Understanding the Time Clock in

Overview

BakeSmart’s Time Clock provides a centralized way to capture employee work hours, break activity, and tips using a PIN-based system accessible from the ordering portal. Time clock entries are automatically recorded and organized into time cards, giving managers reliable visibility into labor activity without requiring additional tools or integrations.n.

What This Feature Is

The time clock lets your staff record when they start and end work, take breaks, and optionally log tips. It uses PIN authentication through the ordering portal, and all staff can use it regardless of their role.

How It Works

Clocking In and Out

Staff access the time clock through the order-taking portal and enter their PIN. The system automatically determines whether to clock them in or out based on their current status:

If they are not currently clocked in, they are clocked in
If they are already clocked in, they are clocked out

Clock in types:

In for the day
In from lunch
In from a break

Clock out types:

Out for the day
Out for lunch
Out for a break

When clocking out, staff select which type applies. When clocking back in, the system sets the type automatically based on how they clocked out.

Department Selection

If your bakery has user departments configured and the department prompt is enabled in settings, staff are asked to select their department immediately after clocking in. Departments let you track which area staff are working in for each shift (e.g., "Front Counter", "Kitchen", "Prep").

User departments are separate from product departments. They are created in Settings under Team/Time Clock and are used only for time tracking.

Staff are not permanently assigned to departments — they choose a department each time they clock in, which means the same person can work in different departments on different shifts.

Breaks and Lunch

When staff clock out for a break or lunch and then clock back in:

Paid breaks — If enabled in your settings, break time is tracked and counted as paid time. If a maximum break length is configured and the break runs over, paid time is capped at the maximum.
Paid lunch — If enabled, lunch duration is tracked as paid time.

Break and lunch minutes are recorded separately from regular hours worked.

Tip Entry

If tip entry is enabled in your settings, staff clocking out for the day are prompted to enter any tips they earned during their shift. This is optional — they can skip it. Tip entry only appears when clocking out for the day, not for breaks or lunch.

Hours Summary

After clocking in or out, staff see a summary showing:

Their name and the action taken
Department (if selected)
Today's total hours and tips
This week's total hours and tips

The summary screen automatically redirects back to the login screen after a few seconds. The work week starts on the day configured in your settings (defaults to Sunday).

What Gets Recorded

Each time clock entry records:

Staff member name
Location
Clock in date and time
Clock out date and time
Clock in and out types
Department (if selected)
Minutes worked
Paid break minutes (if applicable)
Tip amount (if entered)

What's Supported Today

PIN-based clock in and out
Three clock out types: end of day, lunch, break
Optional department selection at clock-in
Paid break and paid lunch tracking with configurable maximums
Optional tip entry at end of day
Hours and tips summary (daily and weekly)
Multi-shift support (multiple clock-ins per day)

Limits, Rules, or Constraints

Staff cannot be clocked in twice at the same location. Attempting to clock in while already clocked in will clock them out instead.
There is no automatic clock-out. Staff must clock out manually, or a manager must adjust the time card.
There are no automatic reminders to clock in or out.
Department selection only appears if departments are configured and the prompt is enabled.
Tip entry only appears when clocking out for the day.

Common Questions

What happens if someone forgets to clock out? Their time card stays open with no clock-out time until they clock out the next time they use the time clock, or a manager manually adjusts the time card.

Can someone clock in at multiple locations? The system prevents multiple open time cards at the same location. Clock-in behavior at different locations may vary.

Do staff need a specific role to use the time clock? No. All staff members can clock in and out using their PIN regardless of their assigned role.

What are user departments? User departments are labels for different areas of your bakery (e.g., "Kitchen", "Front Counter"). Staff select their department when clocking in so you can track hours by work area. They are managed in Settings under Team/Time Clock and are separate from product departments.

Understanding Time Cards and Adjustments
Understanding Roles and Permissions

Keywords

time clock, clock in, clock out, PIN, break, lunch, tips, department, hours, time tracking