What happens when someone forgets to clock out#
For: Shift worker | Manager You’ll need: Nothing.
People walk out the back door. When a clock-out never arrives, Shiftavo works through a ladder that always asks a person first — a reminder, then a question at the next punch — because someone’s own answer is better evidence than a time a computer made up. Only if nobody answers does the system close the entry itself, and even then it flags it.
Step 1 — the reminder push#
Shortly after your shift’s scheduled end (once the company’s attendance grace period has passed), you get one push notification on the mobile app:
Still clocked in — forgot to clock out?
Tap it and you either clock out right there — the tap time is real data, so that’s the best outcome — or you land on the correction form to enter the time you actually finished.
Note
This reminder is sent once per open punch and never repeated, so an ignored notification won’t nag you all evening. It’s push-only: it doesn’t appear in the notification bell or the mobile inbox. And it’s never sent for a shift that ended more than 7 days ago. If you don’t have the mobile app or push turned off, you’ll simply meet the next step instead.
Step 2 — the question at your next clock-in#
An open punch normally blocks your next clock-in. After a few hours (your company sets the exact number, and the default is 4), it stops blocking and turns into a question instead.
At the kiosk, tap your card and type your PIN as usual. Before your new shift starts, a ‘Still clocked in’ prompt appears:
You are still clocked in from Monday, 4 August, 08:00. When did you finish?
Answer with one of the buttons:
‘At scheduled end’ — you finished when the shift was planned to finish.
‘+1 hour’ or ‘+2 hours’ — you ran over by roughly that much.
Pick an exact time in the field and click ‘Use exact time’.
Or click the dismiss button and start your shift; the old entry stays open and waits.
Your new shift starts normally either way — the old one never gets in the way.
Tip
Answering here is the cleanest outcome. You typed your PIN to get to this prompt, so your answer counts as your own attestation of the hours, exactly like a real clock-out. It closes the entry with no flag and no manager follow-up.
The mobile app asks the same question.
Step 3 — the backstop#
If your company has turned on automatic clock-out, an entry that’s still open a long time after the shift ended (24 hours by default) is closed by Shiftavo at the scheduled end time — and marked with an orange ‘Auto clock-out — verify’ badge that stops it from being approved until a person checks it. See How to turn on automatic clock-out.
If your company hasn’t turned it on, the entry simply stays open until you or a manager fixes it on the timesheet.
Verify it worked#
Open your timesheet and find the shift. It now shows a clock-out time and no longer sits open. If you answered at the kiosk or tapped the reminder, there’s no badge on the row — it’s a normal, attested entry, ready to confirm and approve.