CloudPunch Setup Wizard

After you've created your account, log in for the first time and complete the CloudPunch Setup Wizard. This process is designed to help you get started with CloudPunch and will only run once after your initial login. All selections made during the setup wizard can be modified later.

Setup Departments

The first step is to create your departments. Your departments are used to group your employees together, making it easier to assign policies or rules, such as holidays and time off accruals, to specific groups of people. To create a department, add a Department Name and Department Code for each department. When you're finished creating your departments, click Continue to move on to the next step.

Add Employees

In this step, assign employees to your departments. Select View Employees next to the Department Name to view the + Add Employees button. For each employee, provide a First Name, Last Name, and Time Zone. Once you've added your employees, click Continue to move on to the next step.

Establish Policies

The third step covers the Pay Period Policy, Break Policy, and Overtime Policy.

Set your Pay Period Policy:

The Pay Period Policy configures your account for the Pay Period that your organization uses for payroll purposes. Your reports and timecards will reflect your selection. Each account has one pay period for all departments and personnel. CloudPunch offers four pay periods: weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, and monthly. 

You'll also need to select your work week during this process. A workweek in CloudPunch is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods. It does not need to coincide with the calendar week. For example, if your workweek is Monday-Sunday, you will want to select Monday as the Work Week Start. 

For a weekly pay period, your pay period begins and ends on the same day of the week all year. Provide what day of the week your workweek starts. Your Pay Period will coincide with your workweek. 

For a bi-weekly pay period, your pay period is every two weeks starting on the same day of the week for every pay period, e.g. every other Friday. With a bi-weekly pay period, your Pay Period will not begin on the same day every month. (For that, you will want to use the Semi-Monthly option.) Provide the first day of your current pay period so the system can align your two-week pay cycle with the calendar. Your Work Week Start will coincide with the first day of your pay period. 

For a semi-monthly pay period, your pay period occurs twice a month on two set days of each month, such as the 1st and the 15th of every month. Provide your work week start as well as the first day for each pay period. These dates must be consistent from month to month. 

For a monthly pay period, your pay period occurs once a month on a specific date. The start date is the same across all months. Select the day your work week begins as well as the date of the month your pay period will begin. 

Disclaimer: Please note that with a semi-weekly or monthly pay period, weekly overtime hours may not always coincide with the last day of the pay period. Weekly overtime is calculated at the end of the workweek, not at the end of the pay period. This means that an employee could have more than 40 hours worked in a given pay period but not show any overtime on that pay period if the workweek hasn't ended yet. This is normal and expected. The CloudPunch system relies on the last day of the workweek, not the last day of the pay period, to calculate the final amount of overtime earned. The calculations will then make an adjustment to the following pay period, ensuring employees receive the correct compensation for their work.

Set your Break Policy:

Creating a break policy allows you to account for rest breaks and/or meal breaks based on your company’s policies and legally mandated guidelines. Select which type(s) of break(s) your employees are required to take. For each type, specify if the employee will punch for the break, if the break is paid or unpaid, and if you want to specify a minimum duration for the break. 

Set your Overtime Policy:

Set up your overtime policy to comply with your organization, state, and federal guidelines. CloudPunch offers Daily, Weekly, Saturday, Sunday, and Seventh Day overtime. Select No Overtime if your company does not provide overtime to employees. For each selection, provide the designated pay code along with the number of hours required before the rule takes effect and any pay rate modifiers.

If you have multiple levels of overtime per day, such as 1.5 after 8 hours and 2.0 after 12 hours, click + Add Daily, + Add Saturday, + Add Sunday, and + Add Seventh Day to add the additional overtime option. 

Congratulations! You've completed the CloudPunch Setup Wizard. Now you're ready to explore CloudPunch's various features to manage your workforce efficiently.