Ever wondered if your employees are actually on the clock or not? Chances are, they might have either forgotten to clock in, or they clock in elsewhere.

With technological advancements, clocking in no longer means using a physical card to punch into a machine. Instead, employees can use a self-served device to clock in and out with assigned login credentials from their employers. However, some employees may fraudulently punch in hours, while others will neglect to clock in at all.

Therefore, you, the business owner and or manager, have to be one-step ahead of this fraudulence by preventing time theft and utilizing an employee time tracking software. 

The Benefits of Using a Time Clock Calculator

There are so many benefits to working in this way and being able to track and monitor your employees working time using a time clock calculator and have the data integrate seamlessly with whatever payroll provider you’re using, some of which include:

• It gives employees more flexibility in how they clock-in, either on their phones, or from their personal computers.
• Remote workers can clock in and out, as long as they have Internet access or a smartphone.
• Managers will not only be able to communicate better with workers, but they can also set GPS limits for clocking in, thus preventing time theft from certain employees.
• Employees can check schedules and request changes.

Time clock software also offers a PTO calculator with integration for most payroll software applications available today, which can have a massive impact in the way you manage your staff’s hours and payment.

Is an employee running late for work and he or she needs to inform you? Modern time tracking systems also offer great alternatives for employees to communicate through time clock messaging features. 

Accuracy is key, when tracking employees’ time cards for payroll reporting. Therefore, today’s time clock softwares and systems allow seamless integrations and support with payroll providers (i.e. Quickbooks, Gusto, Accounting CS, Paychex and ADP). 

Employees can check schedules and request changes as and when they need to, and you’ll have full control over whether or not you can accept any changes. This keeps both parties in control of all the hours being worked.

Writing project manager, Libby Farmer says, “The best part about having a web-based time clock for your employees is that the system will never go down for maintenance or get broken. Plus, you never have to worry about software and hardware growing outdated.”

So, why not opt for a more robust time clock system that holds the entire workforce accountable for their time worked?

Consider these 6 methods you can ensure that your employees are clocking in and working with an efficient time clock system:

Check Who’s in and Working on the Clock

Hot desking and remote working has never been more integrated in the world of work, and more people fit into these categories than ever before. This, of course, has made it harder than ever to track employees while ensuring everyone is putting enough time in.

After all, not everybody is cut out for working at home, and while your business may have been forced to implement a remote working process, you need to be on it when it comes to tracking hours.

Using a time clock calculator, you can see exactly who’s clocked into work and who’s currently working on the clock. This will give you a very clear and quick idea on who is working and who isn’t, and if you come across any problems, you will have all the hard data you need to raise and address your concerns.

Since you’re the administrator, you will also have full control over the clock-in system. This means easily being able to access everyone’s times and then see where their time is being allocated, as well as being able to manually clock people in and out and make corrections as necessary. Not everybody is technically literate, and may have people who leave themselves punched in accidentally, so using a PTO calculator helps you keep everything as accurate as possible while staying in budget.

Establish Time Clock Users and Permissions

As you set up a time clock system, you must determine who can access what. 

Here are the three types of users to consider when setting up the system:

• Employees. Employees punch in and out from a computer or mobile device and they can view time cards, request PTO, their schedule, etc.
• Managers. Managers can view and or adjust their assigned employees, view who’s on the clock, and have an overview on employee time cards.
• Administrator. The top-level person in the time clock system, the admin has full access to all settings, managers, employees, time cards and the overall final say for options and settings.

Enable Biometric Authentication

Nowadays, fingerprint (biometric) authorization is a preferred option, instead of (or alongside) passwords. And, it will guarantee management and admins that employees are physically there at their work location(s). All you need is an inexpensive computer or tablet, and then the setup is a breeze. And the best part? This allows multiple employees to punch in and out more quickly.

Activate GPS Settings and Punch Restrictions 

While allowing your employees to download your time clock system’s app may sound like a good idea, keep in mind that someone might try to clock in, even if they’re 100 miles from work. So, instead of setting the system up for failure, take app usage a step further by enabling GPS and other punch restrictions or simply disable the mobile app punching feature entirely with a click of a button.

The administrator will be able to control exactly how and when their employees are able to clock in and out. Enabling geofencing (GPS) will not allow employees to punch in or out, unless they’re at a specific location/radius that is assigned (typically your work location). This prevents clocking in at home from their phones when they’re trying to trick the system into thinking they are at the office.

IP address restrictions can be enabled to only allow employees to punch in and out from assigned IP addresses. An example of this is when an office’s internet IP address is used to be recognized on devices that employees use to punch the clock. If the employee is not connected to the authorized IP address, then they will not be able to clock in or out. 

Another amazing GPS feature for a time clock software to provide is live GPS tracking for employees who are on the road and traveling. This is a great way for employers to gain an understanding how productive their mobile employees are during their daily routes. 

Employee Scheduling

Employees can easily check their schedules to learn about new shifts, and what past shifts were worked. They can also see which location they’re scheduled to work at, as well as the specific time frames and pay periods.

On the other hand, administrators and managers can duplicate employee schedules, and fill in their calendars for the whole month instantly. They will also see who is scheduled at which location, and who is on paid time off. Managers can also set fixed schedules for full-time employees who start and finish at the same time daily.

Track Paid Time Off and Overtime

Track employees’ paid time off by creating PTO allotments or accruals with start and end dates. When an employee requests time off, managers can either approve or deny them. Once approved, that request time off is added to the employee’s time card to ensure accurate time and payroll. The paid time off used is also automatically deducted from that specific employee’s PTO balance.

Managing overtime is a fantastic way to see who is clocked in and what kind of percentage of the workload they’re doing. Sure, everything can feel a bit up in the air when you are trying to make your customers happy and keep everything moving forward, but if you have a handful of people doing 90% of the work, and the other group of people are slacking off, you will need to address this in order to maximize the efficiency of your business. 

Accurately tracking overtime also helps keep your business in budgets that are set for your job and payroll expenses, along with abiding by state and federal regulations. For example, California overtime law can be cumbersome and frustrating, but having the proper tools in place to track overtime will help overcome these hurdles. 

Wasted time costs American businesses up to $759 billion per year, according to Floordaily.

Conclusion to Knowing if Employees are Clocked In

Rising technology within payroll and timekeeping in a company, modern time clock software allows business owners to manage time data more efficiently. This will not only help you get ahead in knowing who’s on the clock, but by accurately tracking time, employees will also practice integrity in punching in and out at the right time at the right place.