Labor Management - TimeForge Manual» password

How Do I Allow Employees to Witness Time Punches?

apresley — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:18:05 +0000

TimeForge is a powerful labor management tool and includes a number of features not found in other comparable software programs. For example, TimeForge allows staff members to clock in before their scheduled start time, but can require that employees show up for work within a certain grace period of the scheduled start time.

When an employee is too early to clock in, or too late to clock out, TimeForge will require that a manager become involved to allow the employee to clock in or out. More specifically, in these cases, the staff member must get permission from a manager before clocking in or out. Please note: Most of the clock in and clock out configuration settings can be enabled or disabled with a few clicks within TimeForge.

In some businesses, managers do not want to be interrupted with employees who are showing up early or late, and rely on a buddy system to allow employees to keep track of each other. To keep management from being frustrated by early and late staff members, TimeForge allows employees to work as a witness for each others early clock in and late clock out times.

Navigate to the Attendance Options

Locate the Attendance Options tab inside of TimeForge.

Set Up Grace Periods for Staff Members

Make sure to set up the correct grace periods for staff members who clock in early and clock out late.

Allow Employees to Witness Each Others Clock In and Clock Out

Make sure that the Allow other employees to witness an employee clock in option is set to Yes.

Other Staff Members Can Override the Early Clock In

When a staff member is too early to work, they will receive a pop-up window similar to the above image.

A manager can allow the staff member to clock in, or another employee can provide their own credentials (username and password, or fingerprint) to allow the employee to clock in.

What is a Web Service username and password, and how do I make one?

apresley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:32:25 +0000

TimeForge uses web services to communicate with other third party applications. Web services are like a modern Comma Separated Value (CSV) files, and they allow TimeForge to communicate with other applications, such as Point of Sale systems, accounting products (such as Quickbooks), and stand alone time clocks.

To ensure that no one else can modify your data by using the TimeForge web services, you will need to create a Web Service username and password. We’ve made sure that this is easy to do, so you can quickly use the power of TimeForge with your 3rd party application.

First Navigate to the Settings Page for your Location or Store

Locate the settings for your store / location.

Enable TimeForge Integration

1. Make sure that the setting for “Would you like to enable TimeForge integration with another program?” is set to “Yes“.

2. Choose an appropriate username and password for the web service. This is specific to your location / store, and won’t be needed again. We recommend that you choose as long of a username and password as possible.

3. TimeForge will automatically send an email to managers if it cannot synchronize. This heartbeat functionality will ensure that TimeForge and 3rd party applications are running properly at your business.

By default, TimeForge permissions are controlled by the Connector/Translator or other 3rd party software.

Correctly Configured Web Service Username and Password

After configuring the web service username and password, click on Save.

Enter Your Web Service Username and Password

Enter your web service username and password, which you previously configured in the TimeForge web site.

Finish the Web Service Username and Password Setup

That’s it … you are done!

How can I view my schedules and time card on Facebook?

apresley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:37:08 +0000

TimeForge will allow you to view schedules, messages, time cards, and more using Facebook. Of course, you can always use a web browser, such as Mobile Safari or Opera Mini, to view the TimeForge website at www.TimeForge.com

Get to the Setup Tab

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Setup tab, or click on the Change My Settings button.

Find the Facebook link

Locate the Access TimeForge on Facebook link. Click on this link.

Login to Facebook

Enter your TimeForge Username and Password

View the TimeForge Facebook information

Facebook displays information about your account, including your schedules, time card, and messages. Managers / supervisors will see additional information, and can see whom is clocked in at the location, as well as sales information (if configured).

Visit our TimeForge Facebook page

At the bottom of the TimeForge application, you can click on the TimeForge Employee Scheduling link to go to the TimeForge Facebook page.

The TimeForge Facebook Page

Leave us a note about what you like, or want to see improved, and Become a Fan of TimeForge on Facebook.

