Time and attendance tracking is often seen as an employer service. It reduces time theft, verifies employee attendance, and prevents scheduling mistakes that can violate labor laws or rack up overtime. What employers often don't consider is how time and attendance tracking benefits their employees. Focus on these four employee benefits of a time and attendance tracking system in your workplace.
Better Time Management
It's often joked that the amount of work that needs to be done spreads or contracts to the amount of time given. This can be doubly true for hourly employees. When they have a heavy workload, that work gets accomplished in the same amount of time as a lighter workload, but when employees are unsure of their schedule, that balance is altered. Time and attendance tracking helps employees better manage their time on the clock for their employer. With a clear understanding of what time employees are expected to be at work, they can plan for how to complete their workload.
A Better Way to Work Remotely
One of the reasons many companies have neglected to embrace remote workers is the fear that employees will spend the day surfing the web and doing household chores rather than working. Shockingly, employees have that exact same fear. A time and attendance tracker is the best way to provide accountability to remote employees without being overly restrictive. Employees can "clock in" from home and begin the workday with a clear understanding of how much time they've been on the clock at any point in the day. Breaks can be integrated into the system so employees can easily go change that load of laundry or answer the doorbell while staying respectful of company time. Time and attendance builds in accountability for employees, allowing them to work from home more effectively.
Accuracy During Payroll
Few employees are willing (or could afford) to work without receiving a paycheck. Even if you love your job, getting paid for your time is essential. Before time and attendance software, payroll was often inaccurate. Whether the punch clock was broken or payroll misinterpreted an employee's scribble, the outcome was the same: Employees didn't receive the pay they deserved. Time and attendance tracking removes that risk of error by providing employees with a fool-proof way to clock in and out and alerting managers to incomplete shifts and overtime. This accuracy is a major benefit to employees.
Realistic Productivity
Managers try to connect with their employees, but when they leave the front-lines of the business they sometimes lose sight of the workload. Instead of seeing a struggling department, they see sales numbers and employee payroll hours. One of the major benefits of time and attendance tracking for employees is that it couples sales and workload with employee hours. Managers can easily see if a team is regularly requiring overtime or getting the bulk of their workload towards the end of the shift. This change in perspective can help employees get needed help or negotiate a schedule that is better suited to their personal life and their work life. Time and attendance tracking provides a realistic look at the productivity of each employee and department for better hiring and scheduling.
While employers often think of themselves as the beneficiary when implementing time and attendance tracking, the real winner is the entire organization. Employees gain a variety of benefits from implementation such as better scheduling, an accurate paycheck, and more effective time management.
