Advanced Features

Geo-Fencing (If Enabled)

Geo-fencing restricts time punches to specific physical locations, ensuring employees are on-site when clocking in or out.

Geo-Fencing Configuration

Setup Location: Zenople Web App → WebClock Setup → Timeclock Properties → Geo-Location Settings

Configuration Parameters:

1. GPS Coordinates:
   • Latitude (decimal degrees)
   • Longitude (decimal degrees)
   • Example: 40.7128° N, 74.0060° W (New York City)
2. Radius (Geo-Fence Boundary):
   • Distance threshold from center point
   • Typically: 50-500 feet/meters
   • Larger radius = more lenient (accommodates GPS accuracy variance)
   • Smaller radius = more restrictive (requires closer proximity)
3. Enforcement Mode:
   • Strict: Block all punches outside geo-fence
   • Disabled: No geo-fencing validation
4. GPS Accuracy Requirement:
   • Minimum GPS accuracy level required
   • Example: Require accuracy within 50 feet
   • Punches with low GPS accuracy can be rejected or flagged

Geo-Fencing Operation

Online Mode with GPS Available:

1. Employee Punch Attempt:
   • Employee enters PIN and taps punch button
   • Device requests current GPS location from operating system
   • GPS hardware acquires location (may take 5-30 seconds for first lock)
2. Location Validation:
   • Device calculates distance from punch location to configured geo-fence center
   • Compares calculated distance to configured radius
3. Inside Geo-Fence (Valid):
   • Distance less than or equal to radius
   • Punch proceeds normally
   • Location coordinates saved with punch record
   • Timestamp recorded
4. Outside Geo-Fence (Invalid):
   • Distance greater than radius
   • Strict Mode:
     • Punch blocked
     • Error message: "You are not within the authorized location. Please move closer and try again."
     • Punch not recorded
     • Employee must physically move to authorized area

Offline Mode with GPS Available:

• GPS validation performs identically to online mode
• Device uses locally cached geo-fence configuration
• Violation flags stored with punch for later sync
• Blocked punches (strict mode) never recorded

Offline Mode with GPS Unavailable:

• Last Known Location Usage:
  • Device stores last successful GPS coordinates in cache
  • If current GPS unavailable, device uses last known location
• Validation Logic:
  • Validates against last known location coordinates
  • May not reflect employee's current actual position
  • Risk of false positives/negatives

IP Address Validation

In addition to or instead of GPS geo-fencing, organizations can restrict punches based on network IP address.

Use Case: Ensure employees clock in from organization's internal network

Configuration: Zenople Web App → WebClock Setup → IP Validation

Validation Process:

1. Employee attempts to punch.
2. Device detects current IP address (Wi-Fi or cellular).
3. Compares to the allowed IP.
4. Match Found: Punch proceeds
5. No Match:
   • Strict Mode: Punch blocked

Online Mode:

• Current real-time IP address used for validation
• Accurate validation

Offline Mode:

• Last Known IP Address Used:
  • Device caches the last connected IP address.
  • Uses cached IP for validation during the offline period.
  • Limitation: If the device physically moved to different network while offline, cached IP may not reflect current network

Break Compliance

ZenTime enforces organizational and governmental break policies through configurable compliance rules.

Break Compliance Configuration

Setup Location: Zenople Web App → ATM → Break Compliance → Break Compliance

Configurable Parameters:

• Add – Create a new Break Compliance rule for the selected state.
• Edit – Update an existing Break Compliance rule.
• Refresh – Reload the directory to reflect the latest update

1. US Government Policy Surveys(Federal/State Requirements):
   • Meal break requirements (typically 30 minutes for shifts over 6 hours)
   • Rest break requirements (typically 10-15 minutes per 4 hours)
   • Compliance survey questions for exceptions
2. Mandatory Break Rules:
   • Minimum break duration (e.g., 30 minutes for meal break)
   • Maximum break duration (e.g., 60 minutes)
   • Required timing window (e.g., meal break must occur between hours 3-5 of shift)
3. Compliance Survey Questions:
   • "Did you take your required meal break?" (Yes/No)
   • "If no, please explain why:" (Text entry)
   • "Was the missed break voluntary?" (Yes/No)
   • "Do you have supervisor approval?" (Yes/No)

Break Compliance Enforcement

Mandatory Break Compliance Implementation 

Several U.S. states have labor laws that require employers to provide employees with mandatory breaks after working a specified number of hours. These rules vary by state. The Break Compliance feature in Zenople automates adherence to these regulations by monitoring hours worked, issuing reminders or warnings, and tracking compliance.

