An employee opens the isolved People Cloud app before starting a shift but cannot find the clock button.
Another employee notices that yesterday’s clock-out is missing. Someone else submitted a vacation request but still sees the hours sitting in the available PTO balance.
Employees whose employers use Paper Trails may manage these tasks through isolved Time, the time-and-attendance functionality connected with the Paper Trails payroll environment.
Paper Trails states that employees can use isolved Employee Self-Service to view their timecards, time off and calendar, submit PTO requests and clock in or out when isolved Time has been enabled by the employer.
Paper Trails also offers employers additional timekeeping tools including integrated time clocks, mobile punching, geofencing and labor-management functionality.
This guide explains how those tools fit together, what employees should review before payroll closes and what to do when a punch, PTO balance or timecard does not look right.
Does Paper Trails Provide Employee Timekeeping?
Yes.
Paper Trails lists Time Tracking & Scheduling Solutions among its payroll services and supports isolved-based time tracking for participating employers.
Depending on the employer’s setup, employees may be able to:
- Clock in
- Clock out
- View the current timecard
- Review prior punches
- View PTO balances
- Submit time-off requests
- Review upcoming time off
- See a calendar
- Select a labor group or department
- Punch from a mobile device
- Use an integrated physical time clock
Not every Paper Trails client enables every feature.
An employee who can view pay stubs in isolved may still have no clock-in function because the employer uses another timekeeping system.
Where Is Paper Trails Timekeeping?
Paper Trails identifies myisolved.com and the isolved People Cloud mobile app as employee self-service routes.
Once logged in, Paper Trails says time-related information can be found under the Time and Attendance menu.
Available items can include:
- Time Card
- Time Off
- Calendar
If isolved Time is active, employees can also see a clock action for punching in and out.
How to Clock In Through Paper Trails / isolved
Paper Trails currently gives employees the following process for isolved Time:
- Open the isolved People Cloud mobile app.
- Select the pink clock icon.
- Choose a labor group or department if required.
- Save the punch.
- At the end of the shift, select the pink clock icon again.
- Save the clock-out.
The exact screen can differ depending on employer configuration.
The Clock Button Is Missing
Possible reasons include:
- Employer does not use isolved Time
- Employee is not assigned to timekeeping
- Employee profile is incomplete
- Wrong employer profile is open
- Mobile application has not refreshed
- Employee is salaried and not configured to punch
- Another timekeeping system is used
Paper Trails specifically notes that the clock-in function is available if isolved Time is enabled.
Do not create another employee account just because the clock icon is missing.
Ask the manager which timekeeping method applies.
First Day and No Time Clock Access
A new employee may already have payroll self-service but still lack active timekeeping access.
Possible causes include:
- Hire date entered incorrectly
- TimeClock ID not assigned
- Employee not added to the timekeeping group
- Manager has not completed onboarding
- Time module not active for the company
Paper Trails’ employer setup documentation notes that a hire date and TimeClock ID can be relevant when setting employees up for payroll and timekeeping.
Report the issue before the first shift ends.
Do not wait until payday to mention that no hours were recorded.
What Is a Missed Punch?
A missed punch occurs when the employee’s time record is missing an expected clock event.
Examples:
- Clocked in but forgot to clock out
- Forgot to clock in
- Lunch punch missing
- Mobile punch did not save
- Physical clock failed
- Wrong department selected
- Duplicate punch created
A missed punch can affect:
- Total hours
- Overtime calculation
- PTO usage
- Department labor reports
- Payroll
Forgot to Clock In
Notify the manager as soon as possible.
Provide:
- Date
- Actual start time
- Work location
- Department or job if relevant
Example:
I started at 8:03 a.m. today but noticed at 10:15 that my clock-in never recorded.
That gives the manager enough information to review and correct the time entry.
Do not create an artificial earlier punch without instructions.
Forgot to Clock Out
A missing clock-out can leave a timecard incomplete.
Report:
- Date
- Actual end time
- Whether a meal break occurred
- Any job or department transfer
Example:
I left at 5:12 p.m. on August 6, but the timecard still shows me clocked in.
An unresolved open shift can create an unusually large hours total or prevent approval.
Can Employees Edit Their Own Timecards?
Paper Trails provides separate employer guidance for editing employee time, while employee self-service is primarily described as a way to view timecards, punch and request time off.
Whether an employee can directly change a punch depends on the employer’s configuration.
Many employers require managers or administrators to approve corrections.
This preserves an audit trail showing:
- Original punch
- Corrected punch
- Person making the change
- Approval
Manager Changed My Time
A manager may legitimately correct:
- Missed punch
- Duplicate entry
- Incorrect department
- Approved PTO
- Time-clock error
However, the employee should review the updated record.
If the correction does not reflect hours actually worked, provide:
- Original punch
- Changed punch
- Actual time worked
- Supporting schedule or message
Focus on the specific discrepancy.
