Real-time information processing can be defined in many ways depending on the environment it's being used. When referring to employee time and attendance data, real-time operation is completely undelayed; that is to say it is not stored and forwarded after any duration. Events are processed at the time of input, whether by an employee, a manager, a supervisor or an administrator. In true, real-time operation, direct communication with the intelligence of TimeClock Plus residing on the host computer ensures that established labor policies are enforced as each transaction is attempted. Thus, an employee attempting to clock in 10 minutes earlier than schedule restrictions allow, will be rejected (depending on configuration) until within the allowed time of day. Similarly, an employee who has met a pre-set allowable limit for overtime this week may be restricted from clocking in, and directed to contact a manager for approval. This prevents the need for corrections "after the fact", as other time and attendance systems using quasi real-time operation require.

adj. Of or relating to, computer systems that update information at the same rate as they receive input, enabling them to direct or control a process or event without delay.

Quasi real-time operation, when referring to time and attendance system operations may include the storing and forwarding of information gathered by data collection devices, as quickly as every second.  While timely and by no means considered slow, this type of data gathering and eventual processing after the fact, is wrought with drawbacks.  System intelligence is bypassed normally controlling things such as schedule restrictions, overtime restrictions, long breaks, etc.   When this information is passed along to the host for processing, as soon as one second after the completion of the transaction, these bypassed restrictions are flagged as exceptions and must be addressed and corrected prior to payroll processing.   Using TimeClock Plus in true real-time operation, this practice is not allowed.

The evolution of employee time keeping has advanced from the days of written logs to mechanical time stamps using heavy cards, to devices that actually remember time in and calculate total shift time when clocking out. Technology then brought in electronic devices that collect time punches and store them for later use, with the more advanced models allowing management to transfer the collected information to a computer (polling devices) for calculation and eventual payroll processing.

While these advances have brought businesses through two world wars, several moon visits, and into the Information Age, they equate to the improvements made to the typewriter during the same span of historical technology - 1990's improvements on a 1940's concept. Today's business mandates a far more dynamic tool to manage employee labor.

TimeClock Plus' ability to record, track, and report employee information in real time, up-to-the-second, is paramount to its status as the leader in our industry's advancements. Management's ability to make decisions 'on the fly' where labor costs significantly affect bottom lines, creates unmatched value in our concept.