I'm in a meeting with a local organization the other day and in response to some questions about this topic I say "Check the blog! I'm sure something is there..." So I check this morning and after pulling my foot out of my mouth I realize I have to get something up here. I said, so it has to be!
These configuration options in Kronos Timekeeper / ADP eTime determine how people get PAID and how ATTENDANCE is tracked.
Exceptions are flags that alert Supervisors when employees work outside of their assigned shifts. Exceptions serve no other function and they only work with accurate schedules in the system. They appear in the Timecard Editor, outlined in red. and also on reports. They indicate missed punches, absences, late punches, and so on.
Rounding rules ensure that pay rules are applied consistently to a group of employees. (Some think that rounding also makes payroll processing more efficient because rounded punches are easier to interpret than real-time punches. Others believe in not using rounding and pay minute to minute.)
Rounding is defined using a round and a grace. The round divides an hour into equal increments of time. The grace is the increment after which the punch is rounded forward to the next round increment. You can use interval rounding or punch rounding. Interval rounding rounds the time between an in-punch and an out-punch. Punch rounding rounds the in-punch and the out-punch.
One needs to decide how to handle this and it's often buried using different terms in the policy manuals. Don't be stuck by those though, implementation of Kronos is a great time to review what's really best for the organization. So often I find that the lack of understanding of this simple topic leads to inaccurate configuration and sometimes pay. With this in mind, please consider separating, first in your mind, Pay from Attendance...
Chris Flanders adds a helpful note from a scheduling perspective...
"If you use rounding rules but do not keep your advanced scheduler start & end times on quarter hour increments, the schedule start/end times will OVERRIDE the rounding at the timecard. For example, if an employee is scheduled to start at 7:00am and punches in at 6:55am, the punch will be rounded to 7:00am. But if the scheduled start time is 6:55am just like the punch, the punch won't be rounded! The scheduled start time overrides the rounding rule."