Break Compliance navigation

A new navigation item has been added under the Back Office Section of ATM, titled “Break Compliance.” This navigation allows users to define and manage mandatory break rules based on state-specific regulations.

Key features include:

• State Selection: A dropdown at the top of the page where users select a state to view or configure rules.
• Current/All Toggle: Allows users to switch between viewing current rules or all rules.

Available actions:

• Add – Create a new Break Compliance rule for the selected state.
• Edit – Update an existing Break Compliance rule.
• Refresh – Reload the directory to reflect the latest updates.

Displayed columns:

• State – Name of the state associated with the rule.
• Hours Worked Threshold – The number of hours worked before a mandatory break is required.
• Mandatory Break Duration Minutes – The required break duration in minutes.
• Start Date – Effective start date of the rule.
• End Date – Effective end date of the rule.

Break Compliance Form

The Break Compliance Form consists of the following fields:

• State: Auto-populated with the state selected from the directory.
• Hours Worked Threshold: Numeric field specifying the number of hours worked before a break is required (range: 0–36).
• Mandatory Break Duration Minutes: Numeric field specifying the required break duration in minutes (range: 0–2160).
• Start Date: Date picker restricted to Accounting Periods.
• End Date: Date picker restricted to Accounting Periods.

Break Violation

A Break Violation occurs in the following cases:

• The employee does not take their mandatory break after reaching the Hours Worked Threshold.
• The employee takes a break but does not complete the required Mandatory Break Duration Minutes.

New Time Clock Properties

The following new properties have been added in the “Set Time Clock Property” Stepper for Break Compliance:

• Enforce Minimum Break Duration: (True/False) field to specify whether an employee can break in before the mandatory break duration is completed.
• Break Notifications: Multi-select dropdown allowing users to choose notification platforms. Options include:
  • Employee – Mobile App Notification
  • Office Staff – Mobile App Notification
  • Contact – Mobile App Notification
  • Employee – Text Notification

Enforce Minimum Break Duration for Timeclocks

If Enforce Minimum Break Duration is set to True, employees cannot break in until they have taken at least the mandatory break duration after crossing the Hours Worked Threshold.

This restriction applies to the following platforms:

• Web Time Clock
• Mobile Time Clock
• Aqore ZenTime

Notifications

Employee Mobile Application Notification

If enabled, the employee receives a mobile app notification indicating that their mandatory break is due soon.

Office Staff Mobile Application Notification

If enabled, office staff receive a notification when an employee fails to take their break after crossing the threshold. Notifications are sent to the “Placed By” User Role associated with the transaction (viewable in Timesheet → Transaction Expansion → User Role Tab or Workboard → Split View → User Role tab).

Contact Mobile Application Notification

If enabled, contacts (with the Time Approver or Supervisor role, or with Allow Web Clock Full Access set to True in List Item navigation of ATM) receive a notification if an employee fails to take their mandatory break after the threshold.

Employee Text Notification

If enabled, the employee receives a text message notification reminding them that their mandatory break is due soon.

Timesheet Exception for Non-Compliant Meal Breaks

An exception has been added to the Timesheet Management System to flag employees who fail to take the required minimum break after reaching the hours threshold. These exceptions can be viewed in both Timesheet and Workboard.

Timecard Status additions for Workboard

If break rules are violated, the Timecard Status in the Workboard navigation of TMS will display the violation by appending “– Break Violation” to the status. Possible statuses include:

• Working – Break Violation
• On Break – Break Violation
• Incomplete – Break Violation
• Complete – Break Violation
• Missing – Break Violation

Things to Keep in Consideration

• The Break Compliance feature applies only to the first break of an employee for the day. Additional breaks are not monitored by this feature.
• This feature does not apply to Unit Only Transactions. However, Timecard Status in Workboard only works in case the Transaction Template is Template Based on 4 entries. 
• For Break Compliance setup in ATM, Start Date and End Date cannot fall within the same Accounting Period. This restriction applies across multiple rules for the state.
• Time calculations for Break Compliance are based on State Time.
• For Text Messages, standard Text messaging charges will apply.