How can I view my schedules and time card on my cell phone?

apresley — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:35:17 +0000

TimeForge will allow you to view schedules, messages, time cards, and more using any phone capable of reading an RSS feed. Of course, you can always use a web browser, such as Mobile Safari or Opera Mini, to view the TimeForge website at www.TimeForge.com

However, TimeForge schedules, messages, shift swaps, and much, much more can be viewed directly on your cell phone, iPhone, Blackberry, or other non-web browser reader by using RSS feeds.

TimeForge uses RSS feeds to deliver the information directly to your cell phone, and requires that your phone be able to read both encrypted RSS feeds (over an SSL connection), as well as secured RSS feeds (which require a username and password).

Please note: Not all RSS readers are capable of doing both SSL and security.

Get to the Setup Tab

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Setup tab, or click on the Change My Settings button.

Find the RSS URL (the RSS Feed)

Locate the personal information RSS feed URL, which is located on the right hand side, and starts with:

https://www.TimeForge.com/Scheduler/rss.html

Managers may have several RSS feeds, which include information on different locations / stores within the business.

Add the TimeForge data to your RSS reader – Step 1

Each RSS program is slightly different in how it requires that you add a feed. In this example, we are using Sage, a popular RSS feed reader for the Firefox web browser.

Click on the Find icon. Other RSS readers may require that you enter the URL of the RSS feed. If that is the case, enter the RSS RSS URL directly into the software. This URL is most commonly:

https://www.TimeForge.com/Scheduler/rss.html

Some RSS readers (such as Viigo for the Blackberry) do support encryption, but do not support username and passwords. In some cases, these RSS readers can be coerced to support username and passwords by using a URL with the format of:

https://username:password@www.TimeForge.com/Scheduler/rss.html

For example, if your username is ‘abigail@timeforge.com‘ and your password is ‘testing123‘, the URL you would enter is:

https://abigail@timeforge.com:testing123@www.TimeForge.com/Scheduler/rss.html

Please note: This step only needs to be done one time.

Add the TimeForge data to your RSS reader – Step 2

Sage, like many mobile web browsers (such as Safari and Opera) will automatically find any relevant TimeForge RSS feeds. Click on the feed (“Timeforge’s Information“), and then choose Add Feed.

These feeds have a lot of information in them, and contain information such as:

- Upcoming schedules
- Shift Swaps and Open Shifts
- Time card information
- Approved, pending, and denied requests
- Messages from other staff members and management
- And other items …

View the TimeForge RSS Feed

Sage, or any RSS reader, will show the items relevant to your TimeForge account.

View Upcoming Work Schedules

Use the TimeForge RSS feed to get upcoming schedule information directly on your cell phone, at any time, without browsing the web.

View or Send Staff Member Messages using TimeForge

Using the TimeForge RSS feed, you can easily view and send TimeForge messages.

How do I clock out using Time Clock Mode?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:16:51 +0000

TimeForge Attendance provides two different and distinct methods for employees to clock out, based on manager preference.

One method, described below, is to use the TimeForge Time Clock Mode, which displays a list of employees (including your name), and you can clock in or out by simply clicking on your name, and entering your password.

This method of clocking in and out is designed for use on shared computer systems.

Locate your name on the list of staff members (sorted alphabetically)

On the list of staff members, click on Clock Out (or click on your name).

Enter your password, or use the Fingerprint Scanner

To validate your clock out when using Time Clock Mode, you need to enter your password and/or press your finger on the Fingerprint Scanner.

Enter Tips, Mileage, and Notes when clocking out

Before finalizing your Time Clock clock out, you may review your current time card. Specifically, TimeForge Attendance displays how long you have been clocked in during this shift, and what your total is for the week. You may also enter any declared tips, mileage calculations, or notes for management.

Choose Clock Out to complete the clock out process.

How can I receive text messages or emails about my work schedule?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:10:43 +0000

TimeForge can send nightly emails about upcoming shifts that you are scheduled to work. In addition, your management team may use your email address to contact you about important work messages.

In addition to nightly email messages, TimeForge can send a reminder text message to your cell phone before shifts start, and can notify you of successful / approved shift swaps by text message as well.

