‌Introduction and Key Concepts

‌Overview of the HRplus Time & Attendance Module

HRplus Time is a time and attendance system, also known as a time tracking system or time clock system that is a software solution used by organizations to track and manage employee attendance, working hours, and related data. It automates the process of recording employee time worked, enabling accurate and efficient timekeeping and payroll calculations. Here are some key features and functionalities of a time and attendance system:

1. Clock-In and Clock-Out: Employees use various methods to record their attendance, such as biometric fingerprint scanners, proximity cards, PIN codes, or web-based clock-ins. These methods allow employees to accurately record their start and end times for their shifts.

2. Work Hour Tracking: The system tracks and calculates employee work hours, including regular hours, overtime, breaks, and any other configured work policies. It ensures accurate time calculations, eliminates manual errors, and simplifies payroll processing.

3. Absence and Leave Management: HRplus includes features for managing employee absences, vacations, and other time-off requests. Employees can submit leave requests through the system, and managers can approve or decline them, ensuring accurate record-keeping and leave balance tracking.

4. Real-Time Monitoring: Supervisors and managers can monitor employee attendance and work hours in real-time through the system's dashboard or reports. This allows them to identify attendance issues, late arrivals, early departures, or excessive absenteeism promptly.

5. Integration with Payroll: HRplus Time and attendance module integrate with its payroll module, automatically transferring accurate attendance data for seamless and efficient payroll processing. This integration reduces manual data entry and minimizes errors.

6. Reporting and Analytics: The system generates comprehensive reports and analytics on employee attendance, punctuality, overtime, and other related metrics. These reports help HR and management gain insights into workforce productivity, attendance trends, and compliance with labor laws.

7. Compliance and Audit Trail: HRplus provide an audit trail, documenting all clock-in and clock-out activities, leaves, and adjustments. This helps organizations comply with labor regulations, audits, and resolves disputes related to attendance and working hours.

8. Mobile Access and Self-Service: HRplus offers mobile applications or self-service portals, allowing employees to clock-in/out, request time-off, view schedules, and access their attendance records from their mobile devices or computers.

9. Scheduling and Shift Management: HRplus offers additional features for creating and managing employee schedules, assigning shifts, and tracking shift coverage. These features help streamline workforce management and optimize scheduling efficiency.

Implementing a time and attendance system such as HRplus Time can streamline attendance tracking, improve accuracy, and save time for both employees and HR personnel. It promotes transparency, supports compliance, and facilitates efficient payroll processing. Organizations of all sizes can benefit from using a time and attendance system to manage their workforce's time-related data effectively.

‌What are the Summary Steps to setup the Time and Attendance module?

The Steps to Setup the Time and Attendance module are as follows:

1. Set up Company Constants define the general time and attendance settings for your company: HRplus Time>>Setup>>Constants. Done by Core HRplus Time user and HRplus Implementation Specialist.

2. Set up Devices and link to Company set up time and attendance data capture devices (time clocks) and link them to your company: HRplus Time>>Setup>>Devices. Done by Core HRplus Time user and HRplus Implementation Specialist.

3. Set up Schedules HRplus Time>>Schedules>>Scheduling>>Schedules. Done by Core HRplus Time user and HRplus Implementation Specialist.

4. Set up Shifts - HRplus Time>>Schedules>>Scheduling>>Shifts. Done by Core HRplus Time user and HRplus Implementation Specialist.

5. Setup Employees assign a Clock Id to each employee and link to employee id: HRplus Time>>Setup>>Employee Mapping. Done by Core HRplus Time user and/or Timekeeper.

6. Setup Timekeepers create timekeeper users and link them to a schedule, schedule group and device: HRplus Time >> Schedules >> Timekeepers. Done by Core HRplus Time user and HRplus Implementation Specialist.

7. Setup Timekeeping Workflow (Optional)

8. Schedule Employees on Shifts via Shift Scheduling Options HRplus Time/Timekeeper

   >>Schedules>>Scheduling>> Employees can be scheduled using one of the seven options. Every employee must be assigned to a shift. Done by Timekeeper with help from Core HRplus Time user/ HRplus Implementation Specialist.

