Q. We’re thinking about adding Extreme Blue clocks to our TimePilot system. I know we can collect the data from the clocks with our cell phone; how far away can I be from the clocks when I do so?

A. Exactly one arm’s length. The first step in downloading data from a clock is to tap the clock’s “Out” probe with the gray Management iButton. This is a security measure that tells the clock that you’re authorized to collect the data. From that point on, it’s an electronic “conversation” between your phone and the clock, and you can be as far as 20 feet away.

If you’re using Extreme Blue Enhanced, you can then send the data anywhere in the world, as long as you have a cell phone signal and the recipient has an internet connection.

Q. Is there a way to merge pay periods?

A. If you are looking to put two past pay periods together, you would first reverse extract those periods and then perform another extraction based on what you need. Our Support Center has an article with everything you need to know about reverse extraction. Click here to read it.

Q. We currently have a Vetro installed at one of our shops and we recently ordered another one for our other shop. How do we add the new Vetro to our system?

A. The process varies slightly, depending upon which version of the TimePilot Central you use. Either way, you’ll add your new clock just as you did your first one. If you use Vetro Data Manager to manage your clocks, start Data Manager, then click Tools > Add New Vetro and follow the instructions that appear. If you use Clock Manager, start Clock Manager, then click Setup > New Clock Wizard and follow the instructions that appear. When you’re done, your Data Manager or Clock Manager will show two clocks ready for use and employees can clock in and out at either one.

Q. How do I get my employees’ time to report to the exact minute? If someone clocks out currently at 1:08 my system gives them credit for 1:15; an extra 7 minutes.

A. That’s called Rounding, and to get exact time, you’ll have to turn off Rounding in the TimePilot software or the TimePilot App.

In TimePilot Central, go to Setup > Company Setup > Select your company > Edit Company. In the box that appears, click the second tab (“Rounding”) and click the button next to “No Rounding.” Save and close the box. The software will convert all employee times in Current Transactions from rounded time to their exact time, and then re-calculate their work hours.

In the iPhone App, tap “Settings,” then “Time Format.” In the Android App, tap “Settings,” then “Rounding.” On the screen that appears you can turn off Rounding.

For more on rounding, please see this article from the TimePilot Central Help files.

Q. We have Snap-To set up for our departments to snap to start times. At the end of the day or during the day we don’t use the Snap-To function; instead, we round those times to the nearest 15 minutes. Will Snap-To override rounding in the morning?

A. Yes, Snap-To will override your rounding setting where it is being applied. When setting up the Snap-To function, you have the option for snapping both your “In” and “Out” transactions. If you only have it set up to snap your “In” transactions, Rounding will take over for your “Out” transactions.

For more on Snap-To, see this article from the TimePilot Central Help files. For more on Rounding, see the link in the previous question.

 

Google has a chief economist? Google’s chief economist has calculated that on average, every time you use Google to find the answer to a typical question, you get your answer 15 minutes faster than using offline sources like books.

Source

No talking! More than 60% of the average time spent on Apple and Android smartphones is used for gaming, Facebook and social messaging.

Source

When is a clock not a clock? When it’s a timepiece. The word “clock” was derived from the Dutch word “glock” which means "bell." The term clock was then applied to those timepieces that “struck a bell.” Therefore, “clocks” that do not strike or chime are technically called timepieces.

Source

Welcome!
TimePilot newsletter No. 40

Whether you're a current or future TimePilot customer, we're glad to see you.

Every month we'll offer news about TimePilot products, tips on how to use them more efficiently, some of the "cool stuff" our employees have come across and a special deal available only to those who receive this newsletter!

In this issue:

  • TimePilot Q&A: Distancing yourself from Extreme Blue; merging pay periods.
  • TimePilot Lead Story: Guide to Column Headers in TimePilot Central.
  • Cool Stuff: Supernight LED strip.
  • The Deal: $50 off extra Extreme Blue clocks.

TimePilot Central
Tips and Tricks

Guide to Column Headers

In our last issue, we listed all the icons that can appear in the first or second column of TimePilot Central’s Transaction Manager and explained what they mean. If you missed that issue, it’s here.

This time we’ll run down the column headers that can appear in Transaction Manager. You probably won’t see all of them when you start the software, but you can add and subtract them to see exactly the data you want to see. There are two sets of headers; one set accompanies transactions; the other accompanies your employees’ profiles.