Why Employees Should Review Time Before Payroll
Paper Trails’ current platform includes payroll tools designed to catch issues such as missing punches and unusual payroll variances before the payroll run is approved.
Employees can still help by reviewing their timecard before payroll cutoff.
Check:
- Every workday appears
- Start and end times
- Meal punches
- PTO
- Department
- Overtime
- Missing shifts
- Duplicate hours
A problem corrected before payroll runs is generally easier to address than one discovered after payment.
Timecard Shows Fewer Hours Than Worked
Compare the timecard against:
- Schedule
- Punch history
- Mobile app
- Manager messages
- PTO records
Common causes include:
- Missing clock-in
- Early clock-out
- Unpaid break entered incorrectly
- Time assigned to another pay period
- Missing department transfer
- Manager correction
Report the exact missing period.
Timecard Shows Too Many Hours
Possible causes include:
- Forgot to clock out
- Duplicate punch
- Overnight shift remained open
- Manual correction duplicated existing time
- PTO was added on top of worked hours
Do not ignore excessive hours because they appear favorable.
Incorrect time can create payroll, overtime and employer record problems.
Pay Stub Does Not Match Timecard
First compare the same pay period.
The timecard may display:
- Current week
- Current pay period
- Future approved PTO
while the pay statement covers an earlier closed payroll period.
Confirm:
- Pay-period start
- Pay-period end
- Pay date
- Total hours
- PTO hours
If the periods match but the totals differ, contact the employer.
Payroll Already Ran With Missing Hours
If the employee discovers the problem after payroll processing:
- Preserve the approved timecard.
- Identify missing hours.
- Contact the manager or payroll administrator.
- Ask how the correction will be processed.
- Review the subsequent pay statement.
The correction could be handled through the employer’s payroll process rather than by editing an already finalized pay stub.
Overtime and Timekeeping
Timekeeping records provide the hours used by payroll, but employees should not assume that the application itself determines every legal overtime question.
A timecard may display:
- Regular hours
- Overtime hours
- Another earnings category
The employer’s payroll process then applies the applicable wage rules and configuration.
When overtime seems missing, report:
- Workweek
- Hours recorded
- Overtime shown
- Hours expected
“Unauthorized” Overtime
An employer may require employees to obtain approval before working additional hours.
That scheduling rule is separate from accurately recording hours that were actually worked.
Employees should use the employer’s procedure and record work time accurately.
Do not intentionally delete a punch merely because the shift ran longer than scheduled.
Mobile Time Tracking
Paper Trails supports mobile punching as an additional timekeeping feature.
Mobile time tracking can help employees who work:
- At client locations
- At job sites
- Outdoors
- Across several locations
- Away from a central office
Instead of traveling back to a physical time clock, an employee may punch through the mobile app if the employer enables that function.
Mobile Punch Does Not Work
Check:
- Internet connection
- App login
- Correct employer
- Location permission
- Scheduled worksite
- Whether the clock icon appears
- Whether a labor group must be selected
Then contact the manager.
Take note of the actual work start or end time so the record can be corrected later.
What Is Geofencing?
Paper Trails offers mobile punching with geofencing among its optional timekeeping tools.
For industries such as landscaping, Paper Trails describes geofencing as a way to verify that mobile punches occur at approved job locations.
A geofence generally defines an allowed geographic area around a workplace or job site.
The employer can use it to help verify where a time punch occurs.
“You Are Outside the Geofence”
Possible causes include:
- Employee is physically outside the authorized area
- GPS location is inaccurate
- Location permission is off
- Wrong worksite is assigned
- Employer’s geofence is too narrow
- Employee started work at a different approved location
Do not spoof the phone’s GPS location.
Contact the manager and report:
- Worksite
- Actual location
- Time
- Error message
The employer can determine whether the worksite configuration needs adjustment.
Does Geofencing Mean Constant Tracking?
A geofence feature used for punching does not automatically prove that an employer continuously tracks the employee throughout the day.
The exact behavior depends on:
- Application permissions
- Employer configuration
- Device settings
- Timekeeping feature
Employees who have questions should review the app permissions and employer policy.
Selecting a Department or Labor Group
Paper Trails’ clock instructions say employees may be prompted to select a labor group or department before saving a punch.
This can be useful for employers that track labor across:
- Departments
- Job sites
- Projects
- Customers
- Cost centers
Select the correct option when required.
Incorrect selection can create a labor-allocation issue even when total paid hours remain correct.
Worked in the Wrong Department in isolved
Tell the manager:
- Date
- Shift
- Department selected
- Correct department
The employer may be able to move the time to the correct labor group without changing the employee’s total hours.
Paper Trails PTO Management
Paper Trails says employees can manage time off under:
Time and Attendance → Time Off
From there, employees can:
- Submit time-off requests
- View PTO balances
- Review upcoming time off
- See plan details.
