A blog for users of TimePilot time clock systems

News

6/13/24

How to explain your job—without being boring

"What do you do?" is a common conversation starter. This article gives tips on how to make your answer actually interesting. Hint: Being "crisp" is key.

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5/23/24

Saving seconds adds up to saving hours over a year

There are very few things that help you save hours at work, but if you can save seconds here and there, those saved seconds can add up. This article shows how you can save a few seconds on tasks you do every day.

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4/24/24

When should a startup hire technical talent?

If you're starting a business, you might be tempted to hire freelance coders and engineers to get right to work building the business. This article suggests that might not be the best approach, for a variety of reasons.

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4/18/24

6 great compliments for employees

One of the best ways to motivate employees is to compliment them when they're doing a good job. Here are six good compliments—but be sure to be honest when issuing them.

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4/9/24

4 smart ways to connect with people

Great ideas and vast expertise won't help if you can't connect with your audience. This article gives four ways to help your audience grasp your message. Item 3: Strike a balance between data and stories.

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3/8/24

Spring forward on Sunday!

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead by one hour on March 10 to mark the start of Daylight Saving Time. We’ll remain in Daylight Saving Time until Sunday, November 3.

2/22/24

Check out our newsletter—and get a discount on iButtons!

We just sent out our latest newsletter, with tips on how to use our smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile, as well as software questions and answers and a special sale just for our readers! There are a few other surprises, too. You can subcribe to receive future issues here.

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2/6/24

Dreaming of their own cubicles

Office cubicles went out of fashion in the 2000s. First, offices went to an open concept, without walls, then COVID hit and everyone worked remotely. Now, as workers return to the office (at least part-time), those workers are wishing for the privacy the cubicles offered. One researcher believes that cubicles strike a good balance between camaraderie and getting things done.

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1/23/24

Check out our flash sale—it ends Friday at midnight!

We're offering $50 off the cost of an Extreme Blue clock and 10 iButtons! Regular price: $538; sale price: $488. Sale ends Friday at midnight Central time. If you have a system that uses TimePilot Central software and any of TimePilot's time clocks, this bundle allows you to easily add a rugged, weatherproof clock.

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12/28/23

How to deal with bad bosses

If you've got a bad boss, they're probably one of these four types (or perhaps a combination!): micromanager, buddy, lone wolf or jerk. This article gives advice on how to handle each type.

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12/5/23

Report: Many small businesses are benefiting from AI tools

A small business group reports that almost 75 percent of its members have begun using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help their businesses. Among the benefits: 41% of members report they can redirect their own time and employee time to higher-value work; 39% use AI to come up with innovative solutions for customer engagement and retention; and 37% use AI to discover new equipment and technology. The most popular tools are those offered by Google, Microsoft, ChatGPT and Adobe.

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11/7/23

Why do veterans tend to be funneled into lower-paying jobs?

Researchers at Duke University have found that because veterans are viewed as heroes, civilians consider them a better fit for jobs and organizations that are selfless and pay lower salaries than other opportunities. It's an example of a positive stereotype resulting in a negative effect. "People tend to view veterans really favorably, they want to be friends with them, they're very excited to work with them, and yet they are ending up with worse outcomes," said one researcher.

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9/14/23

Tips to make you a better speaker

Mastering the art of spontaneous speaking is important for leaders. But how do you do that? This Stanford professor has some valuable suggestions. One tip: "Don’t feel you need to give a standout performance. Just as the best comedy comes from truth, the best communication comes from being real."

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8/17/23

In-store price promotions are becoming less effective

Supermarket coupons that offer a discount on products are being used less often by consumers, and researchers have several ideas why. One idea: Consumers are more loyal to "their" brands.

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7/26/23

Do celebrity endorsements really work?

Researchers found that the answer is yes, but they also found that customers pay more attention to the celebrity than to the product. In evolution and biology, people are more likely to follow the lead of high-status, high prestige individuals... like celebrities.

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6/8/23

Testing AI's writing skills

We've mentioned before that we aren't fans of biometric—fingerprint, facial scan, etc.—time clocks. As an experiment, we asked an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to write about the downside of biometric information collection in a particular author's style. The result was amazing, and it finished in less than 15 seconds.

To see its work, click here.

