Add attendance records by hand for cases the system failed to capture. Used at the right time, it saves the payroll; used carelessly, it destroys the whole value of automated time & attendance.
When manual entry is allowed
| Situation | Enter manually? | The right approach |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance machine broken for the whole day | Yes | Enter manually for the entire affected group, stating the reason clearly |
| Widespread power or network outage | Yes | Enter manually based on the shift manager's log |
| Employee on a business trip somewhere without coverage | Yes | Enter manually along with the approved business trip request |
| Employee forgot to clock in | No | Have the employee submit an explanation request — see B6-23 |
| Employee arrived late and asks to have it ignored | No | This is a disciplinary issue, not a data issue |
| Timesheet is missing working days for no clear reason | No | Look for the cause in the configuration first |
Principle: manual entry is for system errors; explanation requests are for human errors. Mixing the two makes the timesheet lose its value as evidence, and teaches employees that asking HR to fix things is all it takes.
Steps
- Go to Time & Attendance › Time & Attendance › Attendance Data.
- Click Manual Entry in the top-right corner.
- Select the employee, date, clock-in time and clock-out time.
- State the reason clearly in the notes field.
- Save, then check that the timesheet has been updated correctly.
IMAGES TO BE ADDED — the Manual Entry window with the fields to fill in
Leave an audit trail
- Every manually entered record appears in the Edit History tab along with the person who made it.
- Always state a reason. Three months later when an auditor asks, the note is the only thing that can explain it.
- For widespread incidents, send an internal announcement letting employees know HR has handled it — so people don't each come asking.
Permissions
Grant manual entry permission to only a few people. This permission can directly change the basis for payroll, so review in Settings › Permissions (article B1-09) how many users currently have it.
