If you're starting a business, you might be tempted to hire freelance coders and engineers to get right to work building the business. This article suggests that might not be the best approach, for a variety of reasons.
Learn MoreOne of the best ways to motivate employees is to compliment them when they're doing a good job. Here are six good compliments—but be sure to be honest when issuing them.
Learn MoreGreat ideas and vast expertise won't help if you can't connect with your audience. This article gives four ways to help your audience grasp your message. Item 3: Strike a balance between data and stories.
Learn MoreDon't forget to turn your clocks ahead by one hour on March 10 to mark the start of Daylight Saving Time. We’ll remain in Daylight Saving Time until Sunday, November 3.
We just sent out our latest newsletter, with tips on how to use our smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile, as well as software questions and answers and a special sale just for our readers! There are a few other surprises, too. You can subcribe to receive future issues here.
See the newsletterOffice cubicles went out of fashion in the 2000s. First, offices went to an open concept, without walls, then COVID hit and everyone worked remotely. Now, as workers return to the office (at least part-time), those workers are wishing for the privacy the cubicles offered. One researcher believes that cubicles strike a good balance between camaraderie and getting things done.
Learn MoreWe're offering $50 off the cost of an Extreme Blue clock and 10 iButtons! Regular price: $538; sale price: $488. Sale ends Friday at midnight Central time. If you have a system that uses TimePilot Central software and any of TimePilot's time clocks, this bundle allows you to easily add a rugged, weatherproof clock.
Learn MoreIf you've got a bad boss, they're probably one of these four types (or perhaps a combination!): micromanager, buddy, lone wolf or jerk. This article gives advice on how to handle each type.
Learn MoreA small business group reports that almost 75 percent of its members have begun using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help their businesses. Among the benefits: 41% of members report they can redirect their own time and employee time to higher-value work; 39% use AI to come up with innovative solutions for customer engagement and retention; and 37% use AI to discover new equipment and technology. The most popular tools are those offered by Google, Microsoft, ChatGPT and Adobe.
Learn MoreResearchers at Duke University have found that because veterans are viewed as heroes, civilians consider them a better fit for jobs and organizations that are selfless and pay lower salaries than other opportunities. It's an example of a positive stereotype resulting in a negative effect. "People tend to view veterans really favorably, they want to be friends with them, they're very excited to work with them, and yet they are ending up with worse outcomes," said one researcher.
Learn MoreMastering the art of spontaneous speaking is important for leaders. But how do you do that? This Stanford professor has some valuable suggestions. One tip: "Don’t feel you need to give a standout performance. Just as the best comedy comes from truth, the best communication comes from being real."
Learn MoreSupermarket coupons that offer a discount on products are being used less often by consumers, and researchers have several ideas why. One idea: Consumers are more loyal to "their" brands.
Learn MoreResearchers found that the answer is yes, but they also found that customers pay more attention to the celebrity than to the product. In evolution and biology, people are more likely to follow the lead of high-status, high prestige individuals... like celebrities.
Learn MoreWe've mentioned before that we aren't fans of biometric—fingerprint, facial scan, etc.—time clocks. As an experiment, we asked an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to write about the downside of biometric information collection in a particular author's style. The result was amazing, and it finished in less than 15 seconds.
To see its work, click here.Want to boost sales? One way might be to start a loyalty program for your customers. A research project found that even though many customers didn't take advantage of the program's benefits, their loyalty to the business increased.
Learn MoreResearchers have found that expressing gratitude to an employee will benefit those who witness the act as well as the person expressing gratitude and the person receiving it. Their study found that a simple thank you to an employee will improve co-workers' opinions of that employee.
Learn MoreWhite Castle Restaurants could be on the hook for as much as $17 billion in damages for allegedly not adhering to Illinois' biometric privacy law. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled last week that companies violating the law could face $1,000 in damages for a negligent violation and $5,000 for a willful violation every time an employee's biometric data is collected. In 2022 in Illinois, companies using biometric time and attendance systems paid out more than $88 million in settlements when sued for violations of the law. Other states are considering or have adopted similar laws. Want to avoid the danger of a gigantic lawsuit? Use a TimePilot system: We don't use biometrics in our systems.
