TimePilot Newsletter No. 64: June 2020
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All About Your
Time Clock System
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In this issue:
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TimePilot Lead Story: Tips and tricks, including how to disinfect your TimePilot clocks to keep your employees healthy.
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TimePilot Q&A: A message from our Support Staff, reverse extractions and TimePilot software upgrades.
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Time Trivia: The most populous time zone, and a dinosaur day was 30 minutes shorter than our days.
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Cool Stuff: An inexpensive standing desk, and a bonus photo!
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LEAD STORY
TimePilot
Tips and Tricks
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Disinfecting your
TimePilot system
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:
- Make sure you’re wearing disposable gloves.
- If the clock is dirty, use a household cleaner to remove the dirt.
- To disinfect the unit:
- Use an alcohol-based wipe on the entire unit, giving special attention to the areas that might be touched by your employees (for instance, the Vetro clock’s touch screen). Let it air-dry before using.
- Or spray a clean microfiber cloth with a solution of 70% isopropyl alcohol (also known as rubbing alcohol) and 30% water. Wipe the entire unit, giving special attention to the areas that might be touched by your employees (for instance, the Vetro clock’s touch screen). Let it air-dry before using.
Remember to dispose of the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly.
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.
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Software Suggestions
The more you use the TimePilot software, the more likely it is that you’ll find the helpful features and shortcuts that are built in. Here are a bunch:
Sign those timesheets
It’s not a bad idea to have your employees verify their work hours at the end of a pay period. This will give you a chance to correct any errors they spot. It also may protect you if an employee charges that they worked more hours than they were paid.
In TimePilot Central, you can create a report that can be printed out and then signed by the employee (and his or her supervisor, if you wish).
Setting the date and time on the Extreme Blue II clock
Each time your smartphone collects data from your Extreme Blue II clock, the app updates the date and time on your clock with the date and time from your phone.
You can also set the date and time without collecting data. Here's how:
- In the app, tap the "Clock" icon, then "Menu."
- Touch the gray Management iButton that came with your clock to the clock's "Out" probe.
- Choose "Set Date/Time" from the Menu choices that appear.
No need to rush to clock in if Snap-To is turned on
Having hourly employees line up to clock in at the exact moment their shift starts is a very inefficient procedure. TimePilot’s Snap-To function allows employees to clock in early and not go "on the clock" until their shift starts.
It also allows them to clock out late but go "off the clock" when their shift ends. In Snap-To setup, you can designate how many minutes will be "snapped" and when that will occur.
For example, let's say your employees’ shift starts at 8 a.m., but several like to arrive a few minutes early and read the newspaper at their workstations before their shift starts. Without Snap-To (or a related function, Rounding), employees who clocked in early would get paid for their time reading the newspaper—probably not what you intended!
Putting your Vetro on your network
One of TimePilot Vetro’s best features is that it can be used all by itself or connected to a local area network. Let’s say you’ve been using your Vetro on its own, collecting your data with a USB drive, and now you’d like to connect the clock to your network.
There are quite a few benefits to this:
- Clock-ins and clock-outs are sent immediately to the TimePilot database, giving you a real-time view of who’s in and who’s out.
- You don’t need to use the USB drive to collect your data. (Though that option is still available if, for instance, your network goes down.)
- The clock will now get its time from the network server, instead of the clock’s internal chip.
- If your employees clock in and out with their TimePilot ID numbers, they can see their accumulated hours when they clock out.
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If you add TimePilot’s “Power Over Ethernet Kit,” you don’t even need a power outlet near the clock—your network cable can carry the power the Vetro needs.
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Questions from our customers, as answered by our support technicians.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Before listing our questions, here's a request from our Support Staff: Before 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:
- Click the Windows icon at the lower left corner of your desktop.
- Scroll down the list of programs until you get to “TimePilot IV.”
- Expand that section by clicking the down arrow.
- Click “Check for All TimePilot Updates.”
- If you have updates to install, you’ll see an “Update Available” message. Click the “Update Button” to start the downloads.
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?
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?
Q. Why do we have some names in red when I download data from the USB drive to the TimePilot Central software?
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Interesting time-related stories from around the world.
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Crowds to the East: What’s the most populous time zone in the contiguous U.S. (not counting Alaska and Hawaii)? It’s the Eastern, with 47.4% of the population. Next is the Central, with 29.1%, followed by Pacific, 16.8%, Mountain, 4.6%, and the section of the Mountain time zone that doesn’t follow Daylight Savings time, 2.1%.
Short days for dinos: When dinosaurs roamed the earth—70 million years ago—days were 30 minutes shorter because the earth rotated on its axis faster than it does today. Friction from ocean tides, caused by the moon’s gravity, has been slowing the earth’s rotation since then, bringing us to the current 24-hour day.
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Every once in a while, our employees come across “cool stuff.” This is where they share their finds.
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Last fall, TimePilot customer Contemporary Homes, LLC, in Medford, Wisconsin, found a visitor on their Extreme Blue padlock.
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Royal SD360 Standing Desk
More people are working from home these days, and one of the best things you can do to prepare is to have a comfortable workspace. A desk that allows you to work sitting down or standing up can be very helpful. The least expensive way to do that is with a device that sits atop your current desk and lifts your workspace, keyboard, mouse and monitor to standing height.
This is a 36-inch-wide platform that rests on your current desk and lifts your laptop, or monitor and keyboard, to any of eight positions from 4.2 inches to 19.7 inches above desk height. It also comes with a cushioned floor mat to stand on and reduce fatigue. Fully assembled, it’s just $199.99 at TimePilot’s Cool Stuff Store. Click here to learn more.
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© Copyright 2020, TimePilot Corp. All rights reserved.
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