Overview

This document provides an overview of Punch Time. It includes links to additional documents that support each process step.

In a Punch Time department, there are two basic sets of roles and responsibilities – the employees who punch in and out of time clocks, and the staff who approve the time.

  1. Employees – "Punching in and out" means employees swipe their Mcards (yellow U-M ID cards) on electronic time clocks when they begin and end each work shift.
  2. Administrative Staff – Each department delegates and assigns tasks differently among their administrative staff. Some supervisors only approve their employees’ reported time, while others perform additional timekeeping tasks.

    The Time and Labor (TL) roles and the M-Pathways tasks they enable are:
    • Time Reporter Data User – This access is unique to Punch Time units. It is used to set up employees to use their department’s specific time clocks, and to set up their Punch timesheets in M-Pathways.
    • Punch Time Entry User – This is for staff who only approve employees’ time on a timesheet and enter edits/additions to the reported time. Time Entry users (described next) have this same access, so they do not need this separate role.
    • Time Entry Users – This provides access to the Time and Labor pages used for all of the electronic timekeeping methods. Punch Time is different than other electronic time entry since time is collected via time clocks, and the timesheets display punch times. Units that implement Punch Time should already have timekeepers with this role.

Punch Time Departments are responsible for the cost of the time clocks and licensing fees. MAIS is responsible for the cost of the servers and the M-Pathways system.

Punch Time Process

Similar to other methods of electronic time entry, the Punch Time process follows eight basic steps. These steps require either the Time Entry Users or Punch Time Entry User role, unless noted otherwise.

1. Maintain Time Reporter Data

Description Punch Time units maintain Time Reporter Data to ensure employees are set up for specific Punch Time system requirements.
Punch Time Tasks When an employee enters or leaves a Punch Time unit:
  • Update the employee’s Time Reporter Type data
  • Add the employee to the correct Time Clock Device (TCD)
  • Verify the EmplID on the Badge Detail page matches the employee’s MCard
Note: Requires Time Entry Users role
Supporting Documentation Maintain Time Reporter Data - Step-by-Step Procedure
Job Data for Timekeepers - Field Descriptons

2. Maintain Groups

Description

Departments maintain or manage groups of employees in the Time and Labor module of M-Pathways so that the groups can be used with search prompts instead of individual employees, which makes time entry and review more efficient.

Static Groups are manually updated by timekeepers as employees enter or leave a unit. Dynamic Groups are created with specific M-Pathways Human Resources Management System (HRMS) criteria that populate the groups automatically via a nightly process.

Punch Time Tasks When an employee enters or leaves a Punch Time unit:
  • Add or remove the employee from a Static Group
Note: Requires Time Entry Users role
Supporting Documentation Choosing Dynamic or Static Groups
Maintain a Static Group - Step-By-Step Procedure
Job Data for Timekeepers - Field Descriptions

3. Maintain Schedules

Description The term '"schedule'" refers to an M-Pathways template that identifies the work hours for a calendar week.
Punch Time Tasks Departments with employees that work afternoon/evening or night shifts can use schedules to make it easier to report the shift differential on the Enter Time page
Note: Requires Time Entry Users role
Supporting Documentation Assign a Schedule to an Employee
Assign a Work Schedule to an Ad Hoc Group

4. Review Leave Balances

Description It is important to review employees’ leave balances to prevent over usage of leave time.
Punch Time Tasks Reviewing Leave Balances may be done by:
  • Viewing leave balances at the top of each employee’s timesheet
  • Running a public query for a group of employees
Supporting Documentation Public Queries for Timekeepers
Run an Existing (Public) Query Using the Query Viewer - Step-By-Step Procedure

5. Report, Edit, and Approve Time

Description In a Punch Time department, time needs to be both reported and then approved in M-Pathways.

Each day, the approver should review, edit, and approve the timesheet for their employees. Once approved, the Reported Time is processed by the nightly Time Administration process. This creates the Payable Time that is then processed by Payroll.
Punch Time Tasks Employees – Punch in and out of work, and request/notify supervisors of exceptions to normal work schedules.

Timekeeper or Approver

Use the Punch tab to:
  • Review punch times and hours
  • Edit punch times or change Time Reporting Codes (TRCs)
  • Enter and submit changes (e.g., overtime)
  • Approve the time
  • Resolve Exception Time (e.g., missed punches)

    Note: Time Administration is a nightly process that creates Payable Time based on Reported Time that was approved without errors. If there is a time reporting error, it creates Exception Time (errors).
Use the Elapsed tab to quickly report the same TRC for a span of time (e.g., a week of vacation).
Supporting Documentation Approve, Edit, and Report Time for Punch Employees – Step-by-Step Procedure
Resolve Exception Time in Punch Time Units – Support Material

6. Review Time at the End of Pay Period

Description At the end of each pay period, it is important for the timekeepers to review Payable Time before it is processed for payroll. This ensures time was reported correctly, and provides another opportunity to identify and resolve Exception Time (errors) created by Time Administration.
Punch Time Tasks Review Reported and Exception Time directly on the timesheet. Run public queries to review Payable Time.
Supporting Documentation Public Queries for Punch Time
Public Queries for Timekeepers
Run an Existing (Public) Query Using the Query Viewer - Step-By-Step Procedure

7. Complete Approvals Before Deadline

Description Punch time departments do not normally need to make last minute changes to Reported Time because they review and approve time more frequently than other units.
Punch Time Tasks If step 6 (review time) reveals changes that need to be made, use the Enter Time page to enter, submit, and approve the changes before 10:00 a.m. on the Tuesday following the pay period.
Supporting Documentation Approve, Edit, and Report Time for Punch Employees – Step-by-Step Procedure

8. Enter Prior Period Adjustments

Description A Prior Period Adjustment (PPA) is a change or addition to earnings that were already processed for a prior payroll.
Punch Time Tasks To correct an employee’s pay or leave balances, enter a Normal PPA on the Enter Time page. If there is no impact to pay or leave balances, enter a record-only adjustment (a.k.a. adjust paid time) to change the record of Payable Time without payroll processing.
Supporting Documentation Enter a Normal Adjustment - Step-by-Step Procedure
Adjust Paid Time – Step-by-Step Procedure