Edit
Time Clock Entries
This button takes you to the Time Clock Entries screen where payroll administration can add and/or edit the actual time clock data of every time clock record in TimeClock Pearl. Since the Time Clock Entries screen is one of the main screens, there is an entire section devoted to it later in this User's Guide.
Employees
Click this button to navigate to the Employee screen where employees are added and/or edited in your TimeClock Pearl system. Since the Employee screen is also one of the main screens, there is an entire section devoted to it later in this User's Guide.
Adjustments
Add Holiday to Timecards
Holiday time can be added to all employee timecards with just a few clicks. Eligibility for holiday pay, as well as the number of hours each employee is to receive for holiday pay, is set for each employee on their employee record on the Employee screen. However, when this button is clicked, all employees will be displayed and you are given the opportunity to review and edit who and how many hours will be added to each timecard. After reviewing and making any necessary changes, click the “Continue” button. Next, you’ll enter the name of the holiday and the date of the holiday. When you click the “Submit” button, the holiday time will be added to each eligible employee’s timecard.
Review Vacation & Sick Leave Requests
When the “Review Vac. & Sick Leave Req.” button is clicked, all vacation and sick leave requests submitted by employees, but not yet approved or denied, will be displayed. Each request should then be reviewed and approved or denied before clicking the “Okay” button. Note: If the system-wide preference for "Automatic Vacation and Sick Leave Approval" on the Set Up Preference screen is set to “On,” all vacation and sick leave requests submitted by employees are automatically approved. Submitted Vacation and Sick Leave request hours are not added to an employee’s timecard until they have been approved. Additional Note: Timekeepers are also authorized to review and approve vacation and sick leave requests of the employees for whom they are the authorized Timekeeper by using the Timekeeper button on the Time Clock (Home) screen.
Reports and Timecards
Do Current Payroll
When a payroll period has ended, use this button to print timecards and any desired accompanying payroll reports. Clicking the “Do Current Payroll” button takes you to a screen where you choose the items (timecards, exports and reports) you want.
Timecards for Employees
If you want to print a copy of timecards for your employees, select Timecards for Employees.
Timecards for Employer
Timecards for the Employer are nearly identical to the Timecard for Employees, but add the employee payroll number, supervisor review stamps and a signature line for supervisors to sign their approval.
REPORTS – Summary and Detail
Summary reports display and print summarized totals, but not every time clock entry. Detail reports display and print each time clock entry along with totals.
Create Export File
This selection will create an export file in a variety of formats, including Tab-Separated Text, Comma-Separated Values, Merge, HMTL Table, XML, Excel Workbook and FileMaker Pro, which you can open in other applications, such as, Excel, for further analysis or for possibly importing into your accounting payroll system.
The Create Export File Summary selection exports summarized totals for the following fields of the selected date range in this order:
1) Employee Payroll Number
2) Employee Last Name
3) Employee First Name
4) Department
5) Regular Work Hours
6) Vacation Hours
7) Sick Leave Hours
8) Holiday Hours
9) Hours at Regular Rate (total of 5, 6, 7 & 8 above)
10) Overtime Hours
11) Total Hours (total of all hours)
The Create Export File Detail selection exports all individual time clock entries of the selected date range for the following fields in this order:
1) Employee Payroll Number
2) Employee Last Name
3) Employee First Name
4) Department
5) Date
6) Clock In (time of regular time clock entries; blank for vacation, sick leave or holidays)
7) Clock Out (time of regular time clock entries; blank for vacation, sick leave or holidays)
8) Hours
9) Blank for a regular time clock entry; Vacation, Sick Leave, Holiday
10) Blank for a regular time clock entry; Submitted, Approved or Denied for Vacation or Sick Leave
11) Memo
Payroll Reports
The Payroll Summary Report displays all employees and their total summarized hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) worked during the payroll period.
The Payroll Detail Report displays every time clock entry for every employee, as well as each of their summarized hours for each week (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) worked during the payroll period and total hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) for multiple week payroll periods.
Departmental Reports
The Departmental Summary Report displays the total summarized hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) for each Department and by each employee in that Department during the payroll period. Note: Businesses with multiple locations could use the Department to segment payroll by location.
The Departmental Detail Report displays not only the total summarized hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) for each Department, by each employee in that Department during the payroll period, but includes every time clock entry for every employee.
