywhere using movement trails and real-time location data. Flexible attendance? That’s a gift for free spirits, allowing staff to log in and out anytime within set time windows. Behind these different modes lies a company's delicate balance between management control and trust.
Why does nearly every company in China use DingTalk? Because it’s not only punctual—it understands regulations. The system automatically logs records, meeting labor compliance requirements and preventing future disputes over claims like “I did clock in!” Next time you tap that check-in button, remember: it’s not just a “ding dong,” it’s the perfect fusion of technology and policy.
Essential Guide for Admins: Step-by-Step Setup of Company Attendance Rules
Ready, administrative masters and HR heroes, to wield your digital swords and blaze the first trail of attendance rules in the DingTalk backend? Hold on—creating an attendance group isn't just clicking a button and calling it a day. Those who do end up becoming midnight detectives investigating “Why can’t Xiao Ming clock in?”
First, go to the admin console and navigate to “Attendance Settings” → “Create Attendance Group.” Resist the urge to name it “Ultra Awesome Department” right away. Start by correctly linking the organizational structure! This is where most people trip up: employees can’t find or join the group because someone mistakenly dragged “Finance Team” into “Marketing Intern Squad.” Please, org charts aren’t LEGO bricks—mismatch them and everything collapses.
Next, set up the work calendar, distinguishing Monday-to-Friday schedules or shift rotations. Set start and end times down to the minute, and don’t forget to enable “Flexible Time Allowed” to show some kindness to early birds and night owls. For check-in methods, we recommend choosing “Wi-Fi + GPS hybrid mode” to stop colleagues from frantically waving their phones at the entrance like ghost summoners. Set the check-in radius within 800 meters—too large and the whole city becomes valid; too small and you won’t even be able to clock in after a bathroom break.
Don’t forget to turn on “Automatic Late/Leave-Early Alerts” so the system acts as your stern little assistant. Predefine approval workflows for overtime and make-up check-ins—otherwise, come month-end, you’ll be flooded with desperate pleas for retroactive entries, and you might seriously consider deleting the app.
Final checklist: Org structure ✓, time settings ✓, check-in method ✓, radius range ✓, alerts enabled ✓, approval flow ✓. Miss any one item, and next week you might star in the YouTube channel “DingTalk Disaster Chronicles.”
Employee Starter Guide: Five Tips to Avoid Attendance Pitfalls
Ding-dong Check-In Battle—Did You “Ding” Today? Don’t assume everything’s fine just because HR set up the attendance group. As an employee, you’re on the front lines of daily combat with DingTalk! Want to avoid tragedies like “I’ve been sitting in the office restroom for the third time, yet still can’t clock in”? Here are five essential tips—save them now!
Tip One: Confirm Your Attendance Group Assignment—Don’t wait passively for automatic enrollment! Open DingTalk, go to “Workbench” → “Attendance,” and confirm you’re assigned to the correct group. If it says “Not Joined,” contact HR immediately—otherwise, no matter how many times you try, the system will treat your efforts as mere window-shopping.
Tip Two: Enable Location Permissions! iOS users, pay attention: DingTalk may default to “While Using” location access, turning blind once your screen locks. Go to settings and switch it to “Always Allow.” Otherwise, even if you’re standing right at the office door like a statue, your GPS could place you feeding pigeons in the park next door.
Tip Three: Know the Valid Check-In Zone—Don’t try sneaking in from the 7-Eleven downstairs! DingTalk uses GPS or Wi-Fi to verify your position. If your company sets a 100-meter radius, hopping around the edge risks being flagged as “out of range.” On your first check-in, take a few extra steps to ensure the green tick appears before leaving.
Tip Four: Handle “Check-In Failed” Alerts—Poor network or drifting GPS happens to everyone. First, restart the app, toggle between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or manually drag the pin on the map to your actual location. If it still fails, don’t suffer in silence—apply for a make-up check-in right away!
Tip Five: Use Make-Up Check-Ins and Review Records Wisely—You usually get three make-up chances per month. Don’t waste them on days you overslept. Regularly review your “Check-In Details” to catch anomalies early. Remember: being late isn’t shameful—but skipping a check-in and pretending nothing happened? That’s dangerous.
