How Do You Punch In? 105
grantedparole asks: "My company is planning to switch from an antiquated punch card time clock to a software based time clock, and a recent search on Google yielded many results. Searching on Freshmeat for 'timeclock' yielded two results, both of which do not appear to have any recent updates. Searching for 'time clock' returned more results, but all of those seem geared towards project management, rather than real world time keeping for many employees who don't work on projects (ie: sales people). What are the people on Slashdot using and is it running on *nix?"
Use (Score:5, Funny)
Oh, and give them root access too.
Re:Use (Score:2, Informative)
And for some reason I never got them working properly (it was my job to), maybe something to do with popularity among my coworkers.
At present we use timesheets, and that's why staff are reluctant to use a computerised system, because for so long they've been getting away with leaving an hour early at night, without it being any detriment to the work! Bu
"Web Time" (Score:4, Informative)
Dave
Re:"Web Time" (Score:1)
Anyway, the system I'm refering to is a home-grown ASP/SQL server solution. It's big, but nothing terribly complicated about it. The business units love it because we can add time codes (like 'Site closed-Hurricane') on short notice and make other adjustments when necessary. It doesn't have a 'clock-in/out' feature. It's up to the managers to make sure time sheets aren't fa
Solution (Score:2, Funny)
That way you know where they are at all times.
It's also easier to get them to work overtime with no notice.
Time keeping (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Time keeping (Score:1)
Re:Time keeping (Score:2)
Used to do that for a living (Score:5, Informative)
The clocks are literally quite dumb. They just log everything and upload to a software package which was DOS based when I was installing them.
The DOS application allowed an HR person to edit and upload the data to a company like ADP (automated payroll) to cut the checks.
The software allowed for easy editing and various rounding rules (usually 7min before and after).
I am now required to fill out timesheets on a web based system managed by eLabor which is part of ADP (ironically)... It's used for project tracking mostly (I'm salary not hourly).
Far as I can tell, no one really uses these numbers they just require everyone to fill out their timesheets. It's stupid really... It's not used for payroll. I figure only 5% of the IT workforce actually logs useful data, the rest is worthless. For example, I've logged 40 hours a week for months for nothing special.
I suppose one could get the data file spec and protocol for just about any time clock and write a web based tool or Linux native application with a little bit of effort.
The market for these devices is still out there but many of the small customers are going with those timeclocks listed in the bag of computer magazines, etc. Same with bar-code readers. There are a ton of companies selling the stuff dirt cheap.
The software is where it's at. It's not that complicated either.
Alternative (Score:2)
Re:Used to do that for a living (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm an engineer, and have worked in two shops which used time sheets for project tracking. The first one (a little place where the Dilbert factory approached unity [motorola.com]) had about a gazillion cat
Re:Used to do that for a living (Score:1)
For the most part, IE/acrobat is the only program that might be used for both and would need to be checked manually. Occasionally Word is used for non-work, or IM is used for work, but probably both are negligable and could be filed automatically into their respective categories.
dumb question.... (Score:5, Interesting)
I can understand having a clock in some environments, but I dont see the need for a clock in the typical Office Space style workplaces. My own timesheet doesn't even ask for times, just the total hours worked for each day and for what contract. My supervisor signs the sheet at the end of the week, and I feel it's more than sufficient. If someone feels that there's some tampering or other shenanigans going on, there are ways to figure that out. Like when they're work doesn't get done, or keeping tabs on when they actually show up and leave the office.
Re:dumb question.... (Score:1)
Re:dumb question.... (Score:3, Funny)
You made an error. Your last sentence should have been, " As when their work doesn't get done."
Please report for flogging immediately.
Re:dumb question.... (Score:2)
No it should not, because that is not a sentence.
Please join the queue behind him.
Time clocks have been around a long time (Score:2)
Re:dumb question.... (Score:1)
They don't, when they know they aren't providing meaningful and interesting work for their employees.
I'm unemployed (Score:1)
It's simple, really... (Score:4, Funny)
Kronos? (Score:5, Insightful)
Jason
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
Re:Kronos? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
Jason
Re:Kronos? (Score:1)
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
I've seen some of the supervisors at school accessing their supervisor stuff on Kronos via some sort of web interface that uses Java (one guy had some spyware that was screwing with Java). They used to have to use some DOS-type interface via a Novell drive, guess a new version of the software came along.
