As a professional, you want your employees to do their best while on the clock. Your employees want to receive the correct wage at the right time. Simple, in theory. In practice, this is difficult to manage without a solid process.
In this post, we’ll explore more reasons why time tracking is important. Then, we’ll show you a few different methods to track employee hours and time.
Top Benefits For Employers and Employees
Not sure if it’s worth the effort to implement time tracking? Standardizing the process benefits employees and employers alike.
Employers Stop Time Theft: Every moment your employees claim to be on the clock is an expense. But how do you know their reports are accurate? Time theft most often during extended breaks or through buddy punching. If you have a system in place that keeps employees accountable, you eliminate the problem.
Employees Avoid Payroll Problems: Inaccurate reporting doesn’t just wreak havoc on the business. It can also interfere with pay. If they forget to report hours to you before a payroll deadline, they’ll delay compensation. Tracking hours ensures employees get paid on time.
How to Start Tracking Employee Hours
Once you know that you want to put a system in place to track hours, it’s time to explore your options. Here are three of the most common solutions.
Pen and Paper Time Cards
Start tracking time right away with pencil and paper. Explain to your employees why you’re putting a time tracking policy in place, and show them how you’d like hours to get recorded.
This will give you clear documentation, but it won’t be the right fit for every business. It’s not the most accurate method, because it requires your employees to report their time worked without errors.
Mechanical Time Clocks
Instead of pen and paper, give each employee a time card for the pay period. From there, they punch the time card whenever they arrive or leave work. As the employer, you or your payroll team will review those hours and pay based on hours worked.
With this method, you’ll want to have the time clocks in an area you can monitor. Otherwise, you may still have to deal with the consequences of buddy punching and time theft.
Time Clock Software
If you want your employees to clock in and out accurately, the best thing you can do is make it easy for them. Time clock software provides a user-friendly experience. Plus, it gives workers the flexibility to sign in and track time from any location.
Some software options also come with features to empower employers. You can see who’s working in real-time and leverage security options like device authorization and advanced GPS controls.
Try OnTheClock Now
Ready to take the stress out of time tracking? In just two minutes, you could be on your way. Our easy-to-use time clock system benefits you and your employees. Sign up, get a free trial, and see what our software can do for you. For more time management insights, check out our blog.