Supervisor Reports
The Supervisor Summary Report displays the total summarized hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) by employees for each Supervisor during the payroll period.
The Supervisor Detail Report displays not only the total summarized hours (Regular, Vacation, Sick, Holiday and Overtime) by employees of each Supervisor during the payroll period, but includes every time clock entry for every employee.
Vacation, Sick Leave, Holidays (Combined) Reports
The Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays (Combined) Summary Report displays the total hours of Vacation, Sick Leave requests submitted and approved and Holiday pay on one report.
The Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays (Combined) Detail Report displays each individual Vacation and Sick Leave request submitted and approved plus holiday hours and the total summarized hours all in one report.
Vacation, Sick Leave, Holidays (Separate) Reports
These reports are the same as above, but separates the Vacation, Sick Leave and Holiday reports.
Continue
Select the reports you want, then click “Continue” or click “Cancel”. (Clicking “Cancel” will return you to the Admin Menu screen.)
When you click “Continue,” you’ll be taken to the “Current Payroll Period” screen where you enter the first and last day of the payroll period for which you want to print timecards and payroll reports.
After entering the payroll dates, click “Continue” or “Cancel”. (Clicking “Cancel” will return you to the Admin Menu screen.)
When you click “Continue,” a screen preview of your first selection will display. Preview the screen, then click “Continue,” or hit the return key. Your computer operating system’s Print Screen will appear giving you the option of printing or cancel printing. After each selection is completed, you’ll receive a message below giving you the option to continue to your next selection or discontinue to return to the Admin Menu screen.
This process of screen preview and print option will continue for each of the selections you made on the Current Payroll Print Options screen at the beginning of the “Do Current Payroll” process. After timecards and all the reports you’ve selected have been run, the following message will appear:
When you click “Yes,” the last day of the payroll period is automatically entered in the “Paid Date” field of each time clock entry, which keeps them from being displayed when the employee clocks in and ensuring those time clock records can no longer be modified by Timekeepers.
Note: Prior to printing timecards, it is advisable that time clock entries be reviewed for errors, memos from employees, and vacation and sick leave requests. Payroll Administration can do this on the Time Clock Entries screen by using the “Find Current Errors” button and the “Find Timecard Memos.” If any holidays have occurred during the current payroll period, Holiday Pay should also be added prior to printing timecards by using the “Add Holiday to Timecards” button on the Admin Menu screen. Timekeepers can also correct errors and approve vacation and sick leave requests using the Timekeeper button on the Time Clock (Home) screen. Holiday Pay can only be added by Payroll Administration.
Additional Note: When the preview of timecard(s) appears on the screen, if only one time clock entry appears (instead of an entire timecard of several time clock entries), someone has inadvertently selected “Current Record” instead of the default, “Records Being Browsed,” on your computer operating system’s Print Dialogue Screen. To correct this, hit “Continue” and when you come to the Print Screen, look for “Current Record,” click on it, drop down and select “Records Being Browsed.”
Previous Payroll
The Previous Payroll button on the Admin Menu screen gives you all the same timecard and report options as the “Do Current Payroll” and adds the option of running a timecard for an individual employee, all of a Supervisor’s employees, or all the employees of one Department. The Previous Payroll button can be used to print timecards and reports from the current payroll period because it doesn’t differentiate between paid and unpaid time clock entries. Because the Previous Payroll button doesn’t provide the option to mark the time clock entries as paid, it shouldn’t be used to do the current payroll period. You could, however, use it to print the timecard for an individual employee, reprint timecards for the current payroll period, or reports for a Supervisor or for a Department. The Previous Payroll button can also be used to run reports over multiple payroll periods to get totals over longer periods of time.
Set Up
System Preferences
Clicking the System Preference button takes you to two screens that allow you to set the system-wide preferences for TimeClock Pearl.
First Day of Any Payroll Period
Enter the first day of any payroll period in this field. TimeClock Pearl determines what day of the week that date is, and then uses it to calculate the hours (Regular Hours, Overtime Hours, Vacation Hours, Sick Leave Hours and Holiday Hours) for each employee for a 7-day period of your payroll periods beginning with that day of the week. If your payroll periods cover multiple weeks, the hours will be broken down by the week as well as a grand total. If your payroll periods run from Sunday through Saturday, enter any date that’s a Sunday. If your payroll periods run from Wednesday through Tuesday, enter any date that’s a Wednesday. Note: You only have to enter this date one time. It doesn’t need to be changed every time you run timecards. You’d only enter a different date if you change payroll periods, say from Monday through Sunday to Wednesday through Tuesday.
