With OnTheClock there are several areas where you will increase accuracy and eliminate errors. Errors can originate from 2 main sources: human error (mistakes) and intentional error (theft). Here we will quickly go over the 2 main categories of errors.
Human Error
Human error can occur when a person is transposing numbers from one place to another. For instance, if you receive employee clock in/out times via email/text or handwritten then copy the times into a spreadsheet there is an estimated 2% error rate. Calculation errors are another form of human error, this can occur when using a calculator but normally happens when you are performing math on a large set of data such as employee time cards.
Intentional Error
This is a more devious type of error where a person is slightly altering times for their own benefit. In reality, it is not an error at all, it is actually deception. If a person understands that small changes to their clock in/out times will go unnoticed, they are more likely to continue the behavior. Buddy punching is another tactic unscrupulous employees use to pad their hours. The APA estimates that 7% of gross payroll is stolen each year by time theft.
How To Eliminate Human Transposing And Calculation Errors
When you move to an end-to-end time clock solution such as OnTheClock you completely eliminate all transposing errors and the manual calculation of clock in/out times. When the employee clocks in/out, the actual (non-alterable) times are digitally recorded and stored in a database. Our time card page then automatically calculates hours worked along with any overtime and PTO (paid time off). Moving to an online time clock completely solves these types of errors. Additionally, it also saves many hours of time and stress while performing and double checking calculations.
How To Eliminate Intentional Error
Intentional error can occur only when the person has the ability to perform the deception. If an unscrupulous employee is allowed to report their own time using hand written times, email or text messages, this is where the ability to manipulate times comes into play. It can be a slippery slope, we have heard of the padding starting out with just a few minutes per day, then escalating to up to 1-2 hours per day. Using OnTheClock instantly stops this behavior as all punch times are digitally recorded and not alterable by the employee. Buddy punching is also mitigated, with features such as device authorization an employee is only allowed to clock in/out from one device. We also offer geo-fencing(GPS), fingerprint and IP based location controls. If you choose OnTheClock you can eliminate buddy punching.