9. Schedule Employees on Shifts via Shift Patterns

10. Start Timekeeping Process. Done by Timekeeper.

‌Glossary of Terms found in the Time and Attendance Module

A

Actual Clock Times: The exact times recorded by the time clock device when an employee punches in or out. Once an employee is on a shift and other parameters are configured, these times are automatically downloaded from the clock into the Current Attendance Log screen on HRplus.

Alternative Job Rate: The hourly pay rate assigned to an employee when they perform a different job than their usual role.

Approved Timesheet: A timesheet that has been reviewed and accepted by the appropriate supervisor or manager (timekeeper).

Archived Attendance Logs: Past attendance records that have been stored for reference but are no longer active. After the current attendance logs are posted to the timesheets screen, they are moved from the current to the archived screen.

Archived Timesheets: Past timesheets that have been stored for reference but are no longer active. After current approved timesheets have been posted to the payroll and that cycle is archived, the timesheets are now available in the Archived Timesheet screen.

Attendance Logs: Records of employees' attendance, including all clock-in and clock-out times.

C

Calendar: A schedule used to track and plan employee attendance and shifts, and to flag public holidays.

Call Back: When an employee is requested to return to work after completing their scheduled shift.

Call Out: When an employee is required to come to work unexpectedly, typically outside of their scheduled hours. A checkbox can be flagged on the timesheet, to indicate an employee has been called out to work, and effect any associated payment rules.

Clock ID/Employee Mapping: The association between a clock ID and an employee in the time and attendance system.

Clock In: The act of recording the start time of a work period when an employee punches in for work, either on a manual clock or virtually.

Clock Out: The act of recording the end time of a work period. This is when an employee punches in on either a physical or virtual clock.

Constants: Fixed values used in the time and attendance system to calculate various parameters.

Current Attendance Logs: The most recent and active attendance records. Once an employee is on a shift and other parameters configured, these times are automatically downloaded from the clock and pushed into the Current Attendance Log screen on HRplus.

Cut Off Date Parameters: Specific dates set to define the end of a time period for attendance and payroll calculations, marking the deadline for approval before processing in the payroll system.

D

Device Monitoring: The process of overseeing the functionality and accuracy of time clock devices.

E

Early Departure: Leaving work earlier than the scheduled end time.

Employee Mapping: The association between a clock ID and an employee in the system.

F

Fix Attendance Logs: The process of correcting any inaccuracies in the attendance records.

G

Generate Allowances: The automatic calculation and assignment of allowances to an employee's timesheet based on a combination of shift allowance rules and attendance data.

Grace: A designated period during which clock-ins or clock-outs are adjusted without penalty to employee payment. Grace is configured for each shift via the shift rounding rules.

Grace Out Before: A grace period before the scheduled end time during which clock-out times are adjusted without affecting employee payment.

L

Late Coming: Arriving at work later than the scheduled start time.

Leave-Earn Mapping: The correlation between the type of leave taken and how it is to be paid, once the timesheet is approved.

M

Manual Timesheet: A timesheet filled out by hand rather than recorded by a time clock device. Missing Punch: A situation where an expected employee clock-in or clock-out time is not recorded.

Move Backward: A timesheet action in the workflow to revert to a previous stage in the workflow. Move Forward: A timesheet action in the workflow to proceed to the next step.

N

Normal Shift View: One of the views of an employee’s scheduled shift. This view shows additional details such as the employee's department, division, section and job, which can be edited based on where the employee worked that day.

Notification: Alerts sent to employees or managers regarding attendance and scheduling.

O

Overtime By The Day: A configuration in the Shift Payment Rule indicating that overtime is earned and calculated daily based on hours worked beyond the standard daily hours.

Overtime By The Week: A configuration in the Shift Payment Rule indicating that overtime is earned and calculated weekly based on hours worked beyond the standard workweek, meaning an employee must meet the minimum weekly hours before earning overtime.

