Who it’s for: Administrators
Platform: Sense HR (using clock-in data from NFC / RFID devices)
Available on: All plans
Overview
Calculated clock events help Sense HR complete an attendance record when an employee appears to have missed a clock in.
This usually happens when an employee forgets to clock in at the start of a shift, but does clock out close to their expected finish time.
Sense HR can then use the employee’s work pattern and actual clock activity to calculate the likely missing clock in.
🖊️ Note: Calculated clock events are currently used to calculate a likely missing clock-in. They are not used to calculate a missing clock-out. If an employee clocks in but forgets to clock out, the attendance record may remain incomplete and should be reviewed according to your organisation’s usual attendance process.
What does Calculated clock event mean?
If you see an attendance event marked as Calculated, it means Sense HR created that clock event from the information available.
It was not recorded directly by the employee clocking in or out on a physical clock, NFC card, or tag.
Instead, Sense HR calculated the attendance event using:
the employee’s work pattern
the employee’s actual clock activity
attendance rules used to keep clock records consistent
At this stage, calculated clock events are used where Sense HR has created a likely missing clock in.
Why did Sense HR calculate a clock event?
Sense HR may calculate a clock event when the employee’s first actual clock in a shift looks like a clock out.
For example, this may happen when:
the employee has a work pattern with a scheduled start and end time
the employee does not clock in at the scheduled start time
the employee clocks close to the scheduled end time
In this situation, Sense HR can treat the employee’s actual clock as the clock out and calculate the likely missing clock in.
Example: missed clock in
An employee is scheduled to work:
09:00 to 17:00
The employee forgets to clock in at 09:00, but clocks at 17:05.
Sense HR recognises that 17:05 is close to the scheduled end of the shift.
The system can then:
treat the actual 17:05 clock as the employee’s clock out
create a calculated clock in at 09:00
show a complete attendance record for the shift
This avoids leaving the attendance record with only a clock out and no clock in.
Example: night shift
Calculated clock events can also support shifts that run overnight.
For example, an employee is scheduled to work:
22:00 to 06:00
The employee forgets to clock in at 22:00, but clocks at 06:00 at the end of the shift.
Sense HR can recognise that the 06:00 clock is close to the end of the scheduled night shift.
The system can then create a calculated clock in at 22:00 on the previous day.
Does this mean the employee did not clock?
Not necessarily.
A calculated clock event is created by Sense HR, but it is usually created because the employee did physically clock at another point in the shift.
For example, the employee may have physically clocked out at the end of the shift, but missed the clock in at the start.
In this case:
the clock out came from the employee’s actual clock action
the clock in was calculated by Sense HR
What if an employee leaves early?
If an employee clocks in at the start of their shift and then clocks out early, Sense HR treats the second clock as the next clock event in the sequence.
For example, if an employee clocks in at 09:00 and clocks out at 13:00 because they are unwell, the 13:00 clock is treated as a clock out.
It is not treated as a new clock in just because it does not match the employee’s usual finish time.
Where can I see calculated clock events in Sense HR?
Where can I see calculated clock events in Sense HR?
Attendance events appear in:
the Company calendar
the employee’s profile Planner
When you open an attendance event, Sense HR shows the clock details for that event, including the clock time and whether each clock is an In or Out event.
Calculated clock events are shown with a yellow clock icon.
You can see this icon:
when viewing the attendance event from the Calendar or profile Planner
when editing the attendance event
This helps administrators and managers identify clock events that were calculated by Sense HR, rather than directly recorded from an employee’s physical clock action.
If the Calculated clock event does not reflect what actually happened, you can open the attendance event, select the Edit icon 
, and update the clock details in line with your organisation’s usual attendance process.
What should I check?
Calculated clock events are intended to help complete attendance records, but they should still be checked if something does not look right.
You may want to check:
whether the employee forgot to clock in
whether the employee worked different hours from their usual pattern
whether the employee’s assigned work pattern is correct
whether the calculated clock in reflects what actually happened
If the calculated clock event does not reflect the hours worked, review the attendance record in line with your organisation’s usual attendance process.
What Calculated clock events do not do
Calculated clock events do not cover every missed or unusual clocking scenario.
For example, Sense HR does not currently calculate a missing clock out.
If an employee clocks in but forgets to clock out, the clock out may remain empty on the attendance record, unless it is entered manually. The record should be checked in line with your organisation’s usual attendance process.
Likewise, some clock messages do not create a visible attendance record. This can happen with duplicate taps, clock messages that arrive out of the expected order, or clock messages that cannot be matched to an employee.
Important notes
Calculated clock events are designed to support attendance accuracy. They do not replace normal clocking behaviour.
Employees should continue to clock in and out as normal.
Calculated clock events rely on the employee having a suitable working hours configuration with scheduled times. If schedules are missing or incorrect, Sense HR may not be able to calculate the expected clock event correctly.