A work time rule generates general working time for selected users based on the specified weekdays and times. Log entry types let you classify time-based and quantity-based entries. Permissions to handle other users' entries are configured separately.
Configure these settings in the browser as an administrator. Work time rules require the organization's working time feature to be enabled. Lunch entries saved on Android and iOS affect the same automatic calculation.
Creating a work time rule
- In the main menu, open Manage user accounts → Work time rules and select Create new rule at the top of the page. To open an existing rule, click its name in the list.
- In the Basic info section, enter a Name, Status and, if needed, a Description. The status used by the automation is In use.
- Check the In use selection in the Automatic calculation of working time section. Automatic calculation is enabled by default for a new rule. Default type is locked to Working time: the rule generates general working time, rather than time for tasks or service requests. This field does not select the entry's Type, which is configured below.
- Under Days of the week and hours, select the days to process and set their start and end times. The default times are 08:00 and 16:00; also check which days are selected. Working time on each weekday row shows the difference between the times before the lunch reduction. Keep the period within the same day: the automation does not interpret an earlier end time as a time on the following day.
- Under Lunch reduction (h), configure Automatic lunch reduction on working days? and Amount of reduction (h). By default, the reduction is enabled and the amount is 0.5 hours, or half an hour.
- In the Roles and users associated with the rule section, open User roles or Users. Move the desired roles and users from the list on the left to the list of selected items on the right.
- Save a new rule using the Create new rule button at the bottom of the form. For an edited rule, the save button is Save.
The rule applies to both directly selected users and members of the selected mobile and manager roles. Selecting a user directly does not give the rule priority over a rule assigned through a role. Administrators do not appear in the direct user selection.
When does the automation generate entries?
The automation checks every 15 minutes for the current day in the organization's time zone. Saving does not generate entries immediately or fill in missing hours for previous days. The rule must be in use, automatic calculation must be enabled and the weekday must be selected. Processing for the day begins only after the specified start time has been reached.
If several rules apply to a user, the most recently updated rule that is eligible for processing at that moment takes precedence. If the weekday is disabled in the newer rule or its start time has not yet been reached, an older rule may be processed. However, an obstacle to creating an entry under the winning rule does not move the user to the next rule for processing. Editing an existing rule can therefore also change its priority.
When creation is possible, the automation starts a general working time entry at the rule's start time. The entry is initially Ongoing. Once the end time has been reached, the automation can end it during a later check, changing the entry to Completed.
Automatic ending applies to an ongoing general working time entry whose start time exactly matches the rule's start time for that day. This can also apply to an entry started manually. The rule does not end an entry started at another time at this end time.
Existing entries can prevent a new automatic entry. The checks take into account entries other than task and service request entries, such as general working time, sick leave, vacation and lunch. Creation is blocked if such an entry is ongoing, if its start or end falls within the rule's period, including its boundaries, or if the entry covers the entire period. A lunch entry saved within the rule's period before automatic working time starts can therefore also prevent it from starting. Task and service request time is excluded from these automation checks.
The Preview for manual entries uses the most recently updated applicable rule among overlapping rules for the entire selected period. It does not switch to an older rule on a weekday disabled in that rule, as the automation can. Avoid unnecessary overlapping rules and check both the preview and the entries actually saved. See recording working time.
Public holidays and other holidays
Add a day off using the Add new day button under Public holidays and other holidays on the rule form. Enter the Day, a Definition if needed, the Year and the Amount in hours. The row's Default type is locked to Paid leave. To remove an unnecessary row, click the trash icon on its right and save the rule.
A day off does not simply mean skipping the day. When the automation recognizes a day off and no existing entry prevents creation, it generates a Vacation entry starting at the rule's start time for that weekday and lasting the specified number of hours. For example, a start time of 08:00 and an amount of 8 generate a vacation entry from 08:00 to 16:00. The weekday must still be enabled. The working day's lunch reduction is not applied to the vacation entry.
Automatic calculation recognizes a day off based on the full date in the Day field, including the year. You cannot rely on the Every year selection to repeat automatic vacation entries annually, even though the preview for manual entries recognizes annually recurring days off. For the automation, add a separate row with the correct date for each required year and check the resulting vacation entry.
Entry duration and absence limits also apply to automatic entries. Too many hours or a conflict with other entries can prevent saving. See maximum entry duration and absences.