In this article, we’ll concentrate on the set of headers that accompanies transactions. First, a few facts:

  • The headers appear in the green or yellow bar at the top of the list of transactions. If the bar is green, that’s an indication that you’re looking at Current Transactions. If it’s yellow, you’re looking at the transactions in an Extracted Pay Period. (What’s an Extracted Pay Period? Click here to find out.)
  • You can add and subtract headers by clicking on the “View” menu in the menu bar and then clicking “View/Hide Columns – All… .” Another way to see the list of headers is to right-click the green or yellow bar.
  • You can sort your data by clicking some of the headers. The “Date” column lists the transactions in chronological order. If you click the Date header, the transactions will sort oldest to newest; click it again, and it will re-sort, newest to oldest. Other headers that will sort are “Reg. T” (Regular time), “Reg. Ttl” (Regular Total), all the OT (Overtime) totals, all the PR totals (Pay Rate). If you want to sort other columns, you can export your transactions to a spreadsheet and sort all you want. (https://timepilot.com/links.htm#Microsoft_Excel)
  • You can add and subtract columns as much as you want. You won’t delete or alter any data by doing so.

Now let’s take a look at the possibilities. You can get a short description of each header by placing your cursor on the header. A tooltip will appear with an explanation. Here’s the rundown, from left to right:

Heading Meaning
OK Transactions approved by supervisor
Blank In/Out Status
Date Date of Transaction
Date w/R Date with Rules Applied
Day Day of the Week with Rules applied
Time w/R Time with Rules applied
+Time Amount of time inserted
Lunch Time subtracted for lunch
TransType Type of Transaction
Trans Total time between in and out transactions
Daily Total time for the day
Weekly Total time for the week
Running Running total of time since the first transaction
Reg. T Regular Time amount
OT1, OT2, OT3 First tier, second tier and third tier of overtime hours
PR4, PR5, PR6 Pay Rates 4, 5 and 6
Reg. Ttl Regular time total
OT1Ttl, OT2Ttl, OT3Ttl Total of overtime hours in first, second and third tiers
PR4 Ttl, PR5 Ttl, PR6 Ttl Total of pay rates 4, 5 and 6
Ignore If box is checked, transaction is ignored when calculating hours
Inserted If box is checked, transaction has been inserted by a supervisor
Snap If box is checked, this transaction has been snapped as specified in the Snap-To setup
On-Time Gives late/early status
Note If a note icon appears, there’s a note accompanying this transaction. Double-click the icon to read it.
+Pay Bonus pay
Clock Name Name of clock where transaction took place
Name of Employee Name of employee
Location Location of employee, as specified in his/her profile
Department Employee’s department, as specified in his/her profile
Company Employee’s company, as specified in his/her profile
Shift Employee’s shift, as specified in his/her profile
SnapToEnable Snap-To is turned on for this employee in his/her profile
 
 

This month’s special offer
to TimePilot newsletter readers:

$50 off Extreme Blue Clocks!

 

These clocks can be added to an existing Extreme Blue system, Extreme Blue Enhanced system or the older Extreme systems. Or, if you're using the Enterprise version of the TimePilot software, you can (with the TimePilot app on your smartphone) do everything an Extreme Blue Enhanced system can do.    

Special price for newsletter readers:

Just $399!

(save $50 over list price)

To learn more about the deal, click here, visit www.TimePilot.com/newsletter/newsletter4.htm or call us at 1-630-879-6400.

Every once in a while, our employees come across “cool stuff.”
This is where they share their finds.

Supernight LED Strip

Do you have a place that needs a little more light? Or maybe a great Christmas decoration? The Supernight LED strip might be the answer. It’s a 16-foot roll of lights that can be mounted anywhere. You just unroll the strip, cut it to size, and mount it with the adhesive strip on the back.

The waterproof LEDs have a lifespan of more than 50,000 hours, low power consumption and little heat generation. With the included wireless remote control, you can have the lights display 16 colors, dim, flash or fade. You can also connect up to 3 16-foot rolls together.

The kit includes a 16.4-foot strip holding 300 LEDs, remote control, power supply, and infrared control box.

$22.78 at Amazon.com.