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Time Clock for Managers

Time Clock is a mobile-first time tracking system that allows staff to clock in and out of shifts—and optionally track unscheduled work—while giving managers accurate, enforceable time data

Written by Lindsay Thomason

Time Clock integrates with Shift Scheduling, roles, permissions, and reporting to support payroll, attendance tracking, and operational visibility.

Time Clock is useful when you want to:

  • Track when staff actually start and end work

  • Enforce clock-in rules (location, timing, missed clock-outs)

  • Review worked hours alongside scheduled shifts

  • Export time data for payroll or reporting

Time Clock is optional. You can use Shift Scheduling without enabling it.


Time Clock Capabilities (Overview)

NetGym supports two types of time tracking:

1. Clocking In/Out for Scheduled Shifts

  • Staff clock in/out directly from their assigned shifts

  • Clock-ins follow configurable time and location rules

  • Shifts without clock-outs can be flagged automatically

2. Clocking In/Out for Unscheduled Time

  • Optional feature enabled separately

  • Used for work not tied to a scheduled shift
    (admin work, social media, teaching time, etc.)

  • Staff select location, team, and add notes

Both types are managed through permissions and policies.


Step 1: Enable Time Clock Features (Managers)

Enable Time Clock for Shifts

Time Clock for shifts is managed within Shift Settings.

Managers can configure:

  • Whether clock in/out is required for shifts

  • How early staff can clock in

  • How long after a shift ends before missed clock-outs are flagged

  • Whether staff must be within a geo-fence to clock in

These settings apply per team.


Enable Unscheduled Time Clock (Optional)

Unscheduled time clock is enabled at the account level.

Go to: Settings → Account Info → Features → Time Clock

When enabled:

  • Staff can clock in/out outside of scheduled shifts

  • This is separate from shift-based clocking


Step 2: Assign Time Clock Permissions

Time Clock access is controlled by role permissions (settings > permissions).

Permission

What it does

Can clock in/out

Grants ability to clock in/out

View time clock reporting

Grants ability to others' time clock entries

Update others' time clock entries

Grants ability to update others' time clock entries

Update my own time clock entries

Grants ability to edit your own time clock entries

  • This is separate from the permission above, so a manager can be allowed to edit their team's entries without being able to edit their own.

Assign these permissions carefully based on staff responsibility.


Step 3: Clocking In & Out (Staff Experience)

Clocking In/Out for a Scheduled Shift

From the NetGym mobile app:

  1. Go to Schedule → My Schedule

  2. Open the assigned shift

  3. Tap Clock In or Clock Out

Clocking in succeeds only if:

  • The user has permission

  • The attempt is within the allowed time window

  • Geo-fence requirements (if enabled) are met


Clocking In/Out for Unscheduled Time

From the NetGym mobile app:

  1. Go to the More tab

  2. Select Clock In

  3. Choose:

    • Location

    • Team

    • Optional note

  4. Clock out when finished

This flow is available only if:

  • Unscheduled time clock is enabled

  • The user role has permission


Step 4: Viewing Time Clock Data (Managers)

Managers with permission can view time entries in: Insights → Shift Reporting

Available actions:

  • View time clock history/activity, including any edits made afterwards

  • Scroll to the right to view Actions which include viewing the activity and editing time clock entries

  • Review staff Notes

  • Filter by:

    • Staff member

    • Location

    • Team


Alerts & Flags

Time Clock automatically flags:

  • Shifts without clock-in entries

  • Shifts with late or missing clock-outs

These flags help managers catch issues early.


Editing Time Clock Entries

Users with permission can:

  • Create time clock entries on behalf of staff

  • Edit existing entries

All changes:

  • Are logged in the time clock activity log

  • Maintain an audit trail


Exporting Time Clock Data

Managers can export:

  • Shift time entries

  • Payroll-ready reports

Exports are available in CSV format for use in payroll or reporting systems.


Integration Notes

  • Time clock data does not sync back to your scheduling system

  • Data can be exported for use in external payroll tools

If you already use payroll tools with built-in time clocks, it may not make sense to switch.

NetGym plans to expand payroll reporting capabilities in the future.


Best Practices for Studios

Recommended settings:

  • Allow clock in 10 minutes early

  • Flag shifts 30 minutes after scheduled end if not clocked out

  • Enable geo-fence within 100 meters of the location

Breaks

  • Staff can clock in/out multiple times during a shift

  • Encourage notes for accurate records

  • Configurable breaks are planned for the future

Unscheduled Time Use Cases

Recommended for:

  • Admin work

  • Social media tasks

  • Instructor time tracking (separate from class duration)


Troubleshooting Common Issues

Users Can’t Clock In

Check:

  • Geo-fence settings

  • Location services on the device

  • Correct address in Settings → Locations

  • Early clock-in restrictions

If issues persist, contact support to verify location coordinates.

Shift Reporting & Payroll Troubleshooting

If something looks missing, duplicated, or incorrect in Shift Reporting, it’s usually related to filters, how the time was clocked, or whether the time entry is tied to a scheduled shift.

Shift Reporting is generated from time clock entries, not just scheduled shifts.

A shift is missing from Shift Reporting

First, double-check your date range and any filters (location, team, staff member).

If the shift still doesn’t appear, confirm whether the shift was edited after the fact. Some shifts may appear differently in Shift Reporting depending on how the time entry was created or updated.

Unscheduled time or specific shifts aren’t showing

If staff worked training or admin time and Time Clock for Unscheduled Shifts wasn’t enabled at the time, those hours may not appear automatically in Shift Reporting.

Best practice is to:

  • Create a one-time shift for that time block (if possible), or

  • Use Unscheduled Time Clock (if enabled) to capture the hours.

Duplicate entries (a shift appears twice)

If you see two entries for the same time period, it usually means the staff member:

  • Clocked in/out from their scheduled shift and

  • Also clocked in using Unscheduled Time

This results in one entry tied to the shift and one entry not tied to a shift. To avoid double counting, staff should clock in directly from their scheduled shift whenever possible.

Total hours per employee

Shift Reporting currently does not show a summarized total of hours per employee within the report view.

For payroll, the best workflow is to:

  • Export Shift Reporting

  • Use a pivot table (or payroll worksheet) to calculate total hours by employee

We’re actively working on a payroll reporting view that will summarize hours by location, role, and employee.


Key Rules to Remember

  • Time Clock is optional

  • Permissions control access

  • Shift-based and unscheduled time tracking are separate

  • Geo-fence and timing rules are enforced automatically

  • All edits are logged

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