Time Clocks
Time clocks are devices that record the times at which employees start and end the work day by printing the time on media called time cards. When employees start or end the work day at a company, they insert their time card into the time clock, which prints the date and time to create a record of when the employee arrived or left. There are different types of time clocks for different applications, including mechanical time clocks, electronic time clocks, time clocks with aggregating functions, and system time clocks. In addition to a basic structure of a clock, card feeder and printer, mechanical models have automatic end-of-month adjustment, time signals and other functions. Electronic models have programs about starting/ending work on IC chips, and support features such as irregular work. Models with aggregating functions can aggregate data of both regular employees and part-timers or other irregular employees. They support the calculation of wages including overtime hours. System time clocks use ID cards and enter work information into a computer to calculate wages.