Online Mode - Full Functionality in ZENTIME:

1. Real-Time Break Monitoring:
   • System tracks elapsed shift time
   • Calculates when mandatory break should occur
   • Monitors whether employee has punched break out/in
2. Break Window Alert:
   • When mandatory break window approaches:
     • Optional reminder notification is sent as per setup.
3. Missed Break Detection:
   • If Enforce Minimum Break Duration is set to True, employees cannot break in until they have taken at least the mandatory break duration after crossing the Hours Worked Threshold.
4. Break Duration Validation:
   • A Break Violation occurs in the following cases:
     • The employee does not take their mandatory break after reaching the Hours Worked Threshold.
     • The employee takes a break but does not complete the required Mandatory Break Duration Minutes.
5. Administrator Notification(Real-Time):
   • When compliance violation occurs, notification sent to configured administrators
   • Mobile App notification

Offline Mode - Limited Functionality:

1. Local Break Monitoring:
   • Device continues tracking break compliance using locally cached rules
   • Calculates violations based on local clock
2. Compliance Survey Presentation:
   • Surveys still displayed to employee at appropriate times
   • Survey responses saved locally
3. Critical Limitation - No Administrator Notification:
   • Cannot transmit notifications while offline
   • Compliance violations not communicated to administrators in real-time
   • Risk: Supervisor unaware of issue until device syncs
   • Mitigation: Review Aqore Zentime Sync Fail Report or Transaction Batch after sync for compliance flags
4. Post-Sync Processing:
   • When device comes online, all compliance violations sync to server
   • Retrospective notifications may be sent only if timeframe for sending the notification and device online gets aligned else notification wont be sent.

Job-Level Access Control

ZenTime supports granular access control, allowing different jobs, departments, or locations to use different timeclock configurations.

Configuration Hierarchy

Root Customer Level:

• Organization-wide default timeclock configuration
• Inherited by all departments/jobs unless overridden

Department Level:

• Department-specific timeclock configuration
• Overrides root customer default for this department
• Inherited by all jobs within department unless overridden

Job Level:

• Job-specific timeclock configuration
• Most granular control
• Overrides department and root customer settings

Timeclock Field in Job Forms

Location: Zenople Web App → Job Add/Edit Form

Field Properties:

• Field Name: Timeclock ID
• Type: Dropdown selection
• Available Options: All timeclocks configured for the organization
• Inheritance: If left blank, inherits from parent department or root customer

Address Sharing Feature Parallel:

• Timeclock field renders using same feature as address sharing
• Just as Address Line 1, Address Line 2, ZIP Code can be set at root customer and inherited by departments
• Timeclock ID functions identically:
  • Set at root customer = available to all
  • Set at department = overrides root for department's jobs
  • Set at job = overrides department and root for specific job

Use Cases for Job-Level Access

Use Case 1: Multi-Location Organization:

• Root Customer: ABC Manufacturing
• Department 1: Warehouse A (Boston location)
  • Timeclock ID: WH-BOS-01
  • Geo-fencing: Boston warehouse coordinates
• Department 2: Warehouse B (New York location)
  • Timeclock ID: WH-NY-01
  • Geo-fencing: New York warehouse coordinates
• Result: Employees at Boston location cannot punch in using New York tablet (different timeclock IDs, different geo-fences)

Selecting Timeclock ID for Access

Process:

1. Administrator navigates to Job Add/Edit form
2. Locates Timeclock ID dropdown field
3. Dropdown dynamically populates with:
   • All timeclocks configured for the organization
   • Timeclocks for which administrator has access permission
4. Administrator selects appropriate Timeclock ID
5. Saves job configuration
6. Result: Employees assigned to this job can now access the selected timeclock when they punch in

Employee Experience:

• Employee assigned to "Warehouse A - Day Shift" job
• Job configured with Timeclock ID "WH-BOS-01"
• Employee enters PIN on tablet configured with "WH-BOS-01"
• System finds employee has active assignment to job with matching timeclock ID
• Punch proceeds normally

Bi-Directional Synchronization

ZenTime maintains data consistency across multiple access points through comprehensive bi-directional synchronization.

Multiple Access Points for Time Entries

Employees and administrators can enter or modify time punches through various interfaces:

1. ZenTime Tablet Application (primary method)
2. Employee Portal (web portal)
3. Contact Portal (supervisor web/mobile portal)
4. TMS (Time Management System) (office staff web portal)
5. Workboard (Office staff web portal)
6. Web Time Clock (browser-based time clock)
7. Mobile App (Mobile app employee portal)

Critical Requirement: All entry points must remain synchronized so data is consistent regardless of where viewed or entered.

