by Mark Nemtsas | Jul 4, 2017 | How To, Tips and Tricks
At the bottom of the Display Settings screen is a checkbox labelled Kiosk Mode. This innocuous checkbox allows you to transform a windows computer into a dedicated employee time clock. To turn on Kiosk Mode check the box and click the Save button. Log out of the administrator account and Time Clock MTS will enter Kiosk Mode. Kiosk Mode has the following features: Time Clock MTS will fill all the available screen space. Time Clock MTS will be the top-most Windows app and even sit on top of the Windows task bar. The window size cannot be changed, the window cannot be moved, and the window cannot be minimized. Users cannot exit the software without entering the time clock administrator password. Kiosk mode features do not take effect while you are logged in as the time clock administrator. Essentially this means if your time clock computer is running with the software in kiosk mode and is being used with a touchscreen or without a keyboard that Time Clock MTS will be the only app that is accessible to users. Of course if there is a keyboard then users can still use certain windows keyboard shortcuts to get around these restrictions so you should strongly consider removing access to the keyboard on your dedicated time clock computers. Kiosk Mode on Specific Computers Kiosk mode will always effect computers running the Time Clock MTS Administrator or Stand-Alone Edition software if you’ve got the setting turned on globally. However, if you’ve got the Time Clock MTS Network Edition or the Network PLUS Edition you can turn Kiosk Mode on (or off) on... read more
by Mark Nemtsas | Jun 30, 2017 | How To, Tips and Tricks
This How-To Article explains how the time clock administrator can force Time Clock MTS to run the database update routine against the time clock data file. Typically Time Clock MTS performs this routine when you install a new version of the software. This should happen automatically but under certain circumstances it can be useful to force the process. To force Time Clock MTS to run the database update routine follow the steps below: This process can only be performed using the Time Clock MTS Stand Alone Edition or the Time Clock MTS Administrator software (if you're using the Network or Network PLUS Editions). It also cannot be used in versions of the software prior to Version 6.1.1. Once Time Clock MTS is running Log in as the Administrator. Hold down the ALT and the U key on your keyboard. You'll then be shown the screen below: Click the OK button and Time Clock MTS will then perform the required... read more
by Mark Nemtsas | Jun 30, 2017 | New Features, News
The release of version 6.1.1 of Time Clock MTS included a couple of brand new reports. One is aimed at users of the job tracking system, the other useful for working out what employees have (and have not) worked during a given time period. Job Labor Breakdown Report If your business tracks time employees spend on jobs, whether that be because you charge your customers to perform those jobs, or because you simply like to know what your employees are working on then the cost of labor is a key piece of information you need to know. The new Job Labor Breakdown Report produces a single table of information showing the time worked on each active job in in Time Clock MTS. The report further breaks the time down into normal hours, OT1 hours and OT2 hours. You can see an example of the report below. This information was certainly available previously in Time Clock MTS, albeit in a much more verbose fashion via the Job Cost Report. However, we’re sure you’ll agree that the new Job Labor Breakdown Report gives a more concise summary of your real job labor costs. Active in Period Report It can be useful as an employer to be able to quickly determine who has (or has not) worked during a given period. This might be to determine eligibility for public holidays, to help even out shift work hours, or to simply determine the size of your workforce during a given time period. The new Active in Period simply checks to see if an employee has or has not recorded any time during the... read more
by Mark Nemtsas | Jun 29, 2017 | Tips and Tricks
One question we get asked occasionally is from users wanting to use Public Holidays in Time Clock MTS. They setup their holidays using the Tools->Options->Holidays screen, run a payroll report for the time period the holiday should apply, but cannot see that the holiday has been paid to the employee. There are three reasons that this might be the case: The most common reason is that employee is not setup to get paid holidays. Each employee must be setup to get paid holidays by checking the Allow for Paid Holidays checkbox on each employee’s Payroll Information screen. The employee hire date (set on the Employee Information screen) falls AFTER the date on which the the holiday occurs. So, if for example your employees get paid for the 4th of July and an employee has their hire date set to 10 July then they will not get paid for the preceding July 4th holiday. The last reason isn’t actually a reason, it’s a mis-interpretation of the payroll reports. Time Clock MTS does not add time punches for public holidays, so if you’re running (for example) a Punchcard Report you won’t see a time punch for the July 4th Holiday. What you will see is holiday hours broken out in the Payroll Information (or Summary) section of the report. See below for an example of what this might look... read more
by Mark Nemtsas | Jun 28, 2017 | New Features, Tips and Tricks
Whether you’re a store, a doctor’s practise, a dentist, a mechanic, or a factory you need to make sure your alarm is armed each day, the back door is locked, your POS system is shut down, and (of course) the lights are switched off. Recently an astute user of Time Clock MTS suggested that the software could help him make sure that all those routine end-of-day tasks that each and every business needs actually get done. How? By showing the last person to punch out a message. Great idea we thought, so we’ve gone ahead and implemented what we’re calling the Last Person Out Message. Setting the Last Person Out Message The Last Person Out Message is set on the Display Settings screen. See the image below and look for the Last Person Out Message text box. Showing the Last Person Out Message Display of the Last Person Out Message is simple, the last person who punches out will be shown the message. See what that looks like below: Be aware that EVERY time the last person punches out this message will be shown, so it could be shown multiple times a day, not just once. That’s all there is to it, make use of the Time Clock MTS Last Person Out Message to remind your employees of tasks that need to be completed when you’re closing up for the day. It really couldn’t be much... read more
by Mark Nemtsas | Jun 26, 2017 | New Features, Tips and Tricks
We’ve spoken previously about using Time Clock MTS as an Employee In/Out Board. Using it this way is particularly useful for two main reasons, firstly, your employees will know at a glance if someone is currently at work or not, and secondly, in the case of an evacuation due to fire or other emergency you can easily print a list of employees that are at work. However, what happens if an employee is punched in but they are on vacation and you need to know when they are back? Or what if there is an emergency and an employee is punched in but they are off-site doing a client visit or attending a training course? To handle that situation we’ve got a system called Employee List Messages. These are neat little messages that can be displayed next to an employee’s name if you’re using the Employee List Interface. Those same messages will also be displayed on the Employee Status Report which can be printed quickly in the event of an emergency. Above you can see what employee list messages might look like in action. Note that Frank Hardy has a message next to his name as does Melissa Minh. You’ll see those same messages next to to the employee names when you print the Employee Status Report. Entering Employee List Messages Employee List Messages are controlled from the Time Clock MTS Administrator software from the Tools->Employee List Messages menu. You must be logged in as the administrator to access the menu. Above you can see the Employee List Messages screen annotated to explain what the toolbar buttons do. Adding... read more