Insert Your Logo Here
Click the link, navigate through the folders on your computer to locate a graphic of your business logo and select it. TimeClock Pearl will insert and instantly display it, instead of the Affinity Software logo on TimeClock Pearl screens, helping promote your business brand identity among your employees.
Click the color theme you’d like for your TimeClock Pearl screens.
You can select from 39 different color themes to customize your TimeClock Pearl screens with your color preference or the one that fits your business brand. Your selection will be instantly applied system-wide.
Click “Next>>” to go to the following screen
Note: Hovering the cursor over each preference label displays expanded description of that preference.
Automatically Deduct Time for Lunch
If your business allows employees 30 or 60 minutes for lunch and you prefer they not have to clock out for lunch and clock back in after lunch, you can select 30- or 60-minute auto lunch deduct. When 30 or 60 minutes is selected, TimeClock Pearl will automatically deduct the selected amount of time from that time clock entry. The deduction will only apply when the employee has worked at least five hours. If this feature is set to “On” and an employee works through the lunch hour, they may take a “No Lunch” for that day by going to their timecard and clicking on the “NL” box of that day’s time clock entry, in which case TimeClock Pearl will not deduct the time for lunch. They can only do so on the same day as the No Lunch is taken and are not allowed to enter a “No Lunch” for a previous day. Payroll Administration and Timekeepers are authorized to enter “No Lunches” on all time clock entries of the current payroll period on the respective screens to which they have access.
Round Clock-Ins and Clock-Outs to Nearest 15 Minutes
You can have TimeClock Pearl round each clock-in and clock-out to the nearest 15 minutes. Both clock in AND clock out times are rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. The actual clock in and clock out times are recorded and displayed on timecards, but the hours worked is rounded. Note: This feature can be used to assist employees to more precisely work the exact number of hours for which they’ve been scheduled and authorized, but it has the potential for abuse by employees who would choose to regularly clock in up to seven minutes late and/or clock out seven minutes early. Any potential abuse can be monitored since the actual clock-in and clock-out times are recorded and displayed on the employee’s timecard.
Automatic Approval of Vacation and Sick Leave Requests
If you set this preference to “On,” TimeClock Pearl will automatically approve all vacation and sick leave requests. If the preference is set to “Off,” all vacation and sick leave requests submitted by employees must be approved before those hours are added to the employee’s timecard. All leave requests can be reviewed, approved or denied by Payroll Administration prior to printing timecards using the “Review Vac. & Sick Leave Req.” button under Adjustments on the Admin Menu screen. Timekeepers can also review and approve or deny leave requests using the Timekeeper button on the Time Clock (Home) screen.
Auto Exit TimeClock Pearl After Clock In and Clock Out
This preference is provided to allow more efficient use of your business computer resources and the TimeClock Pearl deployment option you’ve chosen. For more detail see the TimeClock Pearl Deployment Options section of this User’s Guide. When “Auto Exit” is set to “On,” the TimeClock Pearl application will be exited or the TimeClock Pearl web session on the employee’s workstation will be ended immediately after an employee clocks in or out.
Track Employees’ Clock-Out Status
If this option is set to “On” employees, when clocking out, are asked to indicate their “Clock-Out Status.” The default clock-out status is “End of Shift,” but they can select “Out to Lunch, On Vacation, etc.” and leave a note to assist fellow employees about when they could be expected back. When this option is set to “On,” and the Who’s In button is clicked, the “Clock-Out” status of employees is displayed as well as “Who’s In.”
Track IP Address of Clock-In and Clock-Out Location
When this option is set to “On” and an employee is accessing TimeClock Pearl using FileMaker Pro (not via web browser), a list of the IP addresses of all active NIC (Network Interface Controller) cards connected to TimeClock Pearl (separated by carriage returns), including the IP address of the workstation used by the employee, will be recorded when employees clock in and out. This feature does not track the IP addresses when employees use a web browser to access TimeClock Pearl. You can use this to monitor what workstation(s) employees use to clock in and out. Note 1: Because TimeClock Pearl has to wait for the response of all the NIC cards, this may affect performance. If there is an unacceptable delay on clock in and out, you may want to test performance with this setting to both “On” and “Off” to determine if tracking the IP address is causing the delay and if so, whether the trade off is worth it. Note 2: If you choose to deploy the TimeClock Pearl Network Edition and you host TimeClock Pearl using FileMaker Pro, you can restrict the IP addresses from which employees are allowed to access TimeClock Pearl via web browser. Note 3: Affinity Software provides Cloud Service clients the option of restricting the IP addresses from which employees can clock in and out.
