Time Clocks 101

You know you need to keep track of employee time and attendance, but ...
Not sure what you need?? Not sure what your choices are?? Read on ...

This is an overview of 3 ways to meet your requirements:

a time recorder which stamps the date and time on time cards;
a self-contained computerized time recorder which totals the hours worked; and
a Windows-based computerized badge reader system.

1. Time Recorder

This is the modern version of the classic "punch clock". These are the most cost-effective models we supply and they work well for hundreds of our clients. These clocks can also be used for stamping the date and time on envelopes and documents. Other models are also available if you need such options as ringing a bell or automatic feeding of time cards.

Each employee has a time card for each pay period. They insert the card into the clock when they come into work and when they leave. The clock stamps the exact time and date on the card. Someone then needs to check each card and compute the total hours. This can take a significant length of time, and the cost of errors could be large.

You would have an ongoing expense for time cards. For example, if you have 50 employees. a box of 1000 time cards would last about 20 pay periods.

Electronic Time Recorder	$ _______ . ____ *
Time Card Rack, Holds 25 Cards	$ _______ . ____ *
Time Cards, Box of 1000	$ _______ . ____ *

* To fill in the costs for your company, please contact us.

2. Self-Contained Computerized Time Recorder

These units are self-contained and include a computer to calculate hours worked. Again, each employee has a time card for each pay period, which they insert into the clock when they come into work and when they leave. This clock tracks the total hours for each employee and prints the running total on the card so you never need to read the times on the cards and calculate hours. You would still need to key the total hours (or calculated gross pay) into your payroll or accounting system.

Again, you would have an ongoing expense for time cards, with the exact amount depending on your number of employees.

Computerized Time Recorder	$ _______ . ____ *
Time Card Rack, Holds 25 Cards	$ _______ . ____ *
Time Cards, Box of 1000	$ _______ . ____ *

* To fill in the costs for your company, please contact us.

3. Computerized Badge Reader

These systems include a badge reader connected to a computer which runs the software under Windows. They will calculate total hours worked and can automatically pass that information to payroll programs or outside payroll service companies.

These programs eliminate the need for you to check the time cards and calculate hours worked. You can check each employee’s "time card" on screen and the program will flag the usual exceptions such as missed punches, late in, early out and so on. Once the time card is correct, the program will calculate hours worked with no chance of errors and send it to a payroll program with no further keying needed.

We work with a number of suppliers, and each one has a "low-end" and a "high-end" program. Choosing the right one for you comes down to your requirements (such as the number of employees), and your preference in terms of reports and on-screen appearance.

For badges you have a choice of magnetic stripe, optical bar-code, hole-punched "Hollerith", and proximity cards. If you don’t want to use cards, "biometric" readers are available which read each person’s unique hand geometry.

Software, Badge Reader, Cable, Etc.	$ _______ . ____ *
Badge Rack, Holds 25 Badges	$ _______ . ____ *
Badges, Package of 25	$ _______ . ____ *

* To fill in the costs for your company, please contact us.

Now ... Contact Us

After you have looked over this basic information, we should probably meet to review exactly what you need, and decide which is the best solution for you. To contact us, click here.

Calgary Time Recorder was founded in 1984 and now has well over 2,000 clients throughout western Canada. We help companies with employee time and attendance, time recorder equipment, master clocks and parking systems.

We look forward to working with you to insure your success.