Can you use Excel as a time clock?
Thanks to the “Now” function, setting up an Excel spreadsheet like a time clock is possible. Employees could simply type =NOW() and press enter, imitating a punch into a time clock. You can even add buttons to perform this function, so that workers can click to clock in or out.
But let’s not oversimplify. It is pretty time-consuming to configure this type of time clock. And once you get it working, keeping employee data stored and organized is another complicated issue to resolve. Finally, because Excel isn’t time clock software, using it in this way makes it prone to human error, and puts you at risk of time theft.
Creating an Excel time clock could be fun if you have a passion for spreadsheets, coding, or design. However, we don’t recommend it for the average user. If you’ve outgrown manual time tracking with spreadsheets, investing in a proper time clock system is worth it.