In the Host, open Team and choose Let staff work from home. Pick a company name of 3 to 30 letters, numbers or hyphens, give each person their code, which includes the company name, and they enter it in the app. A small matchmaking service introduces the two computers and then steps aside; screenshots and activity go directly between them over an encrypted link.
Before you start
The Host computer must be on and connected when people work. In the office, the app finds the Host automatically on the local network; the steps below are for staff outside the office.
The matchmaking service does not store screenshots or activity. See the security and encryption page.
Steps
- In the Host, open Team and choose Let staff work from home.
- Pick a company name, 3 to 30 letters, numbers or hyphens.
- Give each person their code, which includes the company name.
- They enter it in the employee app, which checks your Host's identity before sending anything.
- Have one person test from home and confirm they appear on the Host's Team page.
- Agree what happens when the Host is off: tracking continues offline and syncs later.
Check that it worked
The person appears online on the Host and their time shows in reports.
If something goes wrong
- The app cannot connect from home. Check the Host is on and online and the code is correct.
- The company name is taken. Choose another.
- The employee lost internet. The app keeps tracking in an encrypted queue and sends it later.
What to do next
Read remote and office connection, offline tracking and work-from-home time tracking setup.
Choosing a good company name
The company name appears in every person's code, so pick something short and easy to type: your business name without spaces, or an abbreviation. Letters, numbers and hyphens only, three to thirty characters. Avoid names that are easy to confuse with others, since the name must be unique.
Write the name down with the codes, and tell staff to keep their code private.
What staff should know
- What is recorded, and what is never recorded.
- That the timer controls everything: nothing is tracked unless it is running.
- What happens if their internet drops: tracking continues and is sent later.
- Who to ask when something does not connect.
A short, friendly message with these points avoids most questions. See work-from-home time tracking setup.
Questions people ask
Do screenshots pass through your servers?
No. They go directly between the employee app and the Host.
Does it need a VPN?
No. The matchmaking service arranges a direct encrypted connection.
Try Clockgauge
Clockgauge is an employee and freelancer time tracker that runs on your own computer: timers, consented random screenshots, activity levels, clients, projects and tasks, budgets, payroll balances and reports, paid once instead of per user per month..