Overtime Hours: Hours worked beyond the regular scheduled hours that qualify for extra pay.

P

Post Attendance Logs: The process of finalizing and recording attendance data and then posting it to the timesheets screen.

Post Omitted Attendance Logs: After previously missed attendance data in the unprocessed punches screen has been processed in the omitted attendance log screen, this process posts these logs to the Unapproved After Post Timesheet screen. .

Primary Approver: The main person responsible for approving timesheets and attendance logs. If a workflow is being used the primary approver is the approver at the first stage/level of the workflow.

Punch In: The action of clocking in to start a work period.

Punch Out: The action of clocking out to end a work period.

Punch Parameters: Specific settings that determine how punches are recorded and processed.

R

Retro Payment: Compensation for work performed in a previous pay period/cycle.

Rounding Rules: Guidelines and parameters used to adjust clock-in and clock-out times to the nearest specified increment. These rules ensure consistency and fairness in timekeeping by standardizing how partial minutes

are handled. Rounding can occur in various ways, such as rounding up/in, rounding down/out, or rounding to the nearest increment.

Round End Time Forward/Backward/Nearest/None: Rules for adjusting the end time of a shift.

Round Out After Type: The method used to round clock-out times that occur after the end time of the shift. Round In Before Type: The method used to round clock-in times that occur before the start time of a shift. Round Out: Adjusting the recorded clock-out time.

Round Start Time Forward/Backward/Nearest/None: Rules for adjusting the start time of a shift.

Round With Truncation: Rounding times by cutting off minutes before the start time or beyond the end time of a shift.

Round Without Truncation: Rounding times without cutting off any minutes.

S

Schedule: Schedules categorize employees based on common work patterns and can be created based on physical location, department/section or common shifts worked.

Schedule By Hours: Planning employee schedules based on specific hours. This is a view of employee shifts which show the total shift hours scheduled by the week.

Schedule By Month: Planning employee schedules for an entire month. This is a monthly view of an employee's shift schedule.

Schedule By Pattern: Planning employee schedules based on predefined patterns.

Schedule Groups: Planning Groups of employees scheduled together. This is only used if employee's are being scheduled using Shift Patterns.

Schedule Individual Employee: Planning the schedule for a single employee. Schedule Selected Employees: Planning schedules for specific employees.

Second Shift: A work shift that typically follows the first shift, often in the late afternoon or evening.

Shift: A set period during which employees work.

Shift Allowance Rule: Parameters for additional pay based on rules linked to specific shifts.

Shift Payment Rule: Parameters for calculating regular/straight time overtime payments based on rules linked to specific shifts.

Shift Patterns: Regularly recurring work schedules for employees.

Shift Pattern Rotation: Changing the shift patterns for employees on a rotating basis.

Shift Rounding Rules: Guidelines and parameters for rounding the start and end times of shifts. Split/Second Shift: A work schedule divided into two or more shifts within one day.

Start Up Date: The date when the time and attendance system is initiated. This also deletes all punch records which may have been captured before this start up date.

T

T&A Workflow: The process flow for managing time and attendance records and timesheets through different approval levels.

Time Clock Device: A machine used to record employees' clock-in and clock-out times. Timekeeper: A person responsible for maintaining accurate time records.

Timesheet Conditions: Specific circumstances or deviations on a timesheet that necessitate further explanation or justification. These include late arrivals, early departures, missed punches, and overtime, ensuring accurate and compliant timekeeping.

Timesheet Reasons: These are linked to Timesheet Conditions and are explanations for any deviations or adjustments in timesheets.

Transfer Employee Shift and Schedule: The process of changing an employee's original shift and schedule to a different one, including moving their schedule from one time period to another.

U

Unapproved After Post: Timesheets that have not been approved after other approved timesheets have been posted to the payroll cycle changes.

Unprocessed Punches: Clock-in or clock-out times that have not yet been processed.