by Mark Nemtsas | Jan 26, 2014 | New Features, New Releases, News
After spending the last two months working hard I’m glad to say that today (26 January 2014) we’ve released Time Clock MTS Version 5. This new version includes more than 40 distinct changes in the release notes and takes the first steps toward making Time Clock MTS more “internet friendly”. It also marks the debut of the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions helper program.
For existing users of earlier versions of Time Clock MTS who are thinking about upgrading you should be aware that Version 5 makes changes to the time clock database that render it incompatible with earlier versions. So make sure you back up your data BEFORE upgrading. Read More Here.
No doubt I’ll be writing a series of entries about the release of Version 5 but I thought it well worth the effort of summarizing the major changes in this blog entry.
Key New Time Clock Features
- Email Alerts – email alerts can now be sent based on certain events occurring in Time Clock MTS. Right now alerts can be sent when a new Time Off Request is raised, when a Time Off Request is approved or denied, or when an employee punches in or out.
- Green / Red Punch Indication Lights – both the Employee List and Keypad interfaces of Time Clock MTS provide a visual indication of a successful or failed employee punch.
- Emails – there’s a new screen for managing email addresses. These are used for email alerts but will be used for direct emailing of reports in the future.
- Client Specific Translations – you’ve been able to adjust the time clock screen labels for a while but now the labels can be different for each client computer. Allowing (for example) a time clock terminal in Spanish and one in English.
- New Reports – we’ve added three new reports.
Key Time Clock Enhancements
- Keypad View Timecard – employees using the keypad interface can now view their own timecard.
- Add Multiple Times Enhancements – a lot of time was spent automating the add multiple time punches screen to make entering time punches more efficient.
- 12 Character Badge Numbers – due to a design decision made a long time ago the employee badge number was restricted to 9 characters. We’ve managed to extend this out to 12 characters.
- Other Report Periods Added – the report configuration screen has some more time period buttons added to speed things up for users with semi monthly payroll periods.
- Edit Times Enhancements – the Edit Times screen has been enhanced. More information is now displayed for each time punch and the screen can (finally) be resized.
by Mark Nemtsas | Jan 24, 2014 | New Releases, News
Starting with the release of Time Clock MTS version 5 we’re introducing a new feature set called “Time Clock MTS Web Extensions”. The Time Clock MTS Web Extensions are managed by a small helper program that needs to be downloaded and installed AFTER you’ve installed Time Clock MTS on a computer.
What are the Web Extensions Features?
Right now the Web Extensions features are limited to Time Clock MTS email alerts. However, as time passes we’ll be adding new features AND moving existing Time Clock MTS features (such as capturing images via web camera and internet time checking) to the Web Extensions.
Do I Need to Install the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions?
No. If you don’t want any of the features that Web Extensions offers then you won’t need to install or worry about it.
Who Can Use the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions
Anyone who is using Time Clock MTS in the 30 day trial period can use the Web Extensions. Anyone who is a registered user of Time Clock MTS can use the Web Extensions if they have a current support contract. Obviously you must also be using Time Clock MTS Version 5 or later to use Web Extensions. Users of the free version of Time Clock MTS cannot use the Web Extensions.
Are there Special System Requirements for the Web Extensions?
Yes. Any computer that needs to make use of the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions must have an internet connection, it must be using Windows XP Service Pack 3 or later, and if it’s got a firewall it must allow the Web Extensions helper program to access the Internet.
For the technically inclined the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions helper program requires the Windows .NET 4.0 framework (or later) so if your computer doesn’t support .NET 4.0 it won’t be able to run the Web Extensions program. Note that the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions Installer will check for the presence of the .NET 4.0 framework on your computer and download and install it if your computer doesn’t already have it.
How do I Install the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions?
The Web Extensions helper program can be installed from within Time Clock MTS via the Tools->Install Web Extensions menu. The install must be downloaded and run by your Time Clock MTS administrator.
The installer can also be downloaded directly from here: Time Clock MTS Web Extensions Installer
Before installing Web Extensions make sure Time Clock MTS IS NOT RUNNING on the computer.
How do I Run the Time Clock MTS Web Extensions Once it’s Installed?
You do not have to run the Time Clock MTS MTS helper program. Once you’ve installed it the Web Extensions helper program will start automatically when Time Clock MTS starts and will stop when Time Clock MTS stops. All without you having to do a thing.
This is All Very Confusing. I Have More Questions
Then please contact us and we’ll help you as best we can.
by Mark Nemtsas | Jan 21, 2014 | New Releases, News
If you’re an existing user of Time Clock MTS using a version prior to Version 5 and you’re thinking about upgrading to the latest version then there’s a warning that should be considered prior to the upgrade.
The first time you run Time Clock MTS after upgrading changes are made to YOUR time clock data. After the changes are made your time clock data cannot be used with earlier versions of the software except for the last release of Version 4 which can be downloaded from the Version 4 Downgrade page.
Precaution Prior to Upgrading
Backup YOUR time clock database BEFORE upgrading. You can do this via the Time Clock MTS Tools menu or by speaking to your time clock administrator.
