The Tickin blog
Practical guides on time tracking, attendance, payroll, and running your team in Slack.
58 articles across 8 topics
Popular articles
- 1SlackJun 12, 20268 min read
Slack Time Tracking: How to Clock In Without Another App to Open
- 2PayrollJun 5, 20269 min read
Automate Salary Slips: Stop Doing Payslips by Hand
- 3OvertimeJun 10, 20268 min read
How to Calculate Overtime Pay (Without the Spreadsheet Headache)
- 4AttendanceJun 9, 20268 min read
How to Track Attendance for a Remote Team (5 Methods Compared)
Free Time Log Template (Daily and Weekly)
Two free time log templates as CSV files: a daily log of what you worked on and when, and a weekly summary by project. How to fill them in, with a worked example.
Read moreLatest articles
Time trackingNov 10, 20265 min readTime Management Tools for Teams: What Actually Helps (and What Doesn't)
The six kinds of time management tools teams use, what each one is good for, the mistakes that waste more time than they save, and how to pick a small set.
PayrollNov 5, 20265 min readPayroll Software vs a Payroll Service: Which Does Your Business Need?
Payroll software calculates pay; a payroll service also pays people and files taxes. What each does, what it costs you in time, and how to choose.
Time trackingNov 3, 20267 min readClockify Alternatives: 7 Time Trackers Compared (2026)
Seven Clockify alternatives compared on free plans, starting prices and what each is best at, from Toggl Track and Harvest to Jibble, Connecteam and Tickin.
SchedulingOct 29, 20265 min readEmployee Scheduling Software: A Buyer's Guide for Small Teams
How to choose employee scheduling software: the features that matter for your kind of schedule, questions to ask in a trial, pricing traps, and when you need one.
LeaveOct 27, 20266 min readWork From Home Policy: What to Include (With a Simple Outline)
What a work from home policy should cover: eligibility, requesting WFH days, core hours and availability, recording attendance, equipment, security and expenses.
AttendanceOct 22, 20265 min readBradford Factor: How to Calculate It, and When to Use It
The Bradford factor explained: the formula, worked examples, typical trigger points, and the fairness and legal cautions to weigh before using it for absence.
Time trackingOct 20, 20266 min readTimesheet Approval Process: A Simple Workflow for Small Teams
A timesheet approval process that is quick and fair: who approves, what to check, deadlines, handling corrections and overtime, and locking the period for payroll.
Time trackingOct 18, 20268 min readBest Employee Productivity Tools That Don't Spy on Your Team
Employee productivity tools compared on privacy first: which take screenshots or track apps, whether it is on by default, and what employees can see. Tickin, Toggl Track, Timely, Harvest, RescueTime and Clockify, plus the monitoring-first tools.
LeaveOct 18, 20268 min readBest Leave Management Software for Small Teams (2026)
Six leave management tools for small teams compared on price, free plans, Slack and Teams approvals, half days and holidays: Tickin, Timetastic, Vacation Tracker, BambooHR, Calamari and Leave Dates.
PayrollOct 15, 20265 min readPay Frequency: Weekly vs Biweekly vs Semi-Monthly vs Monthly
Weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly or monthly pay: how many paydays each gives, how per-period pay is worked out, and how to choose a pay frequency for your team.
AttendanceOct 13, 20265 min readHow to Calculate Attendance Rate (Formula and Examples)
How to calculate an employee attendance rate and absenteeism rate, with worked examples, what to count as scheduled days, and how to read the number fairly.
Time trackingOct 8, 20266 min readHow to Calculate Hours Worked: Breaks, Overnight Shifts and Decimal Hours
How to calculate hours worked from clock-in and clock-out times: subtract breaks, handle overnight shifts, convert minutes to decimal hours, and total a week.
Time trackingOct 6, 20269 min readEmployee Forgot to Clock Out? What to Do, and How to Stop It Happening
An employee forgot to clock out. How to fix the record fairly, what you still have to pay, the policy that prevents repeats, and how reminders close the gap.
Time trackingSep 30, 20268 min readBest Time Tracking Tools for Small Teams (2026)
The best time tracking tools for small teams in 2026, compared on free plans, prices and whether you can clock in from Slack or Microsoft Teams: Tickin, Jibble, TimeCamp, Clockify, Toggl Track, Harvest, Connecteam and Homebase.
PayrollSep 30, 20268 min readWhat Is Payroll? Meaning, Process and How a Payroll System Works
What is payroll? Its meaning, the steps of a pay run, what a payroll management system does, the payroll manager's role, and how HR and payroll connect.
Time trackingAug 25, 20267 min readHow to Introduce Employee Monitoring Without Wrecking Trust
A rollout guide for employee monitoring: decide what the data is for, tell people first, start at the narrowest setting, set retention, review at 30 days.
