From large corporations to small businesses it’s critical to track employee's hours. Accurate timekeeping can eliminate issues such as time theft, make sure labor laws are followed, and keep projects on schedule. When everyone involved in keeping your business running is benefitted tracking employee hours should be a no-brainer, right?
In the digital age, it’s not always that simple. There are a lot of options out there for tracking time. No two businesses will have the exact same needs when it comes to tracking employee hours. For example, what works for a local hair salon might not work for a construction company that has employees scattered across a variety of job sites. How do you know which one works best for you and your business?
To make it simple, here’s a breakdown of the different ways you can keep track of employee hours.
Keep it Simple
Don’t make things overly complicated. Change isn’t always easy, and choosing the time tracking tool that works best for your business shouldn’t be a chore. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you need to track employee time, and there are several tried-and-true ways that are still going strong.
Pen and Paper
There’s a reason this old school method is still around. It might not have all the bells and whistles that come with modern tracking tools, but this basic method can still get the job done. For small businesses with fewer employees, a pen and paper should work… in theory.
It’s simple to use and doesn’t cost you any money, so what’s the problem? Eventually, the issues that come with this old school approach start to show. Incorrect hours, employees forgetting to turn in their timesheets, and general human error can result in time theft, back pay, and a lot of time spent by management on trying to stay on top of it all.
Inaccuracies are inevitable with pen and paper tracking. The time spent trying to resolve it’s errors eventually becomes a burden on both your business and your employees.
Time Clocks and ID Badges
Digitizing your manual timekeeping cuts back on errors and saves time with automation. Electronic employee tracking comes in many shapes, but all serve the same purpose: record when employees clock in and out.
Whether they swipe in with an ID badge or clock in with an employee ID number, electronic tracking is more efficient than old-fashioned time cards.
While issues such as buddy punching and employees forgetting to clock in or out can still happen, using electronic tools to keep track of time can cut back on time spent shuffling through paper time cards and keep payroll more accurate.
Automate, Automate, Automate
Embracing new technology that automates time tracking is the best way to maintain accuracy. Time tracking tools that automatically keep a record of employee hours help make sure payroll is accurate and that your business is complying with labor regulations. They also free up time for management to focus on growing the business instead of hunting down employee time cards and making sure payroll is up to date.
Go Mobile
Virtually everyone has a smartphone these days, so why not make use of technology your employees already have and implement mobile time tracking?
Mobile time tracking is a great way to track employee hours when employees are spread across multiple places, like in businesses such as construction and field service companies. Mobile time-tracking apps harness the cloud to track employee time and location and can simplify scheduling and payroll.
Time tracking apps give employees the ability to clock into their job site from their own device and lets you see their location in real-time. It also gives you insight into what workers are doing throughout the day, meaning you can find ways to improve productivity and keep projects running on schedule.
Mobile time tracking also incorporates features like GPS and Geofencing to automatically clock workers in and out. This means the time being tracked is accurate and eliminates the issue of time theft through buddy punching.
Geofencing: It’s a virtual fence that defines a specific area. The parameters of the geofence can be set by management and used to prevent employees from clocking in or out when they aren’t inside the set boundaries.
GPS Tracking: GPS tracking lets you see where employees are located, even across multiple job sites. It keeps track of employees by timestamping their time and location when they clock in or out. If someone isn’t physically at their job site, the tracker can prevent them from clocking in until they arrive.
GPS and Geofencing are great mobile time tracking features. They help gauge how time is spent on the job, giving you the opportunity to find ways to increase productivity and make sure time isn’t being wasted.
Is there an app to keep track of employees' hours?
Everyone knows that change isn’t always easy. When upgrading to a time tracking software it’s important to keep everyone’s needs in mind. User-friendly software that keeps important information in one place for everyone to access will make sure the transition to a new system is a smooth one.
For field service and construction companies, ClockShark’s cloud-based mobile time tracking does the heavy lifting for you.
ClockShark’s centralized system means everything you need is right at your fingertips. The mobile app allows employees to clock in from their phones and view job information on-site.
The GPSFence feature uses geofences to set up boundaries around job sites and service locations and send you notifications when they’re crossed.
ClockShark even makes missed clock-ins a thing of the past. The app reminds employees to clock in once they arrive and lets supervisors punch in for employees without smartphones.
Take the Tension Out of Tracking
ClockShark’s features make it the best choice when you want to accurately track employees hours in construction and field service businesses. Cost-effective and efficient, it helps save money and increase productivity. See for yourself-- try ClockShark for free today!