Paper Trails also describes automated PTO tracking as a way employers can improve balance accuracy and allow managers to approve requests digitally.
How to Request PTO
A typical employee workflow is:
- Sign in to myisolved or the isolved People Cloud app.
- Open Time and Attendance.
- Select Time Off.
- Review the available balance.
- Enter dates or hours.
- Submit the request.
- Wait for manager approval.
- Review the request status.
Do not assume submitting the request means it is approved.
PTO Balance
The portal may display balances for categories such as:
- PTO
- Vacation
- Sick time
- Personal time
The categories depend on employer policy.
Paper Trails’ platform can expose time-off balances directly to employees through isolved.
PTO Balance Looks Wrong
Possible causes include:
- Recent PTO not yet deducted
- Accrual just processed
- Carryover rule
- New-hire waiting period
- Manual adjustment
- Wrong employee plan
- Pending request
- Payroll timing
Compare:
- Prior balance
- Earned accrual
- PTO taken
- Pending requests
- Current balance
Then contact HR or the manager with the specific difference.
PTO Request Is Pending
A pending request generally means the manager or designated approver has not completed the approval process.
Check:
- Request dates
- Status
- Approver
- Employer deadline
Do not submit the same request several times unless instructed.
Duplicate requests can make the balance harder to interpret.
PTO Request Was Approved but Balance Did Not Change
Possible reasons include:
- Balance changes only when PTO is used
- Future request remains reserved but not deducted
- Payroll has not processed
- Portal has not refreshed
- Employer configuration uses another timing method
Review both:
- Available balance
- Request history
Ask HR how approved future PTO is reflected in the employer’s specific plan.
PTO Appears on the Wrong Date
This can happen because of:
- Incorrect request date
- Manager entry
- Pay-period boundary
- Schedule configuration
Report the exact date that should contain the PTO hours.
Do not submit another PTO request for the same hours without first checking the existing entry.
Employee Worked During Approved PTO
If an employee ends up working on a day that had approved PTO:
- Notify the manager.
- Record actual hours worked.
- Ask whether the PTO request needs to be canceled or adjusted.
- Review the timecard before payroll.
Otherwise, payroll may potentially show both worked hours and PTO.
PTO and Partial Days
Some employers allow PTO in:
- Full days
- Half days
- Hourly increments
The available options depend on the employer’s plan.
An employee working four hours and taking four hours of PTO should confirm both entries appear correctly before payroll.
Sick Time Versus PTO
Some employers use separate balances.
Others use one combined PTO bank.
The isolved Time Off area may show the specific plans configured by the employer.
Do not submit vacation time under sick leave merely because both have available hours.
PTO Accrual
An employer can structure PTO based on rules such as:
- Hours worked
- Pay period
- Anniversary
- Years of service
- Employee class
The balance shown in isolved reflects the employer’s configured policy.
Questions about how quickly PTO should accrue should therefore begin with:
- Employee handbook
- PTO plan
- Employer HR
Negative PTO Balance
Some employers permit employees to use time before fully accruing it.
Others do not.
A negative balance can indicate:
- Advance PTO
- Payroll timing
- Correction
- Plan configuration issue
Ask HR before assuming negative PTO represents a payroll debt.
PTO After Termination
An employee leaving the company should review:
- Final PTO balance
- Employer payout policy
- Last approved PTO
- Final timecard
Whether unused PTO is paid at termination depends on employer policy and applicable requirements.
The balance displayed in isolved alone does not determine the legal treatment of unused leave.
Scheduling
Paper Trails includes time tracking and scheduling among its available employer solutions.
Employees may see scheduling information depending on the client setup.
However, the worksite employer—not Paper Trails—generally determines:
- Shift schedule
- Work location
- Staffing
- Shift changes
- Attendance expectations
A payroll provider does not normally decide when the employee must report to work.
Schedule Does Not Match Manager’s Message
Preserve both records.
Ask the manager:
isolved shows an 8:00 a.m. start tomorrow, but the schedule you sent shows 10:00 a.m. Which schedule should I follow?
Resolve the discrepancy before the shift when possible.
Overnight Shifts
Overnight work can create confusing timecard displays when:
- Shift begins one date and ends another
- Meal period crosses midnight
- Pay period ends during the shift
Review the entire shift rather than assuming the system duplicated it because two dates appear.
Daylight Saving Time
A shift occurring when clocks change can also look unusual.
The payroll system and employer timekeeping configuration should account for actual time worked according to the applicable process.
Report any discrepancy rather than manually estimating the correction.
Physical Time Clock
Paper Trails supports integrated time clocks as an optional feature.
An employee using a physical time clock may need an assigned TimeClock ID.