SlackAug 6, 20264 min readAll-in-One HR Software That Lives in Slack and Microsoft Teams
Attendance, leave, payroll, projects and video calls in one login — inside Slack and Microsoft Teams, so there is no new app for your team to learn.
PayrollJul 28, 20267 min readWhat Is a Payslip? What It Must Include and Why
What is a payslip? The record of how someone's pay was worked out: every component it must include and how gross becomes net, with a worked example.
AttendanceJul 27, 20266 min readGPS Attendance & Geofencing: Verify Where Clock-Ins Happen
How GPS attendance and geofencing verify where clock-ins happen, when location tracking is worth it, and how to roll it out without over-surveilling.
AttendanceJul 26, 20267 min readHow to Prevent Buddy Punching (7 Practical Ways)
What buddy punching is, why it costs more than people expect, and seven practical ways to prevent buddy punching — from honest policy to GPS and unique logins.
SlackJul 25, 20265 min readSlack Leave Management: Request & Approve Leave Without Leaving Chat
Run leave requests, approvals, and balances inside Slack. How Slack leave management works, why it beats email and spreadsheets, and how to set it up.
Time trackingJul 24, 20266 min readProject Time Tracking: Track Hours by Project and Task
How project time tracking works, why hours-by-project beats a plain timesheet, and how to track time against projects and tasks without slowing your team down.
PayrollJul 23, 20266 min readPayroll Deductions Explained: Gross to Net, Step by Step
What payroll deductions are, the difference between statutory and voluntary and pre-tax and post-tax, and how gross pay becomes net pay, with a clear example.
LeaveJul 22, 20266 min readHow to Calculate PTO Accrual (With Formulas and Examples)
How to calculate PTO accrual step by step: the accrual rate formula, per-hour, per-pay-period, and annual methods, plus worked examples and common mistakes.
LeaveJul 21, 20265 min readSick Leave Policy: A Practical Guide for Small Teams
How to write a fair sick leave policy for a small team: what to include, paid vs unpaid, notice and documentation rules, and examples you can adapt.
AttendanceJul 20, 20265 min readHow to Reduce Employee Absenteeism (Causes and Fixes)
What causes employee absenteeism, how to measure your absenteeism rate, and practical, humane ways to reduce unplanned absence on your team.
AttendanceJul 19, 20265 min readBiometric vs App-Based Attendance: Which Is Right for Your Team?
Biometric vs app-based attendance compared: how fingerprint and face systems work, their trade-offs on cost, privacy and accuracy, and when each fits.
SlackJul 4, 20265 min readBest Slack Attendance Software: What a Good Attendance Bot Should Do
What the best Slack attendance software does: clock in with /tickin start, leave requests, one-click approvals, team dashboards, reports, and its limits.
Microsoft TeamsJul 3, 20262 min readBest Microsoft Teams Attendance Software: What a Good Bot Should Do
What the best Microsoft Teams attendance software does: clock-ins, leave, Adaptive Card approvals, dashboards and reports. Tickin's Teams bot is on Scale.
SlackJul 2, 20264 min readAn HR Bot for Slack and Teams: Attendance Without Leaving Chat
How an HR bot for Slack turns chat into a full attendance and leave system, so managers approve requests without leaving Slack or Microsoft Teams.
SlackJul 1, 20262 min readEmployee Self-Service in Slack and Microsoft Teams
Let employees handle their own attendance, leave and schedule from chat: a practical look at employee self-service in Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Time trackingJun 30, 202611 min readTime Doctor Alternatives Without Screenshot Monitoring
Looking for a Time Doctor alternative without screenshots? Compare 5 trust-based time trackers that record hours without surveillance.
Microsoft TeamsJun 29, 20265 min readMicrosoft Teams Leave Management: Request and Approve Leave Without Leaving the Chat
Let employees request leave inside Microsoft Teams and let approvers decide from interactive cards. Balances, attendance, and required hours stay in sync.
Microsoft TeamsJun 27, 20266 min readMicrosoft Teams HR Automation: Run Everyday HR Where Your Team Already Works
Turn Microsoft Teams into your HR hub. Employees clock in, take breaks, and request leave from Teams while managers approve leave from interactive cards.
Microsoft TeamsJun 26, 20266 min readMicrosoft Teams Attendance Tracking: How to Clock In Where Your Team Already Works
Track attendance in Microsoft Teams: clock in, take breaks, request leave, get late-arrival notices, and see a live activity feed without leaving your chat.
Microsoft TeamsJun 25, 20266 min readLate-Arrival Notifications in Microsoft Teams
Route late-arrival alerts to Microsoft Teams. Learn how a grace period turns a late clock-in into a manager notice, and how to set Teams as your alert channel.