Learn MoreIt's not just about whether the Eagles are better than the Chiefs; it's about which company has the best ad. Question 1: What are you trying to accomplish? Greater sales? Brand awareness? Brand preference? That's where you start.
Learn MoreIf you're trying to attract new customers, there are times when offering a free product is the wrong thing to do. Researchers have found that customers can be suspicious of a free product and would prefer to pay a small fee instead.
Learn MoreBusinesses are always looking for good leaders. Here are seven qualities to look for when you have a prospect. Trait number 3: They are able to control their emotions.
Learn MoreOf course, higher pay always makes employees happier, but there are other ways to make them happier, too. This article describes seven ways to do it. First in the list: Stable scheduling.
Learn MoreKeeping customers happy while raising prices to stay even with inflation is a tricky business. This article gives some tips on how businesses can present the price increases to customers. Tip No. 4: Be flexible and offer customers options.
Learn MoreThat's been said for more than 100 years. Experts say the key issue is that a lot of jobs just don't pay enough for the amount of wear and tear and the hard labor, when there are less difficult alternatives that pay the same or even more. "So perhaps, a more precise idea is, ‘nobody wants to work in low-quality jobs,'” says a researcher.
Learn MoreResearch studies indicate that employees have low levels of respect for aggressive, dominating bosses, especially when they're incompetent. But employees also have more power than they think to change their bosses' behavior.
Learn MoreA university study suggests that successful companies are realizing that the purpose of an office is as a place for face-to-face opportunities to collaborate, resolve conflicts and connect on a deep level—not for people to dress up and commute to work only to sit in their cubicles and attend Zoom meetings all day. Managers need to be aware of "distance bias"—when a worker at home or in an off-site office is seen as a lesser “part of the team” and begins to feel isolated and excluded from the larger group.
Learn MoreWhat is it? It's when employees quietly stop going "above and beyond" in their jobs. A common example is employees not putting in unpaid overtime. Employees see it as a way to avoid burnout; employers see a decrease in productivity.
Learn MoreWant to be a good manager? Adopt one of these four management styles: Visionary, Democratic, Transformational or Coaching. Avoid these styles:Autcratic, Servant, Laissez-faire and Transactional. Hint: Don't be a "Servant," who puts people first and tasks second: You'll make your employees frustrated and complacent.
Learn MoreAfter experiments involving hundreds of subjects, university researchers have found that seeking discomfort actually helps motivate people to continue whichever emotionally difficult task they were asked to do. “Instead of seeing discomfort as unrelated to the goal or as a signal to stop, people will start perceiving it as a sign of progress,” according to the researchers.
Learn MoreRestricting the information available to hiring managers can result in hiring better employees, according to a research study. Researchers were surprised when managers admitted that "some biographical information could create bias and they shouldn’t see it." Orchestras have known this for years: That's why they have blind auditions.
Learn MoreResearchers at a top European business school have found that personal resilience can be taught, and if you want to make your business more resilient, think of it like a family business, because they think more about survival than immediate performance. Those are valuable lessons for people in a world in upheaval.
Learn MorePeople often view extroverts as less interested in the thoughts and feelings of others, according to studies from Harvard Business School. That has a negative effect on employee morale, and is especially important now, as businesses try to find their course after the COVID pandemic. The researchers offer six ways extroverts can indicate that they are listening.
Learn MoreThinking about moving to Cloud-based systems? A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reports that "firms that transition to the cloud improve productivity, increase revenue, and are better positioned to embrace new technology." Yes, TimePilot offers Cloud-based systems, and you can learn about them here.
Learn MoreA study reports that executives who work remotely are three times more likely than their employees to want to return to the office. Executives who cling to the past and don't realize the workplace is changing are in grave danger of losing some of their best employees. The solution: Ask your employees what they want and be flexible.
Learn MoreIf you're using TimePilot 5 Cloud Edition, you can now text your employees in the field—both individually and in groups—right from the TimePilot software. With a phone number provided by TimePilot, you can:
TimePilot 5 On-Premise Edition customers now have a way to have their databases backed up and stored for safekeeping in the Cloud. If their hard drive crashes, they simply download the backed-up database and go on with their day.