Paper Trails’ employer setup instructions specifically reference a TimeClock ID for employees using one of its timekeeping devices.
Physical Clock Says Employee Not Found
Possible causes include:
- TimeClock ID missing
- Employee not assigned to the device
- New employee not synchronized
- Wrong location
- Inactive employee record
Notify the manager and record the actual starting time another approved way.
Do not use a coworker’s TimeClock ID.
Coworker Clocking In for Another Employee
Employees should use only their own:
- Account
- TimeClock ID
- Mobile device process
- Approved punch method
Having another worker punch for an employee can make the time record inaccurate and violate employer policy.
Timekeeping Security
Protect isolved credentials.
Do not share:
- Password
- MFA code
- Employee PIN
- TimeClock ID where treated as a credential
Managers should use their own administrator access to correct time rather than signing into an employee’s self-service account.
Reviewing the Timecard Before Payday
A simple pre-payroll review should verify:
- Every shift
- Start time
- End time
- Breaks
- PTO
- Department
- Overtime
- Corrections
Paper Trails’ own materials emphasize that automated time and PTO tracking can improve accuracy and reduce administrative delays.
The technology works best when employees and managers review exceptions promptly.
Common Paper Trails Timekeeping Problems
Clock icon does not appear
The employer may not have isolved Time enabled or the employee may not be assigned correctly.
Employee forgot to clock in
Report the actual start time to the manager.
Employee forgot to clock out
Provide the actual end time and request a correction.
Mobile punch fails
Check app access, internet connection, location permission and employer assignment.
Geofence rejects the punch
Confirm the employee is at the authorized worksite and report a configuration problem to the manager.
Wrong department was selected
Ask the manager to correct the labor allocation.
Timecard is missing hours
Compare the punch history with the actual schedule and report the exact missing interval.
PTO balance looks wrong
Review accruals, prior usage and pending requests.
PTO request is still pending
Check the manager approval status rather than submitting duplicates.
Pay stub does not match timecard
Verify that both records cover the same pay period, then contact payroll.
Common Paper Trails Timekeeping Questions
Does Paper Trails have a time clock?
Paper Trails offers timekeeping solutions that can include isolved Time, integrated time clocks and mobile punching.
How do employees clock in through isolved?
Paper Trails instructs employees to open the isolved People Cloud app, select the pink clock icon, choose a labor group if needed and save the punch.
Can employees clock in from their phones?
Yes, when their employer has enabled mobile timekeeping. Paper Trails offers mobile punching as an optional timekeeping feature.
Does Paper Trails use geofencing?
Paper Trails offers mobile punching with geofencing and describes its use for verifying punches at approved job locations.
Where can employees see their timecards?
Paper Trails says employees can review their timecards under the Time and Attendance menu in self-service.
Can employees request PTO through Paper Trails?
Yes. Paper Trails says employees can use isolved’s Time Off menu to submit requests and review PTO balances and upcoming leave.
Can I edit my own missed punch?
The exact permissions depend on the employer. Paper Trails separately provides administrator tools for editing employee time.
Why is my clock button missing?
isolved Time may not be enabled for the employer or employee. Paper Trails explicitly notes that clocking in through self-service requires isolved Time to be enabled.
Why doesn’t my PTO balance match what I expected?
Accrual rules, pending requests, prior leave and payroll timing can all affect the balance. Review the plan details in the Time Off menu and contact the employer when the calculation still appears wrong.
Who fixes a Paper Trails timecard?
Employee-specific time corrections normally begin with the worksite manager or employer administrator, who can use the configured Paper Trails/isolved time-management tools.
Trace the Hours Before Troubleshooting Payroll
A Paper Trails timekeeping record moves through several stages:
Employee punch → isolved Time → manager review → approved timecard → Paper Trails payroll → pay statement
PTO follows a related chain:
PTO balance → employee request → manager approval → timecard → payroll
When the final paycheck appears wrong, identify where the record first became incorrect.
No clock button: timekeeping setup.
Missing punch: timecard.
Wrong department: labor allocation.
Wrong PTO balance: time-off plan.
Approved timecard but wrong paycheck: payroll.
The strongest employee workflow is:
Clock accurately → verify each punch → report errors promptly → review PTO requests → check the final timecard before payroll → compare the pay statement after processing.
The strongest employer workflow is:
Configure employees correctly → use appropriate punch controls → review missing punches → approve PTO promptly → correct time transparently → verify payroll exceptions before submission.
That approach keeps Paper Trails, isolved Time and the employer’s own scheduling decisions in their proper roles rather than treating all three as the same system.
Independent Site Notice: This is an independent informational guide. It is not Paper Trails, isolved, myisolved or an official employee time-clock portal. It cannot record punches, modify timecards, approve PTO or change payroll records. Employees should use their employer’s verified Paper Trails/isolved access and workplace timekeeping procedures for account-specific assistance.