What a clean time record contains
- Who: the individual, resolved to their employment record.
- When: the timestamp of the punch, not the time it was typed up.
- What kind: clock in, break, clock out.
- Which job: the code that makes the hour costable.
From punches to timesheets
Individual punches are raw material. A timesheet is the reviewed weekly view: hours worked, hours by job, overtime, time off. The review step is where errors get caught while they are still cheap — a missed clock-out found on Tuesday costs a question; found at payroll it costs an argument.
Overtime is a decision, not a discovery
Overtime that is requested and approved before it is worked is a planning decision. Overtime discovered afterwards is a bill. Make the request explicit, give it an approver, and warn people as they approach a threshold rather than after they have crossed it.
Corrections and honesty
People forget to clock out. Phones die. A system that pretends this never happens creates quiet dishonesty — people typing approximate times into a box that is presented as fact.
Better to make corrections a first-class action: an administrator adjusts the record, the adjustment is visible, and the original remains legible. Everyone knows what the number is and how it got there.
Where the line sits on location
There is a real difference between recording where a punch happened and following someone through their day. The first answers 'was this clock-in at the job site?'. The second is surveillance, and it corrodes the trust that field work depends on.
If any location capture is involved, be explicit with the team about what is recorded, when and why — and get their consent rather than assuming it.