Advanced Tips: Smarter, More Human-Centered Attendance Management
Don’t think DingTalk attendance is limited to “press a button, clock in”—so basic! Once you've mastered the basics, it’s time to unlock advanced features and transform your attendance system from cold machinery into an intelligent, thoughtful AI assistant. Imagine this: Xiaomei from marketing drops her kid at school before coming in, yet still meets core hours; the engineering team rotates through three shifts with perfectly auto-scheduled check-ins. This isn’t fantasy—it’s made possible by flexible working hours and automated shift scheduling. Admins simply set rules like “core hours 9:30–16:30, with one-hour flexibility for arrival and departure,” and the system automatically calculates compliant attendance—no more pleading with the boss over being five minutes late.
Remote workers no longer feel sidelined. With multi-location check-in support, logging in from home, client sites, or cafés becomes legitimate—just define multiple valid zones. Even better: once leave requests are submitted, attendance exemptions happen automatically. Integration with leave systems eliminates duplicate reviews, freeing HR from acting as human matching machines. After work, don’t rush to shut down your computer—open the attendance analytics report and instantly spot which department has skyrocketing Monday tardiness rates. Is it a commute issue? A cultural lapse? Let data speak—the foundation of empathetic management. Remember: policies must be rigorous, but execution should allow room to breathe. Attendance shouldn’t feel like prison roll call—it should be a navigation tool helping teams go further.
Common Disasters and Emergency Fixes
Does daily check-in feel like a treasure hunt? Grayed-out buttons, failed location detection, rejected make-up requests… Don’t worry—you’re not alone crawling through the minefield of DingTalk attendance. Fear not, this guide is your emergency survival kit!
Issue One: The check-in button is completely grayed out? Activate the Three-Step Troubleshooting Method: 1) Check internet connectivity, ensure GPS is enabled, and see if the app version is outdated (update now!); 2) Confirm with your admin whether you’ve been added to the correct attendance group—new hires sometimes “parachute in” without being enrolled; 3) Try switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or even reinstall the app. Faster than begging IT for help.
You’re clearly standing at the office entrance, yet the system says you’re on the moon? 1) Verify that DingTalk has proper location permissions—don’t let it be “blind”; 2) Check whether the admin-set check-in radius is sufficient—sometimes 50 meters makes all the difference; 3) Try manually selecting the check-in location, or ask the admin to fine-tune the coordinates.
Your make-up request vanished into thin air? 1) Confirm the approver is still employed and has proper permissions; 2) Check for duplicate submissions or incorrect dates; 3) Leave a comment in the approval history to follow up—much more effective than waiting passively. Final reminder: regularly update your app and phone OS. Otherwise, no matter how powerful new features are, you won’t be able to use them!
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Using DingTalk: Before & After
Before
- × Team Chaos: Team members are all busy with their own tasks, standards are inconsistent, and the more communication there is, the more chaotic things become, leading to decreased motivation.
- × Info Silos: Important information is scattered across WhatsApp/group chats, emails, Excel spreadsheets, and numerous apps, often resulting in lost, missed, or misdirected messages.
- × Manual Workflow: Tasks are still handled manually: approvals, scheduling, repair requests, store visits, and reports are all slow, hindering frontline responsiveness.
- × Admin Burden: Clocking in, leave requests, overtime, and payroll are handled in different systems or calculated using spreadsheets, leading to time-consuming statistics and errors.
After
- ✓ Unified Platform: By using a unified platform to bring people and tasks together, communication flows smoothly, collaboration improves, and turnover rates are more easily reduced.
- ✓ Official Channel: Information has an "official channel": whoever is entitled to see it can see it, it can be tracked and reviewed, and there's no fear of messages being skipped.
- ✓ Digital Agility: Processes run online: approvals are faster, tasks are clearer, and store/on-site feedback is more timely, directly improving overall efficiency.
- ✓ Automated HR: Clocking in, leave requests, and overtime are automatically summarized, and attendance reports can be exported with one click for easy payroll calculation.
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