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
Re:Kronos? (Score:4, Interesting)
Every time you want to login or log out, gotta wait for the java plugin to load, also it has problems refreshing the timecard after you JUST PUNCHED causing many employees to punch duplicates because it shows they didn't. The interface is bad on so many levels. God, I hate it.
Re:Kronos? (Score:1)
But that's just where I work.
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
There's your problem. You still have the java applet. Call them up and tell them you want the HTML version. We have both installed. I approve my timecard perfectly fine from Galeon, none of that fussy Java stuff. I've even tested the HTML version from linx, it works, but it's a little odd to read.
Re:Kronos? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Kronos? (Score:1)
The install of Kronos we had at my previous job was a royal piece of shit. But I also did not let them use serial connections or modems to connect to the time clocks, we purchaced the network card for the clock so we could move them anywhere we wanted to as long as we put a network drop to it. That was about the only redeaming feature that was had. The payroll person hated it, the managers hated it, the employees hated it.
At my current job, we have ADP's payroll solution, which is just rebra
Re:Kronos? (Score:1)
I suppose it all depends on the implementation...
Re:Kronos? (Score:2)
Jason
'last' (Score:2)
force logouts at midnight, tell everyone to open a SSH session to some server when they come in
Re:'last' (Score:1)
if i'm in the office, i'm logged in _somewhere_, and wheni go home i log out. work on something from home, you guessed it, have to login somewhere.
Re:'last' (Score:1)
plus, the above implies everyone went home at midnight.
We use a multi-platform, multi-client solution... (Score:2)
channel, their signs of presence get logged with a timestamp... everyone knows where everyone else
is... Works great, unless your server is lagged to Jupiter and back.
Less useful than a room full of mimes. (Score:3, Funny)
Really, it doesn't matter. The only use I see is if you're using it to find out which of your employees aren't smart enough to figure out how to forge, fake, and abuse the system.
Re: (Score:1)
No punchcards here... (Score:1)
How do I punch in?!? (Score:1)
Re:How do I punch in?!? (Score:2)
For you, we recommend punching with the index and middle finger knuckles, with a straight wrist and good hip action. It's much more therapeutic anyhow.
You could write your own... (Score:2)
It could also be used to monitor who is at lunch, or in a meeting, or out of the office, etc. This would be handy for the receptionist(s) taking phone calls - they would know where you are without calling your desk phone, then paging you over the whole phone/PA system (keeping the client on-hold
Re:You could write your own... (Score:2, Informative)
If you did it in as week then you'd still find bugs for some time, plus you've just wasted 3k or so of developer time in order to get this amateurish, buggy system.
Re:You could write your own... (Score:2)
Oh sure, in half a day you could create some web page that has two text boxes f
I'm salaried... (Score:4, Insightful)
Those of our employees that do, however, use a mechanical punch clock with time cards. There's a lot to be said for an incorruptable paper trail when it comes to money owed.
Re:I'm salaried... (Score:2)
Re:I'm salaried... (Score:1)
In my perception, this adds to my convenience, as I can work different times every day, and adjust the time I stay to both my own activities and the workload (provided it evens out to 7:36 per day over time, including whole days off in exchange for accumulated time, which can be used like ordinary days off).
The system also gives an incentive to adhere to legal or contract
The honor system! (Score:1)
Shameless Plug (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Shameless Plug (Score:2)
IBM iSeries (Score:1)
No. (Score:2, Informative)
The solution to every problem is not a whiz-bang gadget.
Re:No. (Score:2)
I've never used a mechanical clock personally, but others have told lots of stories of people "punching in" for co-workers who are running late - or sometimes not planning on coming in at all!
No, I don't know the particular laws involved, but I see no reason why an old mechanical system would be inherently more tamper-resistant than a "whiz-bang gadget".
parking lot camera (Score:2, Insightful)
You could automate the whole process of time clocks for the whole building and even have those too long lunches noted. It's so brillant it's evil. OR the barcode on cars for the whole gate thing, just need to also include it on the exits.
Caveats: car pooling.. (F U environment) and motorcycles (F U rebels.. oh wait)
Re:parking lot camera (Score:1)
1-) Hire a driver to take my car to work and back.
