Employee who does not clock in is generating negative hours: what should I check?

When an employee is assigned to a Schedule, the platform considers that they have planned hours to complete on the configured days.

If the employee does not record punches on those days, the difference between the planned hours and the recorded hours may generate Missing Hours, a negative Hours Bank balance, or absences, according to the rules applied.

This scenario is common when:

• An employee who does not need to clock in was added to a Schedule;
• The Schedule was applied from a date earlier than the start of the punches;
• The employee stopped recording punches but remained assigned to the Schedule;
• The Schedule start date was entered incorrectly.

In these cases, negative hours do not necessarily indicate a calculation issue. They may be the result of planned hours without the corresponding punches.

1. Confirm whether the employee should record punches

Before changing the configuration, confirm whether the employee:

• Should record punches normally;
• Will start recording punches only from a future date;
• Does not need to record punches for the company.

This determines whether the employee should remain assigned to a Schedule.

The employee should record punches

They must be assigned to an active Schedule starting from the date when they started or will start recording punches.

The employee should not record punches

They should not remain assigned to a Schedule with planned hours, because the absence of punches may generate Missing Hours or other negative results.

For employees who do not record punches, we recommend keeping them outside Schedules and outside the main Payment Group used for the company's attendance calculations.

2. Check the result in Super Punch

To identify whether the negative hours are related to the Schedule:

1. Go to Attendance;
2. Remain on the Super Punch tab;
3. Select the employee;
4. Choose the period in which the Missing Hours or negative balance were generated;
5. Check the Schedule column;
6. Verify whether a Schedule is applied on the days when the employee did not record punches;
7. Review the planned, worked, missing, and Hours Bank columns available in the view.

A common indication of this scenario is finding:

• An applied Schedule;
• Planned hours for the day;
• No Entry, break, or Exit punches;
• Worked Hours equal to zero;
• Missing Hours or a negative Hours Bank balance.

Example:

• The Schedule requires 08:00 of work;
• The employee did not record any punches;
• The platform identifies that the 8 planned hours were not completed;
• The day may generate 08:00 of Missing Hours or a negative balance, according to the Pay Policy.

3. Check the Schedule start date

Even when the employee should record punches, the Schedule must start on the correct date.

Check:

• The date from which the employee was added to the Schedule;
• The date on which they actually started recording punches;
• Whether the Schedule was applied from the hire date even though attendance tracking started later;
• Whether there is an earlier period in which the employee should not have had planned hours.

Example:

• The employee was hired on 07/01;
• They were supposed to start recording punches only on 07/15;
• The Schedule was applied from 07/01;
• Because there were no punches between 07/01 and 07/14, this period may show incorrect negative hours.

In this case, the Schedule should be applied from the date when the employee was actually supposed to start recording punches.

Important: do not use an earlier date only to preserve the registration history. The Schedule effective period should represent the period when the employee was actually subject to the planned working hours.

4. Remove the employee from the Schedule when they should not clock in

If the employee does not need to record punches:

1. Go to Schedules;
2. Open the Schedule the employee is assigned to;
3. Go to the Employees tab;
4. Locate the employee;
5. Remove or end their assignment to the Schedule;
6. Set the correct date from which they should no longer have planned hours;
7. Save the change.

After the correction, review the period again in Super Punch.

Important: the date used when removing the employee should correspond to the moment when they stopped being subject to the Schedule. An incorrect date may keep planned hours in periods when the employee should not have been recording punches.

5. Add the employee to the Schedule only from the start of their punches

If the employee did not previously record punches but will start doing so:

1. Confirm the date when attendance recording will begin;
2. Go to the Schedule that should be applied;
3. Open the Employees tab;
4. Add the employee;
5. Enter the first day on which they should record punches as the start date;
6. Save the configuration.

Example:

• The employee did not record punches through 07/31;
• They will start recording on 08/01;
• The Schedule should be applied starting on 08/01.

This way, previous days will not receive planned hours from that Schedule.

6. When is it necessary to keep a Schedule?

The Schedule should remain applied when the employee:

• Needs to record Entry and Exit;
• Has planned working hours that must be tracked;
• Must have Worked Hours, Overtime, Hours Bank, or Missing Hours calculated;
• Needs previously recorded punches to be organized in Super Punch.

Without an active Schedule, the punches do not have the reference required to be properly applied and organized in Super Punch.

Therefore:

• If the employee does not record punches, keep them outside the Schedule;
• If the employee will start recording punches, apply the Schedule from the correct date;
• If the employee has already recorded punches, confirm that there was an active Schedule on the date so the records can be displayed and organized.

Tips or troubleshooting

• The employee does not clock in and is generating negative hours: check whether they were incorrectly added to a Schedule.
• The negative hours started on a specific date: check the Schedule start date.
• The employee will start clocking in in the future: apply the Schedule only from the first date they should record punches.
• The employee should never clock in: remove them from the Schedule and review the applied Payment Group.
• The Schedule is correct, but there are no punches: confirm whether the employee was actually supposed to work during the period.
• Manual punches were created to correct the negative hours: first review whether the Schedule should have been applied. Punches should not be created only to compensate for an incorrect configuration.
• The employee was transferred or changed roles: check whether the previous Schedule was ended and whether the new effective period is correct.

Best practices

• Confirm whether the employee should clock in before adding them to a Schedule.
• Use the first day when they should actually record punches as the start date.
• Avoid applying the Schedule from the hire date when attendance tracking begins later.
• When the obligation to record punches ends, also end the Schedule assignment.
• Keep employees who do not clock in outside the Schedule and the main Payment Group.
• Review assignments after changes in role, team, or responsibility.
• Check Super Punch after changing the effective period.
• Correct the configuration first before creating punches or manual adjustments.

Frequently asked questions

1. Why is an employee who does not clock in generating negative hours?

Because they have a Schedule with planned hours. Since there are no punches to fulfill those hours, the platform may generate Missing Hours or a negative Hours Bank balance.

2. Should an employee who does not record punches have a Schedule?

No. If they do not need to record punches, we recommend keeping them outside Schedules to avoid generating planned hours and negative results.

3. Why did the Missing Hours start before the employee began clocking in?

The Schedule may have been applied with a start date earlier than the beginning of the punches. Review the effective period and use the date when the employee was actually supposed to start recording punches.

4. Can I create punches manually to reset the negative hours?

First, confirm whether the Schedule should have been applied. When the issue is an incorrect assignment, the correct action is to adjust the Schedule and its effective period, not to create punches that did not occur.

5. The employee will start clocking in next month. When should I add them to the Schedule?

Add them with an effective date starting on the first day they should record punches.

6. Should I also remove the employee from the Payment Group?

For employees who do not record punches, we recommend keeping them outside the main Payment Group used for the calculations of other employees.

7. How can I identify whether the Schedule is causing the negative hours?

In Super Punch, check whether there is a Schedule applied on days without punches and whether those days show planned hours, Missing Hours, or a negative Hours Bank balance.

8. Does removing the employee from the Schedule delete their previous punches?

The Schedule removal should be made using the correct effective date. Review the period in Super Punch after the change to verify how the records and calculations are displayed.

9. The employee recorded punches but did not have a Schedule. What should I do?

Apply the Schedule with an effective period that includes the dates of the punches and review Super Punch again to organize the records.

10. What is the difference between an employee without a Schedule and an employee who does not clock in?

An employee without a Schedule does not have planned hours applied. An employee who does not clock in is someone who, according to the company's rules, does not need to record punches. In this case, they should remain without a Schedule to avoid incorrect calculations.