Overview
If your employees are having trouble clocking in from the When I Work web app on their personal computers, follow the steps in this article to troubleshoot and resolve the issue.
Things to know before you begin
- You must have manager or account holder access privileges to perform some troubleshooting steps in this article. If you have employee or supervisor level access, you’ll have to ask for help when you get to those steps.
- When location-based restrictions are enabled, When I Work verifies that employees are clocking in from their scheduled location on their personal computer by checking the IP address of their internet connection.
- If your workplace does not have a static IP address, employees can clock in on a personal computer using their browser’s location services.
The Clock In button is missing
Possible cause: Personal Computer clock in method is disabled
Solution: If the button is missing, the Personal Computer clock in method may be disabled. If you’re a manager or account holder, follow our instructions to allow employees to clock in from their personal computers.
A “no shift” message appears
Possible cause: Employee is clocking in when no shift is scheduled
Solutions:
- If the employee is supposed to be working, add a shift for the employee.
- If you want to allow employees to clock in without a scheduled shift, set How Early Can Employees Clock In for a Shift to Anytime in attendance settings. You must have manager or account holder access privileges to make this change.
Possible cause: Employee trying to clock in too early
The attendance settings allow you prevent employees from clocking in more than 5, 15, or 30 minutes early. This prevents employees from clocking in.
Solutions:
- Tell the employee to wait until their shift starts to clock in.
- If you want to change how early employees can clock in, set How Early Can Employees Clock In for a Shift to 5, 15, or 30 minutes before in attendance settings. You must have manager or account holder access privileges to make this change.
- If you want to allow employees to clock in without a scheduled shift, set How Early Can Employees Clock In for a Shift to Anytime in attendance settings. You must have manager or account holder access privileges to make this change.
Possible cause: Timesheet entry already exists for the shift
Solution: Review the employee’s timesheet and make sure a timesheet entry does not already exist for the shift that they are attempting to clock into.
A “middle of nowhere” message appears
Possible cause: Employee clocking in from wrong location
Solutions:
- Make sure the employee knows where to be when clocking in.
- If you use multiple schedules, make sure the employee’s shifts are on the correct schedule.
Possible cause: Employee is not connected to the workplace’s internet connection
Solutions: Tell the employee to connect to the workplace wifi or network before clocking in.
Possible cause: Incorrect schedule settings
Solution: If the employee is trying to clock in while using the workplace Internet connection at the correct location, the schedule’s IP address may be set incorrectly in When I Work. Make sure the correct IP address is entered in the schedule’s settings.You must be a supervisor, manager, or account holder to make this change.
A “location off” message appears
Possible cause: Incorrect schedule settings
Solution: Make sure the correct IP address is entered in the schedule’s settings. This will allow employees on the workplace Internet connection to clock in without sharing their location. You must be a supervisor, manager, or account holder to make this change.
Possible cause: Employee is not connected to the workplace’s internet connection
Solution: Tell the employee to connect to the workplace wifi or network before clocking in or tell the employee to clock in using the browser’s location services.
Possible cause: The web browser needs permission to send location information
If location-based restrictions are enabled, employees can clock in on their personal computer without connecting to their workplace’s internet by using their browser’s location services. Employees will be able to clock in if the schedule or job site they are clocking into has a street address or custom coordinates entered.
Solution: Tell the employee to give When I Work permission to access location when prompted. If the employee has already denied the location request, the employee may need to reset the browser location permission setting for When I Work. You can reset location permissions on our supported browsers by following these guides:
A continuous “finding location” message appears
Possible cause: More than one schedule or job site with the same address
One address can be entered into the settings of multiple schedules or job sites in the account. However, if an employee is not scheduled for a shift, the web app displays a continuous “Finding location” message when the employee’s location cannot be verified. This happens when employees are allowed to clock in at anytime.
Solutions:
- Schedule the employee for a shift for the schedule and/or job site they are working.
- Tag the employee’s profile to a single schedule if it shares a common address. You must be a supervisor, manager, or account holder to make this change.