Best Practices

Cloud Edition feature: Text your employees right from the TimePilot software

If you're using TimePilot 5 Cloud Edition, you can now text your employees in the field—both individually and in groups—right from the TimePilot software. With a phone number provided by TimePilot, you can:

  • Text an individual employee to inform them about conditions before they get to work.
  • Text a group of employees to assign them to a particular jobsite.
  • Receive sick-day texts from employees.
  • View photos taken and texted by employees.
  • Keep your work-related texts backed up and off your personal phone.
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On-Premise Edition feature: Back up your data to the Cloud

TimePilot 5 On-Premise Edition customers now have a way to have their databases backed up and stored for safekeeping in the Cloud. If their hard drive crashes, they simply download the backed-up database and go on with their day.

The new backup feature costs On-Premise customers just $60 per year. You can set the feature to prompt you to back up each time you log out of the TimePilot software, or you can create a backup with a few clicks of your mouse. The five most recent backup copies are always available as long as you have an active subscription.

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Cloud-Based Edition users can add smartphone clock-in with geofencing!

One of the coolest features of TimePilot’s Cloud-Based Edition is TimePilot Mobile, our app that allows employees to clock in and out on their smartphones instead of at an actual time clock. Oh, and did we mention it’s free, and you can have as many employees using the app as you want?

That raises the question, “How do I know that Joe was where he should have been when he clocked in on his phone?” The answer: The instant Joe taps the “In” or the “Out” button on his phone’s screen, the phone sends his location along with Joe’s clock in or clock out time to the TimePilot database in the Cloud.

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For current customers, part 2: Switching to our Cloud-Based system is simple

Let’s say you’re already a TimePilot customer, own several of our time clocks and have your database on your server or PC. You’re interested in converting to our new Cloud-based system, so you can access your data from anywhere. Can you convert and still use your current clocks and iButtons?

Answer: Absolutely. And we’ll help you set things up. Here's how it will work:

  • You can be anywhere on earth (as long as you have an internet connection) and you’ll be able to use the TimePilot Central 5 management software to view your employees’ clock-ins and clock-outs and prepare the data for payroll.
  • The all-new TimePilot Central 5 software uses the same concepts as earlier software versions, but we’ve listened to our customers and integrated their suggestions into this version to add features and make it even easier to use.
  • If your employees use the free TimePilot Mobile App on their smartphones, you will be able to can see on a map where they were when they clocked in or out. That's called geofencing.
  • Your database resides on a server managed by Microsoft, which will protect your data and back it up regularly, so you don’t have to.
  • You will receive unlimited help from our Tech Support Specialists.

Of course, you can also have your employees install the free TimePilot Mobile App on their smartphones, and with that app they can clock in using their phones from anywhere in the world.

The benefits

Your employees can still use their iButtons to clock in and out just as they always have and have the added ability to clock in on their phones. But most of the benefits will be seen by supervisors.

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Disinfecting your TimePilot system

TimePilot clocks are definitely more sanitary than fingerprint time clocks—and keeping things sanitary is a good way to fight the COVID-19 virus. It's not difficult to keep your Vetro, Extreme Blue or Tap clocks germ-free. Here are some tips:

  • Make sure you’re wearing disposable gloves.
  • If the clock is dirty, use a household cleaner to remove the dirt.
  • To disinfect the unit:
    • Use an alcohol-based wipe on the entire unit, giving special attention to the areas that might be touched by your employees (for instance, the Vetro clock’s touch screen). Let it air-dry before using.
      Or
    • Spray a clean microfiber cloth with a solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol (also known as rubbing alcohol) and 30% water. Wipe the entire unit, giving special attention to the areas that might be touched by your employees (for instance, the Vetro clock’s touch screen). Let it air-dry before using.
  • Remember to dispose of the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly.

Please note: TimePilot cannot make a determination of the effectiveness of a given disinfectant product in fighting pathogens, such as COVID-19. Please refer to your local public health authority's guidance on how to stay safe from potential infection.

All about Login Accounts:
Limiting supervisors' access

There might be a time when you want to give supervisors partial access to the TimePilot database. For instance, you might give a maintenance supervisor access to the transactions created by maintenance department employees, but not to the transactions created by employees in other departments.

If you have TimePilot 5 (Cloud-Based Edition or On-Premise Edition) or TimePilot 4’s Enterprise Edition software, you can set up these permissions.

To see step-by-step instructions as well as several examples with screenshots, click the button below.