Microsoft TeamsJun 24, 20267 min readHow to Clock In and Out from Microsoft Teams
Learn how employees can clock in, clock out, take breaks, and check status from Microsoft Teams, plus how it fits alongside browser and desktop tracking.
AttendanceJun 23, 20263 min readTimezone-Aware Attendance: Getting Clock-Ins Right Across Regions
Judge lateness and working days by one consistent workspace timezone, so clock-ins stay fair across regions and survive daylight saving.
SlackJun 22, 20263 min readLate-Arrival Alerts in Slack and Microsoft Teams
Get a quiet, once-per-day heads-up in Slack or Microsoft Teams when someone clocks in late, right where your team already works.
AttendanceJun 20, 20263 min readReducing Attendance Disputes: Make the Rules Unambiguous
Most attendance arguments come from fuzzy rules. Here is how to write them down, measure them consistently, and settle disputes before they start.
AttendanceJun 19, 20263 min readOffice Hours vs Working Hours: What's the Difference?
Office hours are your schedule; working hours are what you pay. Why keeping them separate keeps attendance, overtime and payroll accurate.
AttendanceJun 18, 20263 min readGrace Period, Explained
What an attendance grace period is, why it exists, and how to set a fair one in Tickin without turning it into a loophole.
SchedulingJun 17, 20264 min readConfiguring Work Schedules for Distributed Teams
Set up office hours, working days, timezone, and grace so one clear, timezone-correct schedule applies consistently across your distributed team.
AttendanceJun 16, 20263 min readAutomating Your Daily Leave & WFH Report
Get a once-a-day summary of who is out or working from home posted straight to Slack, so managers skip the morning guesswork.
AttendanceJun 15, 20264 min readAttendance Policy Best Practices for Modern Teams
Write a fair, clear attendance policy your team actually trusts, and back every rule with the right settings in Tickin.
Time trackingJun 13, 20268 min readTimesheet Software and Apps for Small Businesses: What to Look For
A buyer's guide to timesheet software and timesheet apps for small business: what a timesheet must capture, must-have features and pricing traps.
SlackJun 12, 20268 min readSlack Time Tracking: How to Clock In Without Another App to Open
Slack time tracking with simple slash commands your team actually uses. A practical guide to /clockin, breaks, status, and a full worked day.
SlackJun 11, 20268 min readHow to Clock In From Slack: A Slack Timer for Real Work Hours
How to clock in and out from Slack — in Tickin that is /tickin start and /tickin end — plus breaks, forgotten punches, and corrections.
OvertimeJun 10, 20268 min readHow to Calculate Overtime Pay (Without the Spreadsheet Headache)
Learn how to calculate overtime pay with a simple formula, worked examples, and the daily vs weekly threshold rules every small team should know.
AttendanceJun 9, 20268 min readHow to Track Attendance for a Remote Team (5 Methods Compared)
Compare five ways to track attendance for a remote team, from honor systems to GPS verification, with a worked example and tips to stay fair.
Time trackingJun 8, 20269 min readDo Breaks Count as Hours Worked? How Break Tracking Should Work
Do breaks count as hours worked? Learn how paid vs unpaid breaks affect net worked time, how to deduct breaks fairly, and how to track it all without friction.
OvertimeJun 6, 20268 min readOvertime Tracking: How to Track Overtime Fairly Without Guesswork
Overtime tracking that holds up: a clear policy, a threshold everyone knows and an approval flow. How to track overtime fairly and stop disputes early.
PayrollJun 5, 20269 min readAutomate Salary Slips: Stop Doing Payslips by Hand
Learn how to automate salary slips by connecting attendance, leave and overtime, what a correct payslip must include, and a full worked example.
LeaveJun 4, 20269 min readLeave Management for Small Teams: A System That Actually Works
A practical guide to leave management for small teams: leave types, quotas, approval workflows, and tracking balances without the shared-spreadsheet mess.
Time trackingJun 3, 20268 min readTime Tracking for Small Businesses: A No-Nonsense Guide
A practical guide to time tracking for small business: why it matters, five methods compared, what to measure, and how to get team buy-in without surveillance.
SlackJun 2, 20268 min readSlack Apps for HR and Time Tracking: What to Look For
A practical buyer's checklist for choosing Slack apps for HR and time tracking, covering clock-in, breaks, leave, approvals, reports, privacy and pricing.
SchedulingJun 1, 20269 min readShift Scheduling for Small Teams: Keep Everyone on the Same Page
A practical guide to shift scheduling for small teams: build a fair rota, balance coverage and cost, handle swaps and time off, and share the schedule clearly.
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