Memorial Day is a federal holiday that always occurs on the last Monday in May, which this year is May 27. It's a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It originated after the American Civil War to pay tribute to both the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the war. For many people, Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer vacation and Labor Day marks the end of it.

Some people confuse Memorial Day with Veterans Day. Memorial Day is set aside to remember the men and women who died while serving. Veterans Day is set aside to celebrate the service of all United States military veterans, both living and dead.

Find the dates of all 2013 federal holidays and other free time and attendance resources on our website.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Most businesses use time clock software to help manage employee hours worked. It's an easy and efficient way to hold employees accountable for each work day, to control labor costs by reducing overtime, and to keep track of vacation and sick pay. Some businesses use Virtual TimeClock just because they love the in & out board interface which makes it so easy to keep track of what staff is working on and who's off and on site. Still others use it to track time spent on different jobs and projects so they know how much labor time to bill customers. We also have quite a few schools using Virtual TimeClock to track student attendance, especially for schools specializing in adult education or career training.

Here's how it works. You can install Virtual TimeClock on a computer in the classroom. Students can select their name from the list and clock in with a passcode. If you're concerned about confidentiality, then use the time clock PIN interface so students can clock in and out without seeing the names of the other students. At the end of the semester, the instructor can run a summary report that automatically totals the hours of the students. This information is invaluable for seeking government funding, reporting grant expenditures, or just making sure students are meeting the minimum hours needed to meet the class requirements.

You can check out a list of some of the schools that use our time clock software on our website.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

I've talked to several prospective customers lately who are looking for a new time & attendance system to replace ADP ezLaborManager. Their first issue is the expense; being charged several dollars per employee every month, month after month, is starting to get expensive. They're looking for a time clock software solution they can buy outright. Their second issue is they don't like feeling trapped into continuing to use ezLaborManager because they think they'll lose integration with ADP payroll. Virtual TimeClock is a great solution for both of these issues.

First of all, Virtual TimeClock is a one-time license fee based on computer connections rather than per employee who needs to use the time clock. So a company that wants to run a time clock on 10 individual computer workstations will pay more than a company that can manage with running a time clock on 2 computers in places of convenient access to all employees. Secondly, Virtual TimeClock integrates perfectly with ADP Pay eXpert online payroll. So there's really no need to continue paying high and ongoing fees for your employee time & attendance.

Jeff Morrow
Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

We still get occasional calls from businesses looking for a LionClock replacement. They're usually a little frustrated because they can't get ahold of any of the folks at LionClock, and according to their website their last time clock software update was 2011. It looks like the publishers of LionClock got themselves into some trouble with another time & attendance software company over trademark infringement.

If you're a former or current LionClock user looking for a new time clock software solution, then I'd encourage you to take a look at Virtual TimeClock. I know it will meet all your time & attendance needs. You can download the free time clock software trial anytime.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product SPecialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

We posted a maintenance release for Virtual TimeClock '13 earlier this week that fixes a number of minor issues related to the new report preview window, QuickBooks payroll export now properly saves to the selected export folder location, saving new leave awards once again work reliably for all users and categories, and clients that lose TimeClock Server connectivity no longer receive a spurious error. Check the Virtual TimeClock '13 release notes for a full list of fixes.

Virtual TimeClock '13 R1.1 is a free update to all customers enrolled in our software maintenance & support program and anyone who purchased a Virtual TimeClock '13 Release 1 license.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Daylight Saving Time, or DST, begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. In March, clocks are moved forward one hour from 2am standard time to 3am DST, and in November, clocks are moved back one hour from 2am DST to 1am standard time. In 2013, DST begins on Sunday, March 10.

Supporters of DST say that it saves energy, reduces traffic accidents, reduces crime, and encourages outdoor activity in the evening, so it's good for physical and psychological health.

Opponents of DST say that actual energy savings are inconclusive, it disrupts morning activities, and changing clocks twice a year is economically and socially disruptive. They think these negative effects cancel out any benefit to observing DST.

What do you think?

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

I know this is a busy time of year for those of you in the tax and accounting industries. We hear from a lot of you during the first quarter because you've picked up seasonal employees and you're looking for an easier way to manage employee time and attendance. Using time clock software is much easier and less time consuming than trying to make sense of had written time sheets. So whether you're with one of the major tax services like H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, Liberty Tax Service, or just one of the thousands of accounting or bookkeeping firms, Virtual TimeClock will make it a ton simpler to keep track of employee hours during this busy time of the year.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

On the third Monday of February we honor George Washington by celebrating his birthday. The third Monday places the date somewhere between February 15 and 21, which is sort of ironic because it never actually occurs on Washington's birthday of February 22. Throughout history there have been attempts to combine the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln (whose birthday is celebrated February 12 but not as a federal holiday), and even the office of the Presidency by changing the federal holiday to Presidents' Day. These have all failed, except in the realm of advertising, where "Presidents' Day" is used as an excuse to sell everything from cars to furniture. But only Washington's Birthday is an actual federal holiday.

