When the first employee time clock was invented in 1888, it had but one purpose: to record the time an employee entered the factory and the time an employee left the factory. This mechanical employee time clock would stamp day and time information on a heavy paper card, hence the name 'time card'. This gave the factory owner an official record of the hours each employee worked.

The time card protected the business owner by making sure that each employee worked the number of hours they said they did. Time cards also protected the employees by providing the exact number of hours they worked, making it much more difficult for employers to cheat them out of their wages.

Attendance tracking systems continued to advance with smaller electrical time clocks eventually replacing the large mechanical ones. Later time cards even had 'time in' and 'time out' areas marked on them already, so workers had to carefully line up the time card in just the right place. Business owners and employees were no longer the only ones interested in accurate time tracking systems. The government now stepped in to help regulate and standardize fair labor practices.

Time card software started to come on the scene in the 1990s as business owners starting moving away from mechanical and paper time and attendance systems to computer based time and attendance software. Software based systems greatly reduced the amount of time needed to prepare employee time cards for payroll processing by automatically totaling employee hours and overtime. Time card software also reduced the reliance on mechanical or electrical time clocks that were subject to failure and expensive to replace or repair. This allowed business owners to reap the benefits of reduced operating costs.

As computers have become more sophisticated, so has time card software. Attendance tracking is far easier as vacation, sickness, and personal leave time can now be automatically tracked and accrued. Employee time clock computers can be networked together with time card data maintained in a centralized location, yet accessible from all.

Time and attendance systems have come a long way since 1888, but the purpose has remained the same: to record the time an employee starts work and the time an employee stops work.

Free Evaluation
Virtual TimeClock Pro time tracking software can be downloaded free anytime from Redcort Software's web site at http://redcort.com/download.html. When Virtual TimeClock Pro is installed without a license key, the software will run for 300 entries without any restrictions. After the evaluation period, a software license and activation key must be purchased to continue using Virtual TimeClock time and attendance software.

About Virtual TimeClock
Virtual TimeClock Pro is the powerful, easy to use, software based time and attendance system that enables businesses of any size to effortlessly track employee hours and overtime. With Windows and Macintosh versions available, Virtual TimeClock Pro time tracking software flexibly adapts to just about any computer and business environment. Virtual TimeClock Pro pricing starts at $195. Complete pricing and program information can be obtained at http://www.redcort.com.

About Redcort Software
Redcort Software has been helping businesses avoid repetitive tasks and unavailable information since 1997. Redcort Software actively pursues close customer relationships through direct sales, regular feedback and world-class technical support. Tens of thousands of workers at businesses in over fifteen countries rely on Redcort Software every single day.

Contact Information
Jeff Morrow
Redcort Software
http://www.redcort.com
8939 N. Chestnut Avenue #106
Fresno, California 93720
559.434.8544 x115