Tracking policies in TimoDesk set how the desktop app tracks each member: idle timeout, screenshot interval, screenshot alert and manual time rules. You set one organization default, then give single members their own values where the default doesn't fit. Everything sits on one page, so you can see who follows the default and who doesn't.
Your support team answers tickets all day, so a short screenshot interval makes sense to everyone. Your senior developer spends an hour reading documentation without touching the keyboard much, and keeps hitting the idle popup. One set of rules rarely fits a whole company, but rules that live in someone's head, or change from person to person with no record, are worse.
What do tracking policies control?
A tracking policy is the set of rules the desktop app follows while a member tracks time. The Team Tracking Policy page has seven columns for each member:
- Tracking: whether the member can track time with the desktop app.
- Screenshots: whether the app takes screenshots while they track.
- Idle timeout: how long the member can go without keyboard or mouse activity before the app asks about the idle time.
- Screenshot interval: how often the app takes a screenshot.
- Screenshot alert: whether the member is notified right after each screenshot.
- Manual time: whether the member can request time the desktop app didn't record.
- Manual time approval: whether those requests go into the timesheet right away or wait for a reviewer.
The first two are on and off switches for each member. The other five can follow the organization default or be set for one member.
Where is the Team Tracking Policy page?
Click Members in the sidebar, then Team tracking policy on the right of the tabs. You can also open your organization settings and click Open tracking policy in the Activity & Tracking section.
Organizers and Business Managers can use the page. Team Managers and Staff can't open it.
The first row is Organization default, marked "Everyone else follows this". Below it is one row per active member who has confirmed their email, sorted by name. You won't see yourself or the organization owner in the list, and a Business Manager won't see Organizers.
What options does each setting have?
Here's every setting on the page with the values you can choose.
| Setting | Organization default | Member options |
|---|---|---|
| Tracking | None (shows Per member) | On or Off |
| Screenshots | None (shows Per member) | On or Off |
| Idle timeout | System, or 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 min | Default, or 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 min |
| Screenshot interval | System, or 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 min | Default, or 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 min |
| Screenshot alert | Enabled or Disabled | Default, Enabled or Disabled |
| Manual time | Allowed or Not allowed | Default or Not allowed |
| Manual time approval | Automatic or Needs review | Default, Automatic or Needs review |
Tracking and Screenshots
These two switches are set for each member, so the default row simply says Per member. They depend on each other: screenshots only work while tracking is on, so turning tracking off for a member turns their screenshots off too. Learn more about how screenshots work in TimoDesk.
Idle timeout
The idle timeout is how many minutes can pass without keyboard or mouse activity before the desktop app asks about the idle time. A short value such as 3 or 5 minutes suits constant typing and clicking. A longer value suits people who read, review or sit in calls.
Screenshot interval
The screenshot interval sets how often the app takes a screenshot while the member tracks time. The math is easy to do before you choose: over an 8-hour tracked day, a 5-minute interval gives about 96 screenshots, 10 minutes about 48, and 60 minutes about 8.
Screenshot alert
When the screenshot alert is Enabled, the member gets a notice right after each screenshot. When it's Disabled, they don't. The interval and the alert only matter while the member's Screenshots switch is on.
Manual time and manual time approval
Manual time decides whether members can request time the desktop app didn't record. Manual time approval decides what happens to a request: Automatic adds it to the timesheet right away, and Needs review sends it to a reviewer.
A few rules are specific to these columns:
- Only Organizers can change the organization defaults for them. Business Managers see the current value with a lock.
- These defaults are the same settings as the Manual Time settings page. Change one and the other changes too.
- For a single member, manual time can only be set to Not allowed. You can't allow it for one person while it's off for the organization.
- A member's approval setting works both ways: Automatic skips review even when the organization uses Needs review, and the reverse.
While manual time is off for the organization, both columns are grayed out with the note "Manual time is off for your organization. Turn it on first." For the full workflow, see how manual time requests work.
Which setting wins, organization default or member?
Tracking policies work on two levels you control, with a TimoDesk value underneath:
- The member's own setting. If a member has their own value, that value is used.
- The organization default. If the member's cell is on Default, they follow the organization row.
- The TimoDesk default. If the organization row for idle timeout or screenshot interval is on System, the TimoDesk value shown in parentheses is used.