Synchronization from Other Systems to ZenTime

Scenario: Time entry created or modified outside ZenTime tablet

Example 1: Supervisor Edits Punch in Contact Portal:

1. Initial State: Employee clocked in at 8:07 AM via ZenTime tablet
2. Supervisor Action: Logs into Contact Portal, edits punch to 8:00 AM (rounding correction), adds note "Adjusted per rounding policy"
3. Server Processing: Edit saved in Zenople database, timestamp updated
4. Sync to ZenTime:
   • During next sync cycle (within 10 minutes if online)
   • Server sends updated punch data to ZenTime tablet
   • Tablet updates local database with edited timestamp
   • Employee Visibility: When the employee next enters PIN, the timesheet shows 8:00 AM with the "Updated Time" indicator along with the employee's actual punch.
5. History: A complete edit history is available in the Contact Portal. Office staff can also view edit details in the Timekeeping Audit Log Report and the Transaction Batch Report by enabling the Show Log option. ZenTime displays the latest updated values along with the original punch, while the Employee Portal shows only the most recently updated time entries.

Example 2: Office Staff Adds Forgotten Punch in TMS:

1. Initial State: Employee forgot to clock out yesterday
2. Office Staff Action: Accesses TMS, adds Clock Out punch for yesterday at 5:00 PM, adds note "Employee confirmed end time"
3. Server Processing: New punch added to database
4. Sync to ZenTime:
   • Next sync downloads new punch to tablet
   • Tablet adds punch to local database
   • Employee Visibility: When employee enters PIN, yesterday's timesheet now shows complete shift with Clock Out at 5:00 PM
   • "Updated Time" indicator shown on the added punch along with the actual punch.

Example 3: Employee Clears Erroneous Punch via Employee Portal:

Precondition: Employees can delete their time punches only through the Mobile App – Employee Portal, subject to the time clock configuration settings.

• “Allow employee(s) to edit all timesheet entries?”
  When this option is set to true, employees are allowed to edit or delete all time entries regardless of the transaction status (e.g., Pending or Pending Approval). However, this does not apply to posted or closed transaction batches. All such edits or deletions can be performed only from the Mobile App Employee Portal.
• “Allow employee(s) to edit same-day time punch?”
  This option allows employees to edit or delete same-day time entries only, regardless of the transaction status. Similar to the above setting, once the transaction batch is posted or closed, edits or deletions are no longer permitted.

1. Initial State: Employee accidentally clocked in from the Zentime or from the employee portal.
2. Employee Action: Logs into Employee Portal, deletes punch
3. Server Processing: Punch marked as deleted in database
4. Sync to ZenTime:
   • Next sync downloads deletion instruction
   • Tablet removes punch from local display
   • Employee Visibility: When a time entry is deleted, “Entry Removed” is displayed under the updated time. In ZenTime, only the actual punch is shown, while the updated time reflects “Entry Removed.”

Synchronization from ZenTime to Other Systems

Scenario: Time entry created on ZenTime tablet

Example: Normal Clock In via ZenTime:

1. Employee Action: Enters PIN, taps Clock In button at 8:00 AM
2. ZenTime Processing: Punch saved locally with timestamp
3. Sync to Server(if online within seconds, if offline at next sync):
   • Punch uploaded to Zenople server
   • Transaction batch created with source "TimeClock App"
4. Visibility Across All Systems:
   • TMS: Punch appears in the timesheet grid immediately under the particular batch under source “Timeclock App”.
   • Contact Portal: Supervisor sees punch in real-time
   • Employee Portal: Employee can view their own punch from the employee portal.
   • Workboard: Office staff can also view in TMS > Workboard.
   • Reports: Punch included in all time & attendance reports

Updated Time Indicator Logic

Updated Time is a label that indicates when an employee’s originally recorded punch has been modified. It displays the revised time (for example, Updated Time: 8:05 AM). If a time entry is deleted by the employee through the Employee Portal, the label will display “Entry Removed.”

Triggers for "Updated Time" Display:

