Timebutler offers full-featured time tracking, including a virtual time clock, extensive settings, view and edit permissions, logging to projects and categories, working time accounts, statutory and custom break rules, reporting with Excel download, and much more. Every user can record their times via the virtual time clock or enter them directly. You can also use the time tracking terminal: to do so, open the Timebutler time tracking terminal view on a standard tablet and place the tablet at the office or company entrance. Every employee can then clock in/out and record breaks on the tablet with just a few clicks.
If you currently use the overtime feature and activate the time tracking feature, Timebutler automatically deactivates the overtime feature: with the overtime feature, the user enters overtime/undertime. With the time tracking feature, Timebutler calculates overtime/undertime based on target working time and the entered/recorded working times.
You should proceed as follows instead:
1. Test time tracking
Go to www.timebutler.de, sign out if you are signed in automatically, and then click “Live Demo” at the top right. Sign in as a fictitious admin user and try out time tracking. On the left, you can click “Employees > Time tracking > Enter working time” or “Employees > Time tracking > Working time accounts”. Or click the “00:00” at the top right to try the virtual time clock. Or click “Settings > More..” at the bottom left, then “Time tracking” on the right to review the different settings.
2. Prepare settings for time tracking
You can configure the settings for time tracking before the date on which you want time tracking to start. This way you can prepare everything in advance, for example select the [Time tracking settings(/time-tracking/settings/time-tracking-settings/) or define the [Target working hours of employees(/time-tracking/working-time-models/edit-working-time-model/).
If you activate time tracking, Timebutler automatically deactivates the overtime feature. However, to configure the time tracking settings, you need to activate the time tracking feature. Proceed as follows:
Inform all employees that the overtime feature will be temporarily switched off within a specific time window, for example on a Friday between 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM.
On that Friday at 3:00 PM, [activate time tracking(/time-tracking/activate/activate-time-tracking/) - the overtime feature will be deactivated automatically. Only enable time tracking for a small group of people, for example only for users from HR or a specific admin (read here how to [Restrict time tracking to specific users(/time-tracking/activate/restrict-time-tracking-to-departments-or-employees/)). Time tracking will then be active, but only for users from HR. All other users will not see time tracking.
You can now calmly configure all settings for time tracking. Afterwards, you can [reactivate the overtime feature(/overtime-management/activate/activate-overtime-management/).
3. Switching to time tracking
When you decide to use time tracking, set a cutover date on which you want to activate time tracking. The first day of a month works well. On the cutover date, sign in to timebutler.de with an admin user and click “Employees > Overtime accounts” at the top left. Download the view of the vacation accounts as an Excel file: you will need the numbers in the “Balance” column later.
Now click “Settings > More..” at the bottom left, then “Time tracking” on the right. Activate time tracking, set the date of the chosen cutover day under “Start of time tracking”, and make the other settings. Now click “Settings > Working time balance” at the bottom left and enter in the “Working time balance at the start of time tracking” column the values you had in the “Balance” column in the overtime accounts.
From now on, your employees can enter working times in Timebutler or record them via the time clock or the time tracking terminal, and you can use time tracking with all features.