2-) ?
3-) Profit!
Re:parking lot camera (Score:2)
Cool idea. I eat lunch at my desk often, so I'd get paid lunch, as would everyone who eats in the caffiteria. Not to mention the time spent in the exercise room.
PC Time Clock (Score:2)
Just did this (Score:2)
Our company has roughly 400 employees. We have 2 programmers. Me and another guy. While he took care of normal stuff I designed and coded the new system to replace the punch clocks. The whole thing took me about 6 months.
A good portion of that time involved learning. Prior to that job I had never used Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL or Apache. But we bought a Dell Pow
Re:Just did this (Score:2)
Remember to discuss maintenance costs in your answer.
Re:Just did this (Score:2)
They also get complete control. The problem with a lot of the software they could afford was that it just wasn't that flexible.
My initial reaction to the project was pretty negative. I asked, "What are you going to do next, ask me to create a word processor so we don't have to pay for office?" But to be honest, looking back, it really wasn't to
Re:Just did this (Score:2)
But had you used Apache?
Pizza and Beer (Score:2)
Now I'm gonna drink a beer.
Oracle Time. (Score:2)
Although I'm going to get flamed for this, Microsoft Project Central is an absolute godsend - easy to input time from, and you can collect the stats from team members to go into your Project plans easily and efficiently.
I have ARRIVED!!! (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:I have ARRIVED!!! (Score:1)
Re:I have ARRIVED!!! (Score:2)
Software systems can be unpopular (Score:3, Interesting)
The management toyed with going for a software-based system, but this was unpopular with the staff as it was felt that the time it would take to boot up one's PC in the morning, logon to the mainframe (this was a while back!) and navigate to the timesheets system would cause, cumulatively, a lot of time to be lost to the staff's flexi-time accounts. There was also the issue of the system forwarding late clock-ons to Personnel (what we used to call HR back in the day), which again could have been unfair as you could have arrived on the premises on time, but might not be able to "clock on" for another five minutes before the hardware and software let you.
In the end, we just went to a paper-based system which worked fine.
I show up (Score:2)
Good commercial product (Score:3, Informative)
UCOT and NIIA (Score:1)
Beware the "web-based" buzz (Score:2)
I know of a very large contractor that threw away a slick as spit single-page web form for time reporting in favor of a behemoth three-tier "web application" that did everything from time reporting to expense reporting to management
Re:Beware the "web-based" buzz (Score:1)
Sorry, guess again
Re:Beware the "web-based" buzz (Score:2)
Mainly, I was just trying to increase awareness that "web based" isn't a panacea, when there is often incompetent management who doesn't listen to the technical arguments and who chooses a system based on saving face and/or reprehensible laziness.
Well, how about a hint: the system's user login ID is a 13-digit integer. The d
Excel (Score:1)
Every now and again the bean-counters come up out of their holes and ask what the time is being spent on, so the managers send around another spreadsheet where we plug in the percentage of our time spent on various things. It's OK for that to be a back-of-the-envelope guesstimate.
I
In some ways, I support time clocks... (Score:1)
Re:In some ways, I support time clocks... (Score:1)
My Clock In (Score:2, Funny)
Q: Space out?
A: Yeah, I just kinda stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working... I'd say in a given week I do about, oh, 15 minutes of real, actual work.
Clocking In (Score:1)
Hypercard running on a Mac Plus (Score:2)
Get an old 8MHz Mac Plus with 20MB hard drive, put HyperCard and a simple stack to handle the timesheet on it. It'll never die, it won't give you any shit, and it's damn cute sitting there useful after almost 20 years of service.
Have HyperCard dump activity to a textfile on a floppy every 15 minutes. The obscurity of the system (and the lack of eject button on the floppy) means you can have a somewhat secure setup.
If you change the name of HyperCard to 'Finder' and put it into the system 6 syst
PeopleSoft is the atrocious (Score:2)
Paper and pencil (Score:2)
I hate it.
Walmart uses, (Score:1)
The associates usually have a unique barcode for themselves on a sticky label on the back of their badge. Some of the more rough and tumble people that tend to drop, mutilate, lose their lame badges keep their barcode on their discount card or a shopping card in their wallet. After losing my badge about five times and noticing one of my older ba