New Security Feature: 2 Factor Authentication

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

We recently added another layer of authentication that enables users to use time-based one-time password when authenticating/logging in. This password will be different every time you log in and would only be something that you and only you possess.

This added level of security is free for all users and available on all accounts now. What is 2 Factor Authentication? Here is what Wikipedia has to say:

“Time-based One-time Password Algorithm (TOTP) is an algorithm that computes a one-time password from a shared secret key and the current time. It has been adopted as Internet Engineering Task Force standard RFC 6238,^[1] is the cornerstone of Initiative For Open Authentication (OATH) and is used in a number of two factor authentication systems.

TOTP is an example of a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC). It combines a secret key with the current timestamp using a cryptographic hash function to generate a one-time password. The timestamp typically increases in 30-second intervals, so passwords generated close together in time from the same secret key will be equal.

In a typical two-factor authentication application, user authentication proceeds as follows: a user will enter username and password into a website or other server, generate a one-time password for the server using TOTP running locally on a smartphone or other device, and type that password into the server as well. The server will then also run TOTP to verify the entered one-time password. For this to work, the clocks of the user’s device and the server need to be roughly synchronized (the server will typically accept one-time passwords generated from timestamps that differ by ±1 from the client’s timestamp). A single secret key, to be used for all subsequent authentication sessions, must have been shared between the server and the user’s device over a secure channel ahead of time. If some more steps are carried out, the user can also authenticate the server using TOTP.” *Wikipedia

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More details here in our release notes and watch for the knowledge base article for a more detailed how to article.

Welcome to the new TeamClock Chrome…

Posted on August 28, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

… and goodbye to time_clock as of 09/03/2014.

006d6ade-a225-41bb-bcf8-f059852f0cd7 Over the past few months we have received a lot of feedback on our online web based TeamClock app. At PayrollHero we aim to be ridiculously client focused and make the improvements that you, our customer, want to see. So we would like to introduce our new TeamClock chrome. TeamClock chrome is designed to replace the time_clock page and be used on all computers, laptops etc. This change does not effect iPad, iPhone or iPod users, TeamClock iOS will continue to offer the great experience your already use to.

So what new features does TeamClock chrome offer?

Employees can view their schedule using the app
Managers can make schedule changes using the app
Offline Mode – If your worksite loses internet connection you will still be able to clock in and out. Once the internet is restored the app will resync with our servers.
The app is quicker and more responsive.

So, we have decided to discontinue the existing teamclock. We feel that we have a far better experience in our new app. It is more reliable and the feedback we have had from the clients that have been testing it is excellent.

What this mean is your worksites will need to download the new app. The app works as an extension to the chrome browser. You will need google chrome to run this app. For instructions on how to install the app please just go to this link. (to install go here)

If you have any questions about this change or anything please don’t hesitate to contact us at support at payrollhero.com we are always happy to help.

Xray Insights iOS App Live on the Apple App Store

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

Screen Shot 2014-07-28 at 12.04.29 PM Exciting news, our Xray Insights iOS App has launched in the app store and you can download it today.

As a business owner or manager, you need to have real time information in the palm of your hand so that you can not only monitor your business but make decisions with live, accurate information. Check out Xray Insights from PayrollHero.

Download the app, type in your PayrollHero user name and password and you are on your way. Xray Insights will load and keep you up to date, in real time of the actively that is happening in your business. We have more features coming shortly, but please let us know what you think and how we can make it even better. Your feedback is invaluable to us and helps us continue making products and features that clients love. Here are some screenshots from the Xray Insights app:

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Introducing Daily Pulse; Insight Through the Wisdom of Your Entire Workforce

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

The first new feature to come out of the PayrollHero Lab is Daily Pulse. One of the things we noticed in many of our clients businesses was how the feedback loop worked within the company. Managers report about their teams to their immediate bosses and those bosses reported to their direct boss. The feedback was sometimes quite biased and it was not the whole story. We wanted to find ways to get feedback from the team to management in a quick and easy way.

Introducing: Daily Pulse

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Every member of your team can now anonymously answer any question upon clock-out. Would you want to know what your workforce thinks of the following:

Whom does your team thinks best lives a core value?
Which co-worker do they find the most helpful?
Who should be the teammate of the month?

PayrollHero is your platform for market measurement of your important KPI’s.

Responses from Daily Pulse are one more point of data for management to make better informed decisions with.

We recommend decisions be made with evaluation of the ever growing data set PayrollHero provides and the qualitative recommendations of their leadership.