The most specific level wins. A member's own setting beats the organization default, and it keeps winning when you later change the default.
The grid makes this easy to read. A member following the default shows something like "Default (5 min)", so you always see the value that applies and where it comes from.
Is there a team-level policy?
No. Rules are stored for the organization and for individual members, and there's no policy attached to a team. You can still give a group of people the same rule in a few clicks by selecting them and applying one value to all of them. If you haven't grouped your people yet, see how to organize your workforce with teams.
How do you set tracking rules for one member or many?
Change the organization default
Pick a new value in the Organization default row. It saves right away, and a status reads "Saving…" and then "Saved". Every member on Default follows the new value.
Give one member their own rule
Find the member's row and pick a value in the column you want. That cell is now a custom setting. To put the member back on the organization value, pick Default.
You can do the same from the member's profile. The gear button on the member details page opens a Tracking Policy popup with the same five settings and an Organization default choice for each.
Apply one setting to several members at once
- Check the box next to each member, or check the box in the header to select everyone the table shows.
- In the bar that appears, pick the setting in the first list and the value in the second.
- Click Apply.
TimoDesk tells you how many members it updated. If you turn screenshots on for members whose tracking is off, they're skipped. If you turn tracking on for members who haven't confirmed their email, they're skipped too. The message says how many were skipped and why.
Find members and review exceptions
Type a name or email in Find a member to jump to someone. Switch from All members to Custom only to see just the people with at least one setting of their own. The number on that tab is your count of exceptions, a quick way to check that special cases haven't piled up.
Does the desktop app pick up policy changes right away?
Yes. Nobody has to reinstall anything or change a setting on their computer. When you save a change, TimoDesk sends the member's idle timeout, screenshot interval and screenshot alert to their desktop app right away. Turning tracking or screenshots on or off reaches the app the same way.
When you change an organization default, each member's app gets the value that applies to that member. Someone with their own screenshot interval keeps it, and everyone on Default gets the new value. The app also loads these settings when the member signs in. TimoDesk works out each member's values on its server, so Windows, macOS and Linux all get the same answer.
How do you write a fair tracking policy?
The settings are quick to change. Choosing good values takes a little more thought.
- Set the default for the majority. Pick values that suit most of your people, then handle the rest as exceptions.
- Match the idle timeout to the work. People who read, plan or take calls need a longer timeout than people who type all day.
- Choose the screenshot interval on purpose. Decide how many screenshots a day you'll really review, and work back from there.
- Tell people what the rules are. A policy your team knows about is easier to stand behind than one they discover. The screenshot alert helps here.
- Review exceptions now and then. Open Custom only and ask whether each special rule is still needed.
Who can make these changes matters too. If you're deciding how much control to give managers, read about team manager and project leader access. The tracking policy guide covers every column in detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set a different screenshot interval for one employee?
Yes. On the Team Tracking Policy page, pick a value in that member's Screenshot interval column, from 3 to 60 minutes. It replaces the organization default for that member only, and their desktop app gets the new interval right away.
Which setting wins, the organization default or the member setting?
The member's own setting wins. A member only follows the organization default while their cell is set to Default. If the organization row is on System, the TimoDesk default applies to everyone on Default.
Who can change tracking policies in TimoDesk?
Organizers and Business Managers can change tracking policies. Only Organizers can change the organization defaults for manual time and manual time approval. Business Managers can't set a policy for Organizers, and nobody can set one for themselves or the organization owner.
Do team members need to restart the desktop app after a policy change?
No. TimoDesk sends the new idle timeout, screenshot interval and screenshot alert to the member's desktop app as soon as you save. The app also loads the current settings each time the member signs in.
Do screenshots work when tracking is off?
No. Screenshots are only taken while a member tracks time, so the Screenshots switch only works while Tracking is on. Turning tracking off for a member turns their screenshots off as well.
Can I set a tracking policy for a whole team?
There's no separate team-level policy in TimoDesk. Select the members you want on the Team Tracking Policy page, pick a setting and a value in the bar that appears, and click Apply to change it for all of them at once.
Clear rules on one page
Tracking policies give you one default for the organization, individual settings where someone needs them, and a single page that shows both. The member's own setting always wins, changes save as you make them, and the desktop app picks them up right away.
Want to set clear tracking rules from day one? Start your 15-day free trial, no card needed, then open Members, click Team tracking policy and set your defaults.
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