The new backup feature costs On-Premise customers just $60 per year. You can set the feature to prompt you to back up each time you log out of the TimePilot software, or you can create a backup with a few clicks of your mouse. The five most recent backup copies are always available as long as you have an active subscription.
Learn MoreOne of the coolest features of TimePilot’s Cloud-Based Edition is TimePilot Mobile, our app that allows employees to clock in and out on their smartphones instead of at an actual time clock. Oh, and did we mention it’s free, and you can have as many employees using the app as you want?
That raises the question, “How do I know that Joe was where he should have been when he clocked in on his phone?” The answer: The instant Joe taps the “In” or the “Out” button on his phone’s screen, the phone sends his location along with Joe’s clock in or clock out time to the TimePilot database in the Cloud.
Learn MoreLet’s say you’re already a TimePilot customer, own several of our time clocks and have your database on your server or PC. You’re interested in converting to our new Cloud-based system, so you can access your data from anywhere. Can you convert and still use your current clocks and iButtons?
Answer: Absolutely. And we’ll help you set things up. Here's how it will work:
Of course, you can also have your employees install the free TimePilot Mobile App on their smartphones, and with that app they can clock in using their phones from anywhere in the world.
Your employees can still use their iButtons to clock in and out just as they always have and have the added ability to clock in on their phones. But most of the benefits will be seen by supervisors.
Learn MoreBefore contacting TimePilot for support, please make sure you’ve updated all of your TimePilot software, not just TimePilot Central. The best way to do this is:
It's a good idea to do this after you install the software for the first time as well as every few weeks, even if you aren't having problems.
TimePilot clocks are definitely more sanitary than fingerprint time clocks—and keeping things sanitary is a good way to fight the COVID-19 virus. It's not difficult to keep your Vetro, Extreme Blue or Tap clocks germ-free. Here are some tips:
Please note: TimePilot cannot make a determination of the effectiveness of a given disinfectant product in fighting pathogens, such as COVID-19. Please refer to your local public health authority's guidance on how to stay safe from potential infection.
There might be a time when you want to give supervisors partial access to the TimePilot database. For instance, you might give a maintenance supervisor access to the transactions created by maintenance department employees, but not to the transactions created by employees in other departments.
If you have TimePilot 5 (Cloud-Based Edition or On-Premise Edition) or TimePilot 4’s Enterprise Edition software, you can set up these permissions.
To see step-by-step instructions as well as several examples with screenshots, click the button below.
Learn MoreA collection of ways to make your TimePilot system more productive.
If you have shifts covering 24 hours a day and seven days a week, when do you start and end your Pay Periods? The choice is more difficult than it seems, because there’s never a time when all of your employees are “off the clock.” Let’s say your company has shifts running 24/7: The last shift in the Pay Period ends at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, and the first shift of the next Pay Period starts at midnight Saturday.
Here’s the problem: Some of the employees in the last shift of the Pay Period will clock out after midnight, putting their clock-outs into the next Pay Period. And some of the employees in the first shift of the Pay Period will clock in early, putting their clock-ins into the previous Pay Period. The result will be that when you extract the Pay Period, not all the transactions that should be in this Pay Period will get extracted. What should you do?
Learn MoreIf you've got a TimePilot timeclock system that's using TimePilot Central software—for instance, a Vetro, Extreme Blue Enhanced or Tap system—you can easily expand it simply by adding portable Tap clocks. Tap is our inexpensive, pocket-sized, battery-powered time clock for out in the field or on a desktop. It's a great little device that can be used in all kinds of ways, from tracking employee hours to keeping track of the number of hours a machine has been used.
Learn MoreEvery once in a while something unexpected might occur on your TimePilot system. Our Support Center has lots of information, and our experienced Tech Support Specialists stand ready to help, but sometimes it's just an easy fix. Depending upon the TimePilot software you're using, click one of the two the buttons below to visit a page with troubleshooting tips for each of TimePilot's time clock systems.
