Time clock
Record clock-in and clock-out on a phone, in the office or on a tablet — incl. an automatic mandatory break
→ Open the time clock in SimpliServ · Open the tablet terminal
The time clock records when each staff member arrives at work and when they leave. From this, SimpliServ builds the hours balance, compares it with the target from the employment contract and shows plus or minus hours.
There are two ways to clock:
- Self-clocking – each staff member clocks from their own SimpliServ account (e.g. on their phone or their own computer)
- Tablet time clock – a shared tablet at the entrance. Everyone enters their PIN and clocks.
Both ways write to the same data source – you can also combine them.
Self-clocking
Log into SimpliServ
On a phone or computer.
Click Clock in at the top
A small time clock is always visible in the header.
Work
During working time the staff member is "clocked in". In the header you see the running duration.
Take a break
Click Start break (coffee icon). During the break, working time doesn't continue. Click End break when you continue working.
Clock out at the end of the day
The entry is completed and flows into the time report. If a break is still running, it's cleanly completed automatically.
You can't be clocked in twice at once. If you forget to clock out and want to clock in again the next day, the system points this out.
Automatic mandatory break
SimpliServ enforces the statutory minimum break after 6 hours of working time. If you forget to press Break manually, the system puts you on a break automatically.
How it works
Shift runs for 6 hours
As soon as the worked time (= shift duration minus breaks already taken) reaches 6 hours and the statutory minimum break isn't yet met, the system starts the break automatically.
"Mandatory break (auto)" badge
A note is shown immediately in the clocking widget and on the clocking page. The End-break button disappears — the break can't be ended early.
The mandatory duration is kept automatically
Once the minimum-break duration has elapsed (e.g. 30 min in AT/DE), the system ends the break by itself. Working time counts again automatically.
End a mandatory break early
Not possible. Anyone who wants to keep working before the minimum break is over can only clock out directly. That ends the shift, the break is cleanly completed, and the worked hours are calculated correctly.
Which break duration applies depends on the country of the staff member's location:
- AT/DE: 30 min from 6 hrs (DE additionally 45 min from 9 hrs)
- CH: 30 min from 6 hrs (60 min from 9 hrs)
- IT: 10 min from 6 hrs (30 min from 9 hrs)
- ES: 15 min from 6 hrs
- FR: 20 min from 6 hrs
The country is determined via the staff member's location.
Turn the mandatory break on/off manually
In Settings → Time clock an admin can disable the break function entirely (e.g. if you record breaks differently). Then the break buttons also disappear.
Tablet time clock (for shared devices)
For workshops, warehouses or shops you place a tablet at the entrance. Each staff member selects their name, enters their PIN – done. No login, no staff account on the tablet, no data of other customers.
Set up the tablet
Create a tablet
In Settings → Time clock → Tablets you click New tablet and enter a name (e.g. "Workshop entrance").
Copy the access code
After creation, a one-time access code appears. It's shown only now. Copy it immediately.
If you forget the code: delete the tablet and create it again. For security reasons it can't be shown again.
Set it up on the tablet
On the tablet, open the time-clock address in the browser and enter the code once. The tablet is then permanently active as a time clock.
Distribute PINs to staff
Each staff member needs a four-digit PIN. The staff member sets the PIN themselves or you as an admin – see the next section.
Set & reset a PIN
A PIN is a 4-digit number and replaces the password at the tablet. The same PIN is also used for Switch user in the profile menu.
- Set it yourself: Settings → User settings → "Attendance PIN" card. The PIN can also be changed or removed there at any time — see Attendance PIN.
- Set as admin: in the staff list, click the staff member → "Attendance PIN" card, or "Set PIN" in the … menu. Pass this PIN to the staff member.
- Reset a PIN: in the staff detail (
/dashboard/admin/users/<id>) use "Change PIN" to assign a new one — the old PIN is not needed for that. See Reset passwords & PINs.
Staff change their own PIN by entering the old one. If the PIN is forgotten, an admin sets a new one without knowing the old.
How the staff member clocks at the tablet
- Tap the staff name from the list
- Enter the PIN
- Clock in, Start break, End break or Clock out
That's it. Live updates: all tablets and all logged-in self-service tabs sync in real time (WebSocket) — when someone clocks, all other devices see it immediately.
Anyone on a mandatory break can only clock out at the tablet — the end-break button is hidden. The same rule as in self-service.
Clocked-in requirement (optional)
In Settings → Time clock you can enable that staff can only use SimpliServ when they're clocked in. That ensures no working time stays unrecorded.
When enabled:
- Staff not clocked in see a lock screen with "Please clock in to continue"
- Self-service clocking directly on the lock screen is possible (if allowed) or a note points to the terminal
- The logout button stays visible on the lock screen
- Admins (with the permission
attendance.bypass_gate) don't see the lock screen — they can enter the app at any time without clocking. It's inherited automatically viaattendance.admin.
Correct errors
Clocked times can be adjusted afterwards – e.g. when someone forgot to clock out.
Open the entry
In the staff member's time overview, click the day.
Adjust the times
Add the start, end, break minutes or a note.
Save
The hours balance is recalculated automatically.
Normally not every staff member may correct their own times. This action is only unlocked for people with the corresponding permission ("Manage time clock").
What happens in the background?
Every time someone is clocked out or in, SimpliServ calculates:
- Worked hours for the day = end time − start time − break minutes (manual + automatic)
- Target for the day from the active employment contract (weekends and holidays count as 0)
- Balance change = worked − target
The balance runs along as "plus/minus hours". You see it in the time report.
Real-time updates
All clocking views (self-service header, clocking page, tablet kiosk) update live via WebSocket — no manual refresh needed:
- A staff member clocks in on their own phone → their status appears immediately on the workshop tablet
- A cron starts a mandatory break for someone → the break badge appears live on their phone
- Another operator clocks someone out at the terminal → all tablets + self-service tabs sync
Related topics
- Time reports & balance — where the clocked hours flow as plus/minus hours
- Employment contracts — provide the daily target the clocked times are offset against
- Roster & shifts — planned shifts compared to the actually clocked times
- Leave & sick days — absences that are taken into account in the same hours account
- Users & roles — set the clocking PIN and assign the
attendance.admin/attendance.bypass_gatepermissions
How is this guide?