To enable this functionality, TimeForge needs to know your email address and cell phone number.

Get to the Setup Tab

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Setup tab, or click on the Change My Settings button.

Enter your email address and cell phone number in TimeForge

On the “Setup” tab, enter your email address into the “My Email” field, you can also enter your cell phone number into the “My Cell Number” field.

Identify which Alerts you want to Receive

TimeForge can generate a number of different email and text message alerts, based on the information that you would like to know about.

For example, you can receive daily schedule reminders as text or email messages. You can also be notified of bid shifts, or when other co-workers want to swap shifts with you. Other notifications include when shift swaps are approved or denied, or when a request is approved or denied by management.

If you would like to be notified about upcoming schedules, choose the check box which starts with “I would like to be emailed…” You will receive nightly emails about any posted schedules. The number in the drop-down box (above shown as “2“) is the number of days you would like to be notified, and can be set up to 30 days.

Note: You will only be able to receive information about schedules that your management team has posted.

If you would like to be notified about upcoming shifts, choose the check box which starts with “I would like to be sent a text message …”. TimeForge will send you a text message before the shift begins as a reminder of your upcoming work schedule.

Note: You may be charged by your cell phone carrier to receive the text message. TimeForge is not liable for any text messaging charges that you may receive from your carrier.

Click on Save My Settings when you are done.

How do I change my password?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:10:14 +0000

Changing your TimeForge password is very easy …. make sure to change your password frequently to ensure that your account remains secure.

Get to the Setup Tab

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Setup tab, or click on the Change My Settings button.

Click on Change My Password

On the “Setup” tab, click on Change my password

Enter a new password for TimeForge access

Enter a new password in both the “New Password” and the “Confirm Password” fields.

Please make sure your password is appropriate — a good password will be at least 6 characters long, and should be a mix of numbers, uppercase characters, and lowercase characters.

Make sure that you have selected (and answered) a Secret Question to be able to recover your password in case it is ever lost or forgotten.

Click on Save My Settings when you are done.

How do I change my email address?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:09:53 +0000

Changing the email address that receives nightly schedule reminders, TimeForge messages, and other relevant information is easy to do.

Get to the Setup Tab

First, navigate to the “Setup” tab. From the “Today” Tab, you can click on the Setup tab, or click on the Change My Settings button.

Enter your email address in TimeForge

On the “Setup” tab, enter your email address into the “My Email” field.

If you would like to be notified about upcoming schedules, choose the checkbox which starts with “I would like to be emailed…” You will receive nightly emails about any posted schedules.

Click on Save My Settings when you are done.

How do I reset my password?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:07:22 +0000

If you forget your TimeForge.com password, TimeForge may be able to reset it for you to allow you to access your work schedule and employee time card.

Go to the TimeForge.com Log in page

On the TimeForge.com Log in page, click on Help! I cannot access my TimeForge account ….

Password Reset – Step 1

Enter your username into the Username box, then click Next.

If your account does not have a Secret Question configured, TimeForge will not be able to reset your password. In this case, contact TimeForge Support to reset your password.

Password Reset – Step 2

To request a new password from TimeForge, enter the answer to your Secret Question, then click Next.

Password Reset – Step 3

Enter your new password in both the “New Password” and the “Confirm New Password” boxes, then choose Next. Your new password has been assigned.

How do I Log In to TimeForge using the M2SYS Fingerprint scanner?

apresley — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:07:03 +0000

Accessing TimeForge.com to view your work schedules and time card is very simple with the TimeForge Fingerprint Scanner, provided by M2SYS Accelerated Biometrics.

Follow these instructions to log in to TimeForge with the Fingerprint Scanner …

Go to TimeForge.com and then place your finger on the fingerprint scanner

Go to TimeForge.com using your favorite Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc…)

Once on the website, place your finger on the biometric fingerprint scanner. If your fingerprint is registered, TimeForge will automatically log you in, and take you to the Today page.