Retail Edition Professional/Enterprise EditionWe've noticed quite a few calls to our Support Specialists from customers asking how to move their TimePilot system to a new computer. We've addressed this several times over the years in our newsletter; here's a refresher from May 2018.
Learn More
When an employee loses an iButton or you add employees, you'll need to assign them an iButton. The instructions appear on the Quick Start Guide you received with your system, but here's a refresher for each of our clocks.
Learn MoreSetting up holiday schedules in the TimePilot software is pretty straightforward, but there are some things you can do that will get the job done more quickly and efficiently.
Learn MoreIn today’s strong economy, more and more companies are adding second and third shifts to their workday. But having employees’ workdays extend past midnight has the potential for playing havoc with your pay periods. TimePilot can help.
Learn More
How do you handle employee breaks? Work breaks are generally considered paid time, and therefore employees do not have to clock out when the break starts and clock in when the break ends. But there may be times when you want to monitor employees’ breaks to ensure they aren’t taking extra time, or even penalize employees who take longer breaks than they should.
Learn MoreClick here for more articles that will help you use your TimePilot system
Q. We have an Extreme Blue clock and we're missing all the transactions from one day of the workweek. How do we get those missing transactions? The answer
Q. An Extreme Blue clock will hold up to 12,000 punches; what happens when we go over that limit? The answer
Q. Does your software calculate accrued time for PTO? The answer
Q. Can my employees clock in at one TimePilot clock and out at another? The answer
Q. Is there a way to have an employee not automatically receive holiday pay? The answer.
Q. I am a Vetro user and recently upgraded to TimePilot 5 Cloud-Based Edition, which means I can start using TimePilot Mobile. How do I get the data from the cell phone into my software? The answer.
Q. I’d like to add a Vetro clock to my TimePilot system and use the USB drive to collect the data. How do I do this? The answer.
Q. I have an employee who lost her iButton in the middle of a pay period. How do I get her a new iButton and transfer all her information to it? The answer.
Q. Our company uses Paychex to handle our payroll. Is there a way to prepare the data collected by TimePilot so we can send it to Paychex? The answer.
Q. We have the Cloud Edition and our employees clock in and out with the smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile. Can they can send a note with their clock-in or clock-out? The answer.
Q. Does the Tap clock have a low battery warning? The answer.
Q. Is your Cloud version web-based software? The answer.
Q. Can I use one Vetro time clock for more than one business? The answer.
Q. We have TimePilot Extreme Blue. Can we set the clock-in time at 6:45 a.m. no matter what time the employees clock in? Some employees clock in at 6:30 or even 6:20 but only start working at 6:45. The answer.
Q. How do I print a report listing the transactions of all employees? The answer.
Q. If we have multiple clocks across multiple sites with different managers at each site, do I need to purchase software and support for each? The answer.
Q. We just bought another Extreme Blue clock. Do I need to reprogram all our employees' iButtons on the new clock? The answer.
Q. I’m upgrading to Windows 10. What version of TimePilot Central can I run on Windows 10? Is there a cost for upgrading my local version? The answer.
Q. My remote workers don't have smartphones. How can they clock in? The answer.
Q. Does the smartphone app, TimePilot Mobile, track my employees at all times? We're concerned about privacy. The answer.
Q. We have an accomplished IT person and we're confident she can handle having the TimePilot database on our network server. Is there any other benefit to having our database on the Cloud? The answer.
Q. It would be helpful to see which of our employees are on the clock at any one time. Does TimePilot offer anything like this? The answer.
