Punch Types
In addition to the Hours and Monetary types, there are 9 punch types available for work shift calculations.
  • IN starts a "work" time span
  • OUT ends a "work"  time span
  • BREAK LEAVE ends a "work" time span and starts a "break" time span
  • BREAK RETURN ends a "break" time span and starts a "work" time span
  • LUNCH LEAVE ends a "work" time span and starts a "lunch" time span
  • LUNCH RETURN ends a "break" time span and starts a "work" time span

AUTO punches can become any of the 6 Punch Types listed above. The system converts the "Auto" punch type to a Virtual Punch Type of In, Out, Break Leave, Break Return, Lunch Leave or Lunch Return, based on system rules within your account.  
However, it cannot become Break Leave or Lunch Leave unless the corresponding Return is also an AUTO and the punches become Break or Lunch based on Schedule Rules (Break Within or Lunch Within) - This is because the Virtual Punch Assignment process is a forward moving calculation, with special consideration being made for breaks and lunches caused by the schedule rules.

At any time, a Supervisor or Manager (or even an employee, in certain conditions) can explicitly declare a punch type for any punch, and the system will incorporate that into it's decisions for creating Virtual Punch Types. 

Most clients use "Auto" punch type exclusively.

A special punch type, SWITCH, allows someone to change tasks without clocking out.  This means that it will END one work span and begin another work span within the same shift.

One additional special punch type "NEW SHIFT" exists to give people tools to work around issues with Max Shift Length.  This punch type will END a work span and begin a new work span in a New Shift.  This will restart the "First Punch" timestamp.  If there is not a current open work span, the New Shift punch type will simply start a new shift.


Exceptions

Exceptions happen when punches are unable to properly pair up.  Essentially every start of a time span, requires and end of the time span to happen afterward.  Likewise, every end of a time span requires a start of the time span to have happened ahead of it.


The other Exceptions happen from other violations of rules.  These come from Company Settings and Schedules.  
Company Settings has two items that can trigger Exceptions:
  • Max Shift Length - This rule prevents any shift from extending beyond the Max Shift Length from the First Punch to the Final Punch.  If Max Shift Length is set at 12:00 hours, then any punch 12:01 or more after the First Punch will not be able to join the shift and will cause an exception to occur.
  • Max Off Clock: - This rule prevents any off clock period within the shift from being valid, and will cause an Exception.  An Off Clock period includes Break and Lunch periods.  So if the Off Clock rule is set to 1 hour, and someone has an explicit Lunch Leave and corresponding Lunch Return
The Schedule has one item that can trigger exceptions:
  • Start of Day - This optional field sets a rule that requires the first punch following this time of day MUST be a Clock In.  When this rule is set, any work span that crosses the Start of Day can create an exception.