Employee Time Logger is a WordPress-based employee timekeeping system. Employee Time Logger Lite provides the employee clock and basic time-entry administration. Employee Time Logger Pro adds scheduling, attendance, breaks and lunch, payroll periods, approvals, time off, reporting, a shared kiosk, location verification, and workforce controls.
Applies to: Employee Time Logger Lite 1.4.0 and Employee Time Logger Pro 2.10.0.
Understand the two-plugin setup
Pro extends Lite; it does not replace it. A Pro site must have both plugins installed and active:
- Employee Time Logger Lite — the required time-clock foundation.
- Employee Time Logger Pro — the licensed feature package.
If Pro is deactivated or its license is not active, Lite timekeeping remains available. Existing Pro data is not deleted, but Pro-only pages and actions are locked until access is restored.
Who should complete setup
Use a WordPress Administrator account for installation and initial configuration. After setup, day-to-day responsibilities can be divided among employees, supervisors, payroll managers, and administrators.
| Person | Typical responsibilities |
|---|---|
| Employee | Clock in and out, record breaks and lunch, add completed time, request corrections and time off, and submit timesheets when enabled. |
| Supervisor | Review assigned team members, schedules, time-off requests, corrections, and timesheet submissions within the supervisor's scope. |
| Payroll manager | Review organization-wide time, resolve exceptions, approve periods, and create payroll exports. |
| Administrator | Install plugins, manage licenses, features, policies, privacy controls, users, and system diagnostics. |
Recommended implementation sequence
- Prepare WordPress. Confirm the site timezone, HTTPS, backups, email delivery, and scheduled tasks.
- Install Lite first. Activate Lite and confirm that one Time Logger menu appears.
- Install Pro second. Activate Pro, then activate the license under Time Logger > Settings > License.
- Run Guided Setup. Create or select the employee clock page, choose employees, configure the pay-period cadence, and choose basic overtime and reminder settings.
- Choose features. Open Time Logger > Settings > Features. Enable only the modules and sub-features the organization will use.
- Configure policies. Review General, Payroll Rules, Workforce Policies, Notifications, Time Off, Leave Profiles, Scheduling, and Kiosk settings as applicable.
- Prepare employees. Confirm employee accounts, employment statuses, administrator-employees, teams, supervisors, projects, rates, leave balances, schedules, and kiosk PINs.
- Run an acceptance test. Use a separate test employee account to complete an entire shift and payroll cycle.
- Train users. Give employees the clock-page URL and your company procedures for missed punches, breaks, lunch, time off, and corrections.
- Go live at a period boundary. Starting at the beginning of a new pay period makes comparison and troubleshooting easier.
Administrator menu map
Employee Time Logger uses one main WordPress menu named Time Logger. The submenu is organized into five sections. Selecting a section opens tabs across the top of the page.
| Submenu | Tabs and uses |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Dashboard, Time Entries, and Corrections. Use this section for daily activity and entry review. |
| Workforce | Employees, Schedule, Time Off, Leave Profiles, Teams, and Kiosk. |
| Payroll | Pay Periods, Approvals, Reports, and Projects. |
| Settings | Guided Setup, General, Payroll Rules, Workforce Policies, Notifications, Features, and License. |
| Tools | Audit Log, Deleted Entries, Data & Privacy, and System Status. |
Tabs are permission-aware and feature-aware. If a tab is missing, first check the current user's permissions and then check Time Logger > Settings > Features.
Minimum test before inviting employees
- Create one test employee who is not a WordPress Administrator.
- Open the clock page in a separate private browser window and sign in as that employee.
- Clock in and confirm the Current Shift panel appears.
- Start and end a break. Start and end lunch. Confirm the system never permits both at the same time.
- Clock out and confirm the entry appears in the employee's history.
- As an administrator, open Time Logger > Dashboard > Time Entries. Confirm start, end, break, lunch, and payable hours.
- Submit a correction request and verify that the existing values populate before editing.
- If scheduling is enabled, publish a shift and confirm it appears for the employee.
- If payroll is enabled, place the entry in a pay period, submit and approve the timesheet, export it, and compare the file with the on-screen totals.
- If email is enabled, confirm delivery to both the employee and manager and review the notification delivery log.
Decisions to make before configuration
- Which people must record time, and which administrators are also employees?
- What is the first day of the workweek and the pay-period cadence?
- Are breaks and lunch paid, unpaid, recorded live, or entered as total minutes?
- Are employees allowed to add completed shifts manually?
- Will schedules be informational, or must an employee have a published shift before clocking in?
- Are projects required? Which payroll employee IDs and project cost codes are required by the payroll provider?
- Which supervisors may see which employees?
- Which notification types should be sent, and to whom?
- Will a shared kiosk or location verification be used?
- How long must deleted entries, coordinates, delivery logs, and audit records be retained?
Data and compliance responsibilities
Time, payroll, schedule, leave, audit, kiosk, and configuration records are stored in the site's WordPress database. The site owner is responsible for access control, backups, retention, employee notices, and applicable employment rules. Overtime, meal, sick-leave, and vacation settings are configurable administrative tools; they are not legal advice and do not determine whether a policy complies with a particular jurisdiction.
Related articles
- System Requirements and Before-You-Install Checklist
- Installing Employee Time Logger Lite and Pro
- Completing the Guided Setup
- Enabling and Disabling Pro Features and Sub-Features
- Troubleshooting Employee Time Logger Pro