In 2013, Washington's Birthday on celebrated on Monday, February 18. Looking for other 2013 federal holidays? Check out our 2013 Federal Holiday Calendar.

Jeff Morrow
Redcort Software, Inc.

January has been a busy month at Redcort Software with the release of Virtual TimeClock ‘13. Last year we focused on making the time clock much easier to use and added support for QuickBooks and ADP payroll.  In Virtual TimeClock ‘13, we dramatically streamlined the process of reviewing, editing, and saving your employee timecards.

The new Report Preview window is probably my favorite new feature in Virtual TimeClock ‘13. When you’re viewing an employee timecard, click the Entry Editor icon on the new Report Preview toolbar. You can make changes to punch times, add timecard notes, insert lunches and breaks, add manual entries and leave, and as soon as you close the window the report is instantly updated with the changes. I still get goose bumps every time I make changes and watch the timecard update!

Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday, but many private sector businesses close all day or half a day on December 24. For those in retail, it's usually a busy working day as people shop for last minute Christmas gifts. Schools and other educational centers are usually closed, and public transit systems may run reduced services.

This year President Obama is giving federal employees Christmas Eve off. An executive order signed today closes all executive branch departments and agencies except where employees are needed for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need. Many past presidents have also given employees a holiday on Christmas Eve.

2013 federal and national holidays

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

We had another busy year at Redcort Software in 2012. It's certainly been a year of growth. We relocated to bigger facilities and added another product specialist. We started 2012 with the release of Virtual TimeClock '12, our most ambitious and comprehensive update in a decade. We consolidated all the administrative functions in one window, added PIN based time clock access, multiple time zone support, and a new individual interface designed for single user workstations. We also added time clock payroll integration with QuickBooks for Windows. In the press, we received an impressive 4.5 out of 5 on our latest Macworld time clock review. We finished up the year with Virtual TimeClock '12 Release 2 that provided time clock integration with ADP Pay eXpert online payroll. We also announced compatibility with Apple OS 10.8 Mountain Lion, Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.

I can't wait for 2013!

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Thanksgiving was fixed as the fourth Thursday in November by law in 1941. Since it's a federal holiday, all United States government offices are closed. The day after Thanksgiving is not a federal holiday, but it's still a day off for many companies and is often the largest shopping day of the year.

If you'd like to know when other upcoming federal and business holidays occur, take a look at our 2013 federal and business holiday calendars.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Veterans Day falls on November 11 every year. In 2012, Veterans Day falls on a Sunday so it is observed on Monday, November 12.

November 11 is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice in 1918 which ended World War I and ceased hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany. November 11 was originally known as Armistice Day but was changed to Veterans Day in 1954. Redcort Software wants to honor and thank all military personnel who have served the United States or are currently serving.

If you'd like to know when other upcoming federal holidays occur, take a look at our 2013 federal holiday calendar.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends this Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 2:00am. For the US and its territories, DST is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Arizona. For everyone else, it's time to roll back your clocks 1 hour. 

In the US, 2:00am was originally chosen as the time to roll clocks back because it seemed like a practical time to minimize disruption. The thinking at the time was that most people were at home at 2:00am and this was when the fewest trains were running. Times have certainly changed.

You may be wondering how the time change impacts your employee time clock software. For most users, there’s no impact at all. Virtual TimeClock records all time stamps from the computer running the TimeClock database or from an independent Internet time server. In other words, Virtual TimeClock records the time as reported by your computer. As long as your computer handles the time change automatically, Virtual TimeClock will always record the correct time for you. If you have worker shifts that cross the time change, you do need to manually add or subtract an hour for that shift, depending on the time of year.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.

Are you looking for an alternative to ADP's rather expensive time and attendance solutions? Well, we've had our sights on ADP for quite some time and I'm happy to announce that Virtual TimeClock '12 Release 2 supports integration with ADP Pay eXpert online payroll.  It's been our goal to provide a time clock link with the major players in payroll processing like ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks, PayChoice, SurePayroll, AccountEdge, and CheckMark Payroll. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes longer than we'd like to work out the details because the payroll companies don't always play nice and provide us with the information we need to hook up with their payroll solutions. But we've been patient and think Virtual TimeClock provides a cost effective solution to some of the more expensive subscription based time keeping systems that the above providers charge to partner with their payroll programs.

You can read all about the new ADP integration in our press release entitled Virtual TimeClock Integrates with ADP for Fast, Accurate Payroll.

Jeff Morrow
Virtual TimeClock Product Specialist
Redcort Software, Inc.