At least then if you decide that the latest version of our timeclock system is not for you then you can just downgrade to the earlier version and restore your time clock data backup if needed.
After Installing the Time Clock MTS Version 5 Upgrade
After you’ve installed the Time Clock MTS Version 5 Upgrade you’ll get one more chance to back out. The first time you run the software after upgrading you’ll see this screen:
Time Clock MTS Version 5 Upgrade Warning
If you’re happy to continue with the upgrade click the Upgrade Now button. If it all sounds a bit scary then you can click the Do Not Upgrade Now button and then head over to the Version 4 Downgrade Installers page. You can download an installer to downgrade your software back to Time Clock MTS Version 4. If you downgrade your software with these downgrade installers you’ll still be able to use the same data you had while evaluating Time Clock MTS Version 5.
I’ve Upgraded and Used Version 5 But I Want to Go Back to an Older Version
If you’ve upgraded to Version 5, tried it for a while and decided it’s not for you then that’s fine. Install the downgrades we linked to above and you can keep using your data like nothing happened.
However, if you want to install an earlier version of Time Clock MTS without using these downgrade installers (perhaps you saved your original installation files) then you’re going to have to restore the data backup you made BEFORE upgrading to Time Clock MTS Version 5. You did make a backup didn’t you?
But any data you’ve recorded in Time Clock MTS Version 5 while evaluating it will be lost.
Remember that WE DO NOT KEEP A COPY OF YOUR TIME CLOCK DATA so if you fail to backup your data prior to upgrading then you’re not going to be able to roll back to an earlier version.
by Mark Nemtsas | Dec 9, 2013 | How To, Tips and Tricks
The Overtime Settings Screen
Above you can see the Overtime Settings screen. At the bottom of the screen are 7 checkboxes called the “Pay Day as Overtime” checkboxes. When one of these checkboxes is ticked ALL TIME PUNCHES on that day will be recorded as overtime (at overtime rate 1) for all employees who record times on that day. So, let’s say your local region has a requirement for ALL hours on Sundays to be paid as overtime then you’d want to check the box next to Sunday.
You do not need to check these boxes unless you want to pay all time punches on the given day as overtime.
by Mark Nemtsas | Dec 4, 2013 | Using the Software
From time to time I get a great email from someone and I like to publish the email (along with my response) on this blog. Here’s one I got today that is mainly related to shifts and overtime.
I’ve been using the trial and have a few questions mostly around shifts and overtime.
1) Can an employee be assigned more than one shift?
No, Time Clock MTS employees can only be assigned to one shift.
2) In the setup of different shifts, a restricted first clock-in can be set (but no logout?) When the end of the shift time is reached and the user did not clock out, what happens? Is the users automatically clocked out? Does this system keep track and count this as overtime? When does OT start? Can a user on a shift not start early and have it count towards overtime?
Time Clock MTS can only restrict clock in by shift. There is no restriction on when employees clock out. Furthermore, employees are not automatically clocked out. In fact, there is no automatic clocking in or out anywhere in Time Clock MTS.
All hours worked can be used to track overtime. OT starts as per what you’ve setup on the Overtime Settings screen. Time in excess of shift length cannot be used against the next shift to prevent overtime accruing.
3) When overtime is applied, (after 40 hours weekly), is this weekly OT rate equal to the rate of the daily OT Rate 1? If not what is it?
Yes. Weekly OT is always paid at OT Rate 1 The OT rates are set on each employee’s payroll information screen.
4) What happens if an employee, that’s not allowed overtime, clocks-out far past the end of their shift? Did their shift end automatically? If not, are they paid for those hours at the regular rate or not paid at all even though they clocked late?
Time Clock MTS will continue to accrue hours for an employee even if they clock out past the end of their shift. This is the case whether you have overtime enabled for that employee or not. The only way you can limit the number of hours used for wage calculations is to set that employee to be salaried (on the Payroll Information screen). That way the employee would get paid for the same number of hours regardless of how many hours they are actually clocked in.
5) What happens if an employee, that is allowed overtime, clocks out after his shift ended? Is he automatically clocked out or is he automatically on overtime? How would the system know to treat it as overtime?
The hours are recorded as normal against the weekly overtime limit. Obviously the hours will only go to overtime if the employee is already over the weekly overtime limit. Again, they will not be automatically clocked out because there’s no automatic punching in or out in Time Clock MTS.
6) Is there any way to restrict the clock out time of a shift end? Does it not matter because the employee is automatically clocked-out at shift end?
Right now there’s no way of restricting clock out time in Time Clock MTS.
7) How could we setup a situation where, for example, there’s one [alternately] employee that gets assigned a task to do during a different shifts (on the weekend)
Right now each employee can only be assigned to a single shift. We’re contemplating the idea of having a full schedule in Time Clock MTS at some time in the future but it’s not one of our immediate priorities.
Ultimately, the most desirable situation right now to know is, is there a way that we could configure the system to limit when the users clock-in in the morning and also when they clock-in after lunch? Even if it meant we would have to setup two shifts per user.
You can only restrict the time of the first clock in of the day.
