Quick Start

Clock Workflows

Working with Clock is easy, but you may not find it completely self-explanatory. We have summarised the most important functionalities here.

Logging in

Start by logging in into Clock using your HRZ Account.

We recommend that you use the employee account you receive as a student assistant. Be aware, though, that your work account expires immediately after your contract ends and you may not be able to login anymore.

During your initial login, you will be redirected to the Central Authentication Service of Goethe University (CAS). You will have to enter your password and allow Clock to use your HRZ Account to authenticate you as a user. Your password will not be stored in Clock, login will always be via the CAS website.

You remeina logged in on a device (e.g. mobile, tablet, desktop computer) for 30 days, unless you log off yourself (instead of e.g. merely closing the window). Afterwards, you will have to login with the University once again. Your data remains permanently available, of course.

You can be logged in with several devices. However, you will need to login via CAS for each device separately at least once.

If you log out actively, you will also be logged out on all devices and from all University services connected to the CAS authentiation.

Accepting the privacy agreement

After your first registration, you must give your consent for us to process your data and accept the privacy policy, otherwise you will not be able to use Clock. You can also find more information in the privacy section of this handbook.

You will also be lead through a short onboarding process that will familiarise you with the most important functions of Clock.

Your can skip the entry of your personnel number (you can find it on your pay slip or in the HRZ IDM account self service) for now but you will be asked for it later if you want to hand in your first timesheet. You can also add the personnel number in the settings.

Setting up a Contract

Before you can start working with Clock, you must create a contract. Enter a name to identify the contract, specify the number of hours and the duration. You can also add a carryover if you start using Clock mid-contract and used a different way to record your working time.

If you are using Clock for the first time, you may also enter a carryover as a starting value, which is the basis for the subsequent caluclation of your due working time. If you start during an existing contract period, be careful to start your virtual contract in the actual month.

The contract data must correspond to the actual employment contract you have signed (unless you start clocking during an existing contract). If you have several simultaneous contracts with the university, you must also create corresponding contracts in Clock.

Finding and submitting the reference ID

You will also be shown a reference ID in the contract dialogue which identifies your contract in the TimeVault database. You must send this id to your supervisor/line manager so that they can view your working time documentation later. The reference ID must only be submitted once per contract.

You can generate a new reference ID, e.g. if your supervisor changes or you sent your ID to the wrong person. You will have to sent it again (to the right person).

Submitted working time records will always be accesibly by the old ID (i.e. the ID of the contract upon the time of submission).

Accepting the Privacy Statement

When initialising your very first Contract in Clock, you have to grant us permission to process your data. Therefore, you need to accept the Privacy Statement. For further details, see the chapter on Privacy.

Clocking

• To start a Shift, select the respective contract, and start recording your working time by clicking the clock in button. The current duration of the Shift will be displayed.

• An active Shift is terminated using the clock out button

You may also clock "across devices", e.g. logging on with the desktop PC at work and off again using your mobile later on (after running to catch the subway...). In some cases, you will have to reload the page in order to view the current state of the Shift on the Dashboard.

Entering/changing Shifts manually

Apart from the clocking procedure, you may also enter Shifts manually (and edit them anytime).

New Shifts may be added using the Add Shift Button.

Existing Shifts may be modified by selecting an individual Shift in the Last Activity panel, the Calendar or the Shifts table. You may edit start and end times, add notes and Tags or even assign the Shift to another Contract, e.g. if you have clocked into the wrong contract.

Using the time input fields with the keyboard is rather flexible

• "14" evaluates to "14:00"

• "1402" evaluates to "14:02"

• "142" evaluates to "1:42" (!)

In the Shift View Mode, you may also select several Shifts and delete all Shifts at once or assign all selected Shifts to another Contract.

Scheduling and reviewing Shifts

A Scheduled Shift is a Shift meant to take place in the future.

Accordingly, you may create Shifts in advance if you already know in advance when you will be going to work. It is even possible to create repeating Shifts, e.g. "Tutorial every Wednesday". Of course, you may edit scheduled Shifts like all other Shifts, as well.

Repeating Shifts are not saved as a series, but as individual Shifts. If you delete one of them, the others remain intact.

Reviewing Shifts

A Scheduled Shift will only be added to your Working Time Account after having been individually reviewed. Unreviewed Shifts are easy to recognise in Clock's different View Modes. They are marked with a red ❌ in the Shift Table or have a Tag in the Last Activity panel.

To review a shift, open it for editing and save it again. You can also click on the ❌ in the Shift Table to review the shift.

Validations

Working times are subject to German Law (Working Time Act) and standards defined within a self-commitment made by the Goethe-University.

All shifts will be validated and Clock will show warnings if your shifts conflict with the regulations. Some shifts can not be saved, e.g. on bank holidays. You will finde more information on the page Legal stuff.

Locking and submitting your timesheet

You may request a timesheet and then export a PDF if you wish.

You may repeat the generation of timesheets as often as you like, e.g. if you spot a mistake or forgot to record a Shift.

If all is ready for submission, you can click lock & submit. The recorded data will be transferred to the TimeVault database and stored for 2 years. After that, Shifts may not be modified anymore. Your supervisor can now access your time recording data with the contract's reference ID.

To export a Time Report for a new month, the previous month must be locked. This guarantees that the balance and carry-over of working hours between months is calculated correctly. A lock is final and can only be reverted by the support.

Logging Out

If you wish to logout explicitly, e.g. at a public terminal, you are free to do so anytime. You will then be loggod out of all HRZ services.

Alternatively, you may also simply close the window. In that case, you stay logged in with your current browser.

After 30 days, however, you will definitely have to login again.

Active shifts keep running while you are logged out of Clock.