If you thought that clocking in was a thing of the past, think again.  The large mahogany clocking in machines of yesteryear are now more likely to adorn the walls of a fashionable bar or decorate the entrance hall of a smart Soho flat but the need to keep track of employees working hours hasn't gone away.

As the move towards flexible working continues more people will be working at times and in locations better suited to their personal circumstances.  The clocking in machine's hayday may be just around the corner.  But you can forget about wooden clocks, steel punches and manilla coloured cardboard, the new generation of timekeeping devices utilise modern technology to help you capture, store and analyse your workforce's labours.

The Time Recording Starter Kit from CHIPDRIVE is a smartcard-based time tracking system.  The small digital clocking terminal is wireless which means that it can be installed practically anywhere and the associated software was simple to install clear in its interface.  The cards themselves are credit card sized with an embedded chip, I suspect it would be relatively cheap and easy to get these branded or even easier to write on them with market pen. 

The starter kit comes with a smartcard reader, timeclock, mounting bracket and 25 cards.  The system can handle up to 150 users with just the purchase of additional user cards.  If you have a dispersed workforce you can also buy additional clocking terminals and card readers with the data simply being sent to the administrator via the internet.

We Liked

The system is simple to set up and use but provides the a huge amount of data.  For example a user can allocate their time to specific projects, which would suit companies who provide services for a range of clients and need to accurately bill each according to the time spent working on them.  The hardware was solidly built and passed the patented LaunchLab “drop test” with no visible harm, it should have little trouble dealing with cack-handed employees.

We didn't like

Not much.  There wasn't anything about the system that under performed, it is very good at doing what it does.  Maybe it's just me but I think I would feel uncomfortable getting the worker bees here at LaunchLab Towers to clock in, our team is paid to produce rather than to attend.  I appreciate that all companies are different, so if you need to keep a close eye on minutes this system is for you.

Rating

By LaunchLab.co.uk  on   Nov 21,2008

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flexible working      

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