Rippling

Overview

Rippling provides functionality to automatically suspend email and other application access for hourly employees when they clock out. This capability is a specific application of its broader identity and access management automation suite, designed to address both labor law compliance and data security concerns. The feature operates by creating a direct link between an employee's time and attendance status and their access permissions for integrated third-party applications. When an hourly worker clocks out for the day, the system can be configured to trigger an automated workflow that temporarily disables their account in platforms like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or Slack. Access is then automatically restored when the employee clocks in for their next shift. This synchronization is possible because Rippling's platform can manage employee time tracking data, identity credentials, and application provisioning within a single, integrated environment.

Key Features

The primary mechanism driving this functionality is the combination of three core Rippling modules: Time & Attendance, Identity Management, and Workflow Studio. The Time & Attendance module is used to track employee clock-in and clock-out events, which serve as the trigger for the automation. The Identity Management module is the system that controls user accounts and their access permissions across hundreds of integrated cloud applications. It uses API connections to create, update, and suspend user accounts in these external services. The entire process is orchestrated by Workflow Studio, Rippling's automation engine. Within Workflow Studio, an administrator can build a specific rule that states: 'IF an employee with the Employment Type of 'Hourly' clocks out, THEN suspend their account in Google Workspace.' The system uses 'Supergroups' and other smart rules to dynamically group employees based on attributes like employment type or work location, making it possible to apply these policies at scale without manually managing individual user permissions.

Technical Specifications

From a technical perspective, the process is designed as a 'closed loop' system. When a clock-out event triggers the workflow, Rippling's Identity Management system makes an API call (typically a POST request) to the target application (e.g., Microsoft 365) to change the user's account status to 'suspended' or 'disabled.' The system ensures that the account status in the third-party service correctly reflects the status recorded in Rippling. This automated, real-time synchronization is a key part of the feature's design. The integrations with major productivity suites are robust; for Google Workspace, Rippling can manage advanced offboarding actions like reassigning Drive files and transferring Calendar events, and for Microsoft 365, it can directly manage user access rules and subscriptions. This same granular control is leveraged for the daily suspension and restoration of access for hourly workers.

How It Works

The rationale for implementing this feature is twofold, focusing on compliance and security. The primary compliance driver is the prevention of 'off-the-clock' work. In jurisdictions like the United States, labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) require that non-exempt (hourly) employees be paid for all time worked. If an hourly employee is reading or responding to work emails after they have clocked out, it could be considered compensable work time, creating a potential wage and hour liability for the employer. By automatically suspending email access, companies can enforce their policies and mitigate this risk. The second rationale is security. By adhering to the principle of least privilege, the system ensures that employees only have access to company data and systems when they are actively on duty. This reduces the window of opportunity for unauthorized access or data breaches that could occur if an account were compromised while the employee was not working.

Use Cases

Limitations and Requirements

However, there are specific prerequisites and limitations associated with this functionality. To enable clock-out-based access suspension, an organization must subscribe to and actively use Rippling's Time & Attendance, Identity Management, and Workflow Studio modules. The feature will only work for applications that are connected to Rippling's Identity Management system via its pre-built integrations. If a company uses an email provider or another application that is not integrated with Rippling, this automation cannot be applied to it. The effectiveness of the feature also depends on the proper configuration of the rules within Workflow Studio. Administrators must carefully define the employee groups and the specific actions to be taken to avoid unintended consequences. Finally, employees and managers must be trained on how the system works to prevent confusion when access is unavailable outside of scheduled work hours.

Comparison to Alternatives

Summary

In conclusion, Rippling does offer the capability to automatically suspend email access for hourly workers upon clock-out. This is a sophisticated feature that leverages the integration between its Time & Attendance, Identity Management, and Workflow Studio modules. It provides a powerful tool for employers to enforce labor law compliance regarding off-the-clock work and to enhance data security by limiting access to active work periods. The implementation of this feature requires subscribing to the necessary product modules and careful configuration of the automation rules, and it is limited to applications that are integrated with Rippling's identity management ecosystem.