How is the lunch reduction saved?
When automatic calculation ends a working time entry, it takes into account a Lunch entry the user has already saved for the same local calendar day. The day is determined by the start date of the general working time entry, and the lunch must start on that day. The difference between the recorded lunch's start and end times is then deducted from working time instead of the rule's lunch reduction amount, and no additional lunch entry is created. This also applies to lunch recorded in the Android or iOS app. An already recorded lunch is deducted even if the rule's automatic lunch reduction is disabled.
If there is no lunch entry for the day and automatic lunch reduction is enabled, the calculation deducts the time specified in the rule and creates a separate lunch entry at the end of the working day. If the reduction is disabled and no lunch has been saved, the end time is not shortened and no lunch entry is generated.
The reduction is applied by moving the saved end time of the general working time entry earlier. For example, a working day from 08:00 to 16:00 with a half-hour reduction generates 7.5 hours of working time: the general entry runs from 08:00 to 15:30 and the lunch entry from 15:30 to 16:00. If an hour-long lunch has already been recorded for the day, 7 hours of working time are generated and the general entry's end time becomes 15:00. The earlier lunch entry retains its own start and end times.
The reduction does not move the general entry's end time earlier than its start time. The saved duration of a completed time entry is rounded up to whole minutes: for example, 7 hours, 30 minutes and 1 second is saved as 451 minutes. Check the end time and recorded duration, and do not interpret the shortened end time as the actual time the user left work.
Creating and maintaining log entry types
Open Settings in the main menu, select the tab also named Settings, and open Time tracking settings → Log Entry Types. Select Add type at the top of the type list. To open an existing type, click its name.
Enter a Name and Code for the type, an optional description, a Unit type, a Status and at least one Main log types selection. Save a new type using Add type and changes using Save. Both the name and code must be unique; the name and code of a type that was used and later deleted also remain reserved.
Main log types determine which entries can use the type. The options are General, Task and Service request. General is available only when the working time feature is enabled. You can select several main log types for the same type. A type does not turn a task entry into general working time, and it is not the same as the log type Lunch or Vacation.
A Unit type of Time means a duration calculated from the start and end times. Pcs means a quantity greater than zero, rather than working hours or a running timer. A quantity-based entry has no time duration. Hours and quantities are separate units in the report.
An inactive type is removed from the type selections for new entries, but existing entries remain. You can make the type active again later. Once a type has entries, its unit type cannot be changed. You also cannot remove a main log type in which it has already been used. Changing the name and code updates the shared type, so its current name and code also appear in the details of existing entries.
Deletion is different from inactivity. Delete a type using the trash icon on its row in the list and review the confirmation. An unused type is deleted completely. A used type is marked as deleted and removed from the management list, but its associated entries and their type reference remain. If you only want to stop using the type in new entries, set it to inactive.
After saving, try creating a new entry in the selected main log type and verify that the active type is available and that the input matches its unit type.
Handler permissions and checking the results
Associating a user with a work time rule does not itself give them permission to handle other users' hours. As an administrator, open Manage user accounts → User roles and edit the manager user role using the pencil icon on its row. On the role form, open Other management and its Working time monitoring row.
Select the required Create, Read, Edit and Delete permissions. Under Additional options on the row, limit the users covered by selecting the target roles, or select Permit all if the permissions should apply to everyone. Save the role and make sure the handler belongs to it. Read permission alone does not grant permission to edit or approve entries. Also check the user's other roles and the permissions they provide. See configuring manager user permissions.
Reopen the saved work time rule and check its status, automation, weekdays, times, days off, lunch reduction and assigned users and roles. Then open Working time monitoring in the main menu, filter for the correct user and day, and check the entry generated after the automation checks. Verify the log type, start and end times, duration and any separate lunch or vacation entry. Also use the handler's account to check that they can see and handle only the intended entries.
Changing a rule does not correct entries that have already been completed. Deleting a rule or changing its Status to Not in use does not delete previous entries. Disabling automation also stops further processing of the rule, so entries already ongoing must be checked and, if necessary, ended separately. Changing the start time during the day can prevent an entry started at the old start time from ending automatically.
Completed does not mean approved or processed. Check the entries before approving time entries. Checking totals and final processing are described in the working time report and entry processing.