Q. How can I make TimePilot Central’s transaction list show each employee’s clock-in time above their clock-out time? The answer
Q. When I do reports, on some of the days there will be an “X” in one of the log-in times. Then it does not give any hours for that day at all even though there are 4 clock-in and clock-outs. How do we fix this? The answer
Q. How do I determine my Extreme Blue clock’s serial number? The answer
Q. When I went to collect punches from our Vetro clock, it said it had 160 new transactions. When I went to pull that info into TimePilot Central on my PC it said that 0 transactions were entered. Now when I go to collect them, it is saying that 0 transactions are available. Can I get that information back? The answer
Q. Our company has been hired to handle employee time collection. How can we clear out our current Vetro clock of all the old employees’ info and everything else? We want to start new. Can the clock be reset to default setting? The answer
Q. We purchased a Vetro clock in 2016 for our Aquatics Center and love it! I was wondering if it would it be possible to have Time Pilot Central installed on more than one computer and how would we get the software? The answer
Q. We’re using Extreme Blue Enhanced. When I was downloading my data from Dropbox, I just received this message: “Remove iPxxxxxxxxxx-Profiles.csv” from everyone’s Dropbox account and all devices? If you move this file to Archive, it will no longer be shared with anyone, and it won’t be available in Dropbox or on any devices.” What do I do? The answer
Q. When adding a new employee to our Vetro system, your help file told me to "choose ‘Transfer Changes to Vetro Clocks’." I don't find that listed under TimePilot Central’s Setup menu. Where do I find that? The answer
Q. The Vetro clock holds 12,000 transactions. If you download transactions to the USB drive after a week of entries (150 per day), will the clock still hold 12,000 or does the clock have just 10,950 (12,000 – (150x7) = 10,950) remaining? After the 12,000 entries are used up, do I have to purchase another time clock? The answer
Q. We have some new employees, and I will need to order new iButtons for them, but right now how can they clock in at our Vetro clock with the user IDs that are in their profiles? The answer
Q. Sometimes I see a little "+" sign in the right top corner of our Vetro clock. What does it mean? The answer
Q. I need to do a reverse extraction and the instructions state that there should be a reverse extraction selection under the Administrative menu. It’s not showing up. Can you direct me to the correct place? The answer
Q. We’re going to upgrade from TimePilot’s Professional Edition software to the Enterprise Edition. Is it as simple as downloading it and installing over the current installation? The answer
Q. Why do we have some names in red when I download data from the USB drive to the TimePilot Central software? The answer
Q. We’d like to use Extreme Blue Enhanced in our remote warehouse, but we don’t get a cell signal there. Any advice? The answer
Q. I am getting a message to update the TimePilot program. I want to make sure I’m not going to lose everything I have already set up. Do I have to start from scratch and set up all my profiles and any existing punches I might have? The answer
Q. When I imported transactions collected by our Extreme Blue clock into our TimePilot software, I got a message that 50 of the transactions were “orphan transactions.” What are orphan transactions and how can I get them corrected? The answer
Q. We marked employees inactive last year and they will be returning this year. Can they be reactivated? The answer
Q. It’s the end of a pay period, and we’re extracting the period’s clock-in and clock-out data from Current Transactions. One employee’s data isn’t being extracted with the others. How can we fix this? The answer
Q. Our TimePilot Extreme Blue clock beeps 3 times when you clock in and out. Is there any way to get it to stop doing that and only beep one time? The answer
Q. If an employee clocks in twice and clocks out once in same day, what happens? For instance, they clocked in at 7:30 a.m., then at 7:35 forgot they had clocked in and clocked in again, then clocked out for the day at 4 p.m. The answer
Q. Is it possible to collect my Extreme Blue or Extreme Blue Enhanced time clock data with an iPad? The answer
Q. My TimePilot Extreme Blue clock has stopped logging time. We’ve installed new batteries, but none of my employees’ iButtons will register nor will the Management iButton. It was working fine until yesterday morning. The answer
Q. When our software was set up, it looks like we neglected to set up overtime for our employees. How do we do that? The answer
Q. I use Extreme Blue Enhanced. I collect the data from my clock every day or every second day and I keep getting orphan transactions. How can I stop this? The answer
Q. I use Extreme Blue, and I've lost my Management iButton. Is there any other way to extract times from the timeclock? The answer
Q. We use a USB drive to extract the data from each Extreme Blue clock. Do we need to use a separate USB drive for each clock or will it just add the information from the second and third time clock to the drive for that pay period? The answer
Q. We use our Vetro clock in standalone mode, and every time I assign a new iButton at the clock, it clears everyone else's names. What's going on? The answer
Q. How do I record our employees’ vacation days on our Vetro time clock? The answer
Q. We have a Vetro clock in our back shop. Is it possible to add a Tap clock to our system for our office? The answer