1. Rounding Rules Applied:
   • Original: Employee clocked in at 8:07 AM
   • Rounded: System rounds to 8:00 AM per organizational policy (round to nearest 15 minutes)
   • Display: 8:00 AM with "Updated Time" indicator
   • Note: Rounding typically happens automatically at time of entry or during sync
2. Manual Edit by Office Staff:
   • Original: Clock In at 8:15 AM
   • Edit: Office staff changes to 8:00 AM via TMS with note "Adjusted per employee request"
   • Display: 8:00 AM with "Updated Time" indicator
3. Manual Edit by Contact (Supervisor):
   • Original: Clock Out at 4:45 PM
   • Edit: Supervisor changes to 5:00 PM via Contact Portal
   • Display: 5:00 PM with "Updated Time" indicator
4. Time Entry Cleared/Deleted:
   • Original: Duplicate Clock In at 8:05 AM (employee accidentally punched twice)
   • Action:
     1. Employee Punch Deletion: Employees can delete an incorrect punch only when the relevant time clock setting is enabled, allowing edits for either same-day entries or all time entries.
     2. Clear All Punches Action: When a contact user selects “Clear All Punches” from the Contact Portal via the Timesheet section, all ZenTime entries are completely removed. In this case, the device resets to a clean state for fresh entries, no Updated Time labels are shown, and all existing time entries are cleared.
   • Display: If a contact performs the “Clear All Punches” action, the punch is completely removed from the timesheet, and updated time or any time entries are no longer visible. If an employee deletes an individual time entry, the Updated Time label will display “Entry Removed.”

Latest Update Only Shown:

• If punch edited multiple times, only final value shown with "Updated Time" indicator along with the employee's first actual punch.
• Example: 8:15 AM(first punch) → 8:10 AM (first edit) → 8:00 AM (second edit)
• ZenTime displays: 8:00 AM under the "Updated Time" label and 8:15 AM as the actual punch.
• Full edit history accessible only in web application (Office staff or Contact Portal)

Viewing Complete Edit History

ZenTime Limitation: Shows only actual punch values and "Updated Time" entries.

Full History Access:

1. Contact Portal → Time Clock Navigation → Select Employee → View Timesheet
2. TMS → Time Clock Navigation → Select Employee → Timesheet Grid
3. RMS → Timekeeping Audit Log Report
4. RMS→ Transaction Batch Report
   • Enable "Show Log Report" parameter
   • Displays batch-level modifications
   • Useful for reviewing bulk changes

Multi-Device Scenarios

Scenario: Employee uses multiple ZenTime devices

Example: Clock In on Device A, Clock Out on Device B (Both Online):

1. 8:00 AM - Device A:
   • Employee clocks in
   • Punch syncs to server within seconds
2. 5:00 PM - Device B:
   • Same employee clocks out
   • Punch syncs to server within seconds
   • Server associates Clock Out with earlier Clock In based on employee ID and work date
   • Complete shift recorded correctly
3. Both Devices Sync:
   • Device A downloads Clock Out punch from server (if employee checks on Device A later)
   • Device B downloads Clock In punch from server (if employee checks on Device B later)
   • Both devices show complete shift timeline

Example: Clock In on Device A (Offline), Clock Out on Device B (Offline):

Problem: Devices cannot communicate with each other while offline

1. 8:00 AM - Device A (Offline):
   • Employee clocks in
   • Punch saved locally on Device A only
2. 5:00 PM - Device B (Offline):
   • Same employee clocks out
   • Punch saved locally on Device B only
   • Device B has no knowledge of Clock In on Device A
3. Both Devices Come Online(e.g., 6:00 PM):
   • Device A syncs first(6:00 PM):
     • Uploads Clock In from 8:00 AM
     • Server records: Clock In, no Clock Out (incomplete shift)
   • Device B syncs second(6:05 PM):
     • Uploads Clock Out from 5:00 PM
     • Server receives Clock Out without prior Clock In on same device
     • Server Matching Logic: Searches for recent Clock In for same employee without Clock Out
     • Finds Clock In from Device A at 8:00 AM
     • Associates Clock Out from Device B with Clock In from Device A
     • Result: Complete shift recorded (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM)
4. Updated Time Display:
   • Which device gets marked "Updated Time"?
   • Typically, Device A (first to sync) shows punches as original
   • Device B (second to sync) may show Clock Out as original
   • When both devices download latest data, both show complete shift
   • If any rounding or adjustments occurred during sync, those punches show "Updated Time"

Image Capture (Future Feature)

Current State: Image capture functionality is under development

Planned Functionality:

• Front-facing camera captures employee photo at punch time
• Photo stored in Azure cloud storage
• Associated with punch record for verification
• Accessible by administrators for audit and security purposes

Implementation Timeline:

• Phase 1 (Current): Images saved to Azure storage only
• Phase 2 (Future): Images viewable in web application alongside punch records
• Phase 3 (Future): Facial recognition for automated employee verification

Use Cases:

• Prevent "buddy punching" (one employee punching in for another)
• Security audit trail
• Verify employee identity for high-security locations
• Compliance documentation

Privacy Considerations:

• Employees should be notified of photo capture
• Images stored securely with encryption
• Access restricted to authorized administrators
• Retention policy aligned with organizational data policies