Before you send it
- Decide how people will clock in: their phone, a shared tablet, or both.
- Know exactly what's recorded, especially about location, so you can answer honestly.
- Pick a start date that isn't your busiest day, and run one practice punch with a couple of people first.
- Decide who people go to when a punch goes wrong.
The email
Replace anything in [brackets]. If you don't use location zones, delete that paragraph.
Subject: Starting [Monday, March 1]: clocking in with [Zchedule]
Hi everyone, From [Monday, March 1], we'll record hours with a time clock instead of [the paper sheet]. It means your hours are recorded as you work them, and fixing a mistake is quicker. How to clock in • On your phone: [the Zchedule iPhone app, or zchedule.app in any browser]. • Or at the [tablet by the back door] with your PIN. Clock in when you start, clock out when you finish, and [start and end your lunch break the same way]. What's recorded Your clock-in and clock-out times, and breaks. [If you clock in on your phone, it checks your location at that moment against the zone around the shop. Nothing is recorded between clock-in and clock-out, and the tablet doesn't use location at all.] If something goes wrong Forgot to clock in or out? Tell [me / the shift lead] the same day with the real time. If the clock won't let you punch, ask for approval on the screen or tell [me]. Nobody loses pay for a clock problem; we fix the record. We'll practise together on [Friday]. Questions: [your name, number]. Thanks, [your name]
Only promise what's true of your setup. The line about pay is about how you'll handle mistakes; keep it only if you mean it.
First-week questions
Is my phone tracking me?
Answer for your own tool. In Zchedule, location is read only when someone clocks in or out (and when they ask for approval of a refused punch), never between punches or off shift, and the shared tablet reads none.
What if I don't want to use my own phone?
Offer the shared tablet or a browser at work. The kiosk vs mobile comparison covers the trade-offs.
What if I forget?
Tell a manager with the real time, the same day if possible. On Zchedule's iPad kiosk, people can also review their own punches for the last two weeks and request a fix, which a manager approves. The guide to fixing missed clock-outs covers the manager's side.
Can I see my hours?
Tell people where they can check, and invite them to raise anything that looks wrong before payroll.
The first shift
- Be there at the first start time of the day.
- Watch one person clock in, then let everyone else do it themselves.
- At close, check nobody is still clocked in.
- At the end of the first week, look at the timesheet together with anyone whose hours look odd.