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TimePilot tips and tricks

A collection of ways to make your TimePilot system more productive.

  • Create printable timesheets for each employee with a signature line, so you have a record of the employee's approval of his or her work hours.
  • Quickly set the date and time on an Extreme Blue II (and an original Extreme Blue) time clock.
  • Some of your employees arrive before their shift starts, but you don't want a line at the clock at the top of the hour. The "Snap-To" feature lets them clock in at any time before their shift starts and go "on-the-clock" at the right time.
  • If you've got a network, there are a lot of advantages to connecting your Vetro clock to it. See a list of the advantages and learn how to set up the clock on a network.
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Using Buffer Zones in TimePilot Central

If you have shifts covering 24 hours a day and seven days a week, when do you start and end your Pay Periods? The choice is more difficult than it seems, because there’s never a time when all of your employees are “off the clock.” Let’s say your company has shifts running 24/7: The last shift in the Pay Period ends at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, and the first shift of the next Pay Period starts at midnight Saturday.

Here’s the problem: Some of the employees in the last shift of the Pay Period will clock out after midnight, putting their clock-outs into the next Pay Period. And some of the employees in the first shift of the Pay Period will clock in early, putting their clock-ins into the previous Pay Period. The result will be that when you extract the Pay Period, not all the transactions that should be in this Pay Period will get extracted. What should you do?

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Adding TimePilot Tap to (almost) any TimePilot system

If you've got a TimePilot timeclock system that's using TimePilot Central software—for instance, a Vetro, Extreme Blue Enhanced or Tap system—you can easily expand it simply by adding portable Tap clocks. Tap is our inexpensive, pocket-sized, battery-powered time clock for out in the field or on a desktop. It's a great little device that can be used in all kinds of ways, from tracking employee hours to keeping track of the number of hours a machine has been used.

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Click here for more articles that will help you use your TimePilot system

Q&A

TimePilot 5 Q&A

Q. We have an Extreme Blue clock and we're missing all the transactions from one day of the workweek. How do we get those missing transactions? The answer


Q. An Extreme Blue clock will hold up to 12,000 punches; what happens when we go over that limit? The answer


Q. Does your software calculate accrued time for PTO? The answer


Q. Can my employees clock in at one TimePilot clock and out at another? The answer


Q. Is there a way to have an employee not automatically receive holiday pay? The answer.


Q. I am a Vetro user and recently upgraded to TimePilot 5 Cloud-Based Edition, which means I can start using TimePilot Mobile. How do I get the data from the cell phone into my software? The answer.


Q. I’d like to add a Vetro clock to my TimePilot system and use the USB drive to collect the data. How do I do this? The answer.


Q. I have an employee who lost her iButton in the middle of a pay period. How do I get her a new iButton and transfer all her information to it? The answer.


Q. Our company uses Paychex to handle our payroll. Is there a way to prepare the data collected by TimePilot so we can send it to Paychex? The answer.


Q. We have the Cloud Edition and our employees clock in and out with the smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile. Can they can send a note with their clock-in or clock-out? The answer.


Q. Does the Tap clock have a low battery warning? The answer.


Q. Is your Cloud version web-based software? The answer.


Q. Can I use one Vetro time clock for more than one business? The answer.


Q. We have TimePilot Extreme Blue. Can we set the clock-in time at 6:45 a.m. no matter what time the employees clock in? Some employees clock in at 6:30 or even 6:20 but only start working at 6:45. The answer.


Q. How do I print a report listing the transactions of all employees? The answer.


Q. If we have multiple clocks across multiple sites with different managers at each site, do I need to purchase software and support for each? The answer.


Q. We just bought another Extreme Blue clock. Do I need to reprogram all our employees' iButtons on the new clock? The answer.


Q. I’m upgrading to Windows 10. What version of TimePilot Central can I run on Windows 10? Is there a cost for upgrading my local version? The answer.


Q. My remote workers don't have smartphones. How can they clock in? The answer.


Q. Does the smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile, track my employees at all times? We're concerned about privacy. The answer.


Q. We have an accomplished IT person and we're confident she can handle having the TimePilot database on our network server. Is there any other benefit to having our database on the Cloud? The answer.


Q. It would be helpful to see which of our employees are on the clock at any one time. Does TimePilot offer anything like this? The answer.