The system is setup to allow for easy tracking and submission of vouchers for part time workers. Workers can use any computer with a web browser and an Internet connection to clock in and out using their NetID. Administrators can see the IP addresses from which the students clock in and out as well as restrict which systems can be used for these purposes.
The system has several options that cannot be set using the administrative web interface; they are:
- networks – the machines or networks that workers are permitted to use to clock in and clock out
- earliest – the earliest that someone will be permitted to clock in each day (see block_off_hour_login)
- latest – the latest that they should be clocking out. Workers will be permitted to clock out after this tie but the time will be highlighted in the timesheet view so that the worker's supervisor is aware of it.
- block_off_hour_login – prevents users from clocking in before the time set in 'earliest'
- block_exceed_max_hours – there is a maximum hours setting for each user in the employee management screen. If this variable is enabled users will not be allowed to exceed the set number of hours.
- Showloggedintechs – displays the workers that are logged in on the login screen
- show_logged_in_techs_auth – displays the workers that are logged in but only when authenticated
- individual-notify – the system generally notifies managers whenever someone logs in or logs out. If you want additional notifications to be sent out that vary by user, this option can be turned on.
- allow_shift_comment – allows the worker to put in a comment that is included in the mail message that is sent when the clock in. Can be used to specify their location (say, for example, if they work in different buildings)
If you desire any of these options be set, you have to contact the system administrator so the changes can be made in the configuration file on the system.
Using the System
Adding Managers – One person for the area will be added as a manger. Fill in the boxes with the appropriate information. The drop down boxes perform as follows: Sysadmin – gives the user full control over the software, Approver – the user is allowed to approve vouchers, Notify – the user wants to be notified via e-mail when an employee clocks in or out. Please note that when you create a manager you must also add the manager as an employee.
Manage Employees – Again, fill in the information on this screen as appropriate. The pay rate and hours are currently not used but have been included for record keeping purposes. The ID is the SSN which, along with Type will be included on their voucher so it should be accurate. You can enter anything you want in these fields for managers (e.g. 000000000 for ssn). If the individual_notify option is set in the configuration file you will see a box for each user labeled Login In/Out Notify. You can place the netids of any person(s) that you want to be notified when that user logs in or out.
Modify Shifts – This allows you to modify or add shifts. This is most often used because employees forget to clock in or out. Times must be entered in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS and must be in military time. Also, you cannot create an incomplete record. If someone has clocked in and not clocked out you can change their clockin time, however, if they haven't clocked in at all, you can't add just their clockin time. You have to wait until they leave for the day so you can enter both a clock in and clock out time for that shift.
Approve/Print – This is how the vouchers are created. Once a shift has been vouchered, those shifts will be archived and will no longer be changeable or viewable in the system. You can only see them if you look at past vouchers. The start and End times will be filled in automatically but you can change them to adjust for payroll cycle changes. In general you should check both Part-Time and FWS (Federal Work Study) because the pay cycles are usually the same. In the event they differ, you have to run approve/print twice, selecting one each time. The voucher dates of prior voucher runs are included at the bottom of the screen for your convenience. After entering the dates you will be presented with a screen that shows each user's shifts along with weekly and bi-weekly totals. If you approve the hours that the person has clocked, check the Approved checkbox in their voucher. If you do not check the box, a voucher will not be generated for that user. You will have to generate it by running Approve/Print another time. Once you've approved the appropriate vouchers you can click on View/Print vouchers at the bottom of the screen. This will generate the vouchers in a PDF file and store them in the database. At this point you can print them or save and e-mail them.
View Vouchers – Allows you to view vouchers that were run in the past.
Other Notes
Signatures – A digital image of the logged in user's signature can be put onto the vouchers if you wish. You must scan your signature and send a copy to the system administrator and he will add it to the system.
Multiple Approvers – Right now you can setup as many mangers as you want an any one of them can approve vouchers., however, right now, one person should approve the vouchers at one time. For example, you shouldn't have one manager go in, approve five of 10 vouchers, then have another manager attempt to go in and approve the remaining five vouchers. The system doesn't handle this well right now. Changes are in the works to make this work properly but they are not yet complete.
Saving Passwords - The software is specifically designed to prevent users from saving their username and/or password in the browser. If your browser prompts you to save your password and you hit yes, it will appear to work but the next time you start the software, you'll see that the password has not been saved. This was done so that people who clock-in and out on the same computer do not accidentally clock in under someone else's user account.