Automatically Delete Messages After They’re Read
When this option is set to “On,” TimeClock Pearl will automatically delete messages after the employee has read them. When this option is set to “Off,” all messages sent within TimeClock Pearl are retained in the Message Center and can be reviewed and deleted by Payroll Administration. When the message was sent and when it was read are also recorded.
Enable Who’s In on the Time Clock screen
This system preference allows you to control whether or not your employees are able to check and see who is clocked in.
Click here for info on updating to the newest version of TimeClock Pearl 4
Clicking this link will take you to the following screen. Read the screen below carefully and thoroughly before proceeding to update to a newer version of TimeClock Pearl 4.
License Key
When you purchase a License Key at www.TimeClockPearl.com, you’ll receive an email from Affinity Software with your License Key. Click the “License Key” button on the Admin Menu screen and enter the License Key Information from that email into the appropriate fields. After entering the information, click the “Okay” button to have TimeClock Pearl validate your License Key Information. The only time you’ll need to return to this screen, after initial validation, is if you add more employees to your License Key. Note: TimeClock Pearl Cloud Service clients do not need to enter any License Key Information.
Business Name
The Business Name you enter in this field will be displayed in the header of every TimeClock Pearl screen as well as on timecards and payroll reports, helping TimeClock Pearl fit into your business environment. In Free Trial mode, you can enter any Business Name you choose, but when entering your License Key Information for validation, the Business Name you enter must match the name used when purchasing your License Key.
Number of Employees
Enter the number of employees for whom you purchased your License Key. The number is included in the email we sent you when making your License Key purchase.
License Key
License Keys are purchased online at www.TimeClockPearl.com. Enter your License Key from the email Affinity Software sends you into this field.
Change Password
Admin Passwords must be a minimum of three characters in length, though for security, we recommend longer passwords using both alpha and numeric characters.
Note: If you forget or lose your Admin Password, the only way it can be retrieved is for you to email your TimeClock Pearl data file to Affinity Software. To maintain the security of your time clock data, Affinity Software will only retrieve an Admin Password when at least one of the following conditions are met:
1) You provide the User Account and Password of your Client Account on our web site.
2) The TimeClock Pearl data file is sent from the email address used when making the original TimeClock Pearl purchase.
3) An email request from the person who made the original purchase sent from the same email address used when the original TimeClock Pearl purchase was made.
4) A signed request by the person who made the initial purchase.
5) If you are not able to meet any of the above conditions, call for instructions.
This password retrieval service is available to clients who purchase the Annual Support Plan.
Printer Set up
Use the “Printer Set Up” button to select printer settings, paper size and orientation for printing timecards and payroll reports.
Misc
Today's Clock-Ins
This button displays all clock-ins for the current day. Note: Employees who have clocked in and out will be included with those who are currently clocked in.
Who's In
You can view all employees who are currently clocked in. Note: The "Who's In" button on the Time Clock (Home) screen can be used to see if one individual employee is clocked in or if the members of one department are clocked in, but it only displays employee names, not date nor time of clock-in.
Message Center
The Message Center provides a record of messages sent within TimeClock Pearl. The message records include when messages were sent, if and when they were read. Note: You can use the Message Center to confirm reception of sent messages.
Backup
You should regularly backup your TimeClock Pearl data file. When you click this button, the following message appears:
If you want to keep archive copies of your time clock data after creating a backup file, go to the TimeClock Pearl Folder, find the “TCPearlBackUp” file, move it into another folder and rename the file, perhaps adding the date of the backup to the file name.
YTD
Vacation
Provides a year-to-date report of all vacation requests, submitted, approved and denied.
Sick Leave
Provides a year-to-date report of all sick leave requests, submitted, approved and denied.
Holidays
Provides a year-to-date report of all holiday pay granted.