Daily Pulse does not attribute whom cast the vote publicly; this in combination with our evolving algorithms should thwart spoiled votes.

Want to learn more? Contact us.

Ridiculously Client Focused; Lau from CBTL

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

unnamed (L – R – Adam Baechler, Michael Stephenson, Piotr Banasik, Kieran Peppiatt, Stephen Jagger with Laurene Marie Clavo de Comer aka Lau in the front)

We are ridiculously client focused. That means getting close to clients, working from their locations, learning about their processes and understanding the why behind the tasks they are completing.

Today, we invited Lau from The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Philippines into the office to show us how CBTL handles scheduling at a branch level. She demonstrated how she used the system to help us get better insight into how our customers interact with PayrollHero. It was a great session where we could see first hand, how a store manager interacts with our platform and how their internal processes work. Thanks Lau!!

Internet Issues in the Philippines? Offline Mode!

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

Does your company experience inconsistent internet in the Philippines? slow internet? brown outs? There are many reasons for this, you can read more about it here and try and push for change here. But in the meantime, here is how we have built PayrollHero to ensure that internet issues don’t get in the way of your employees clocking in and out.

The first way we accomplished this was via iOS (download: TeamClock / #MyClock). Companies using iPads (or iPhones) for their employees to clock in and out via PayrollHero can utilize the offline version of the app without even knowing the internet is offline. Most iOS apps have an offline version, for PayrollHero, the iOS app can gather clock ins/outs, gps location, photos, etc and then when the internet comes back online, sync the data with the cloud. It is a great way to deal with any internet issues your location may have.

Screen Shot 2014-06-23 at 8.25.38 AM The second way we have accomplished this via a Chrome App in the Google Chrome Web Store. The Chrome TeamClock App (in beta) functions the same way the iOS TeamClock does except it can function offline. Employees can clock in and out and when the internet comes back online it can sync with the data in the cloud to make sure all is up to date.

Plus you will notice a new feature – schedules. Employees can view their schedules from the Chrome TeamClock and managers can edit them. This new functionality is being moved over to iOS as well. Watch for updates soon.

Let us know what you think. We are hard at work, building PayrollHero into the most robust, time, attendance, scheduling, HRIS, analytics and payroll platform in the world – with a keen eye on how things need to be done a bit differently for emerging markets!

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Unlock Karaoke Clock In

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

Want to sing your way into work?

Interested in this feature? Want to use it at your job or within your company? Leave a comment below with your company name to be added to the wait list.

PayrollHero #MyClock Comes To Apple App Store

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

PayrollHero’s #MyClock is now available in the Apple App Store. The #MyClock is an app that enables your employees to clock in and out for their iPhones using an app designed specifically for them.

#MyClock lets your employees keep track of their exact hours every day while managing their schedule right from their phone. You can be confident in the hours logged as you have exact clock in and clock out time data at your fingertips. The responsive real time capabilities of this app also allows employees to notify managers or HR if they are going to be absent or need to change their schedule due to a conflict.

Contact us today to learn more about how your team can do selfie clock ins.

Customer Driven Product Development

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

Screen Shot 2014-05-01 at 7.33.22 AM There is so much happening at PayrollHero these days. We are adding new team members, new clients and new features and functionality to the platform as part of our continued growth.

Part of that growth is focused around customer driven product development. At PayrollHero, we don’t build any new features without a client sponsor. Meaning all new functionality has a client that is a champion of that feature and will work with us on the design and implementation.

Yesterday some of our team went on client visits, not to meet with the owners, managers, payroll admins or HR, but rather the employees, the end users of our platform in their environments.

They visited The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, The Picture Company, Krispy Kreme and FaBurrito and learned a ton about what employees love about PayrollHero and what more they want from it.

Curious to see what we have released? Check out http://releasenotes.payrollhero.com/ Have some feedback on how we can make PayrollHero better? Contact Us

Post by Payroll Hero.

New Feature: Multi Insert Tool

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Stephen Jagger

We added two new features to the PayrollHero platform to make managing the platform even easier for larger companies.

Multi Insert Tool: Employees and Schedules
The multi insert tool is the recommended way to create multiple employees or create multiple schedules on the PayrollHero platform. It is the most time efficient way, and we recommend using this when you need to create a large amount of employee profiles. The system automatically generates a bespoke template for you to complete. It is designed specifically for your company and its settings. This article will explain how to use the feature.

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