Perhaps you’ve been wondering if time tracking software is the right move for your business, but have been postponing because you don’t know what it will take to implement and get employees onboard. If you already know the benefits of time tracking software, but want to know how to implement it and start seeing results, you can do it in just a few easy steps.
Notify the Staff
Before you roll out the software, let your employees know that it will be coming. That way they can prepare for the change. No one likes to be blindsided by a new process that will change the way they get paid or affect their performance assessment Make sure you highlight the benefits and what they will get for making the changes. Some people may groan about moving to a new time tracking system, but if you can highlight the benefits, it will be a lot easier for them to accept the change.
Review What the Time Tracking Software Offers
All time tracking software comes with functions you may not need. To get the most out of your software, you want to make sure that you have only the functions you want active. This will keep employees from adding information or omitting information that is required. There may also be features that you have missed that could simplify the process. Make sure to enable them.
Roll Out the Software to a Small Group First
By rolling out the time tracking software to a small group of people, such as the managers or IT, you will get a chance to see how it works. It will also give them time to figure out how they will want the other staff to use the software. Getting a small sampling provides a fantastic look at what you can expect from the larger release to all employees.
Include Short Training
The training doesn't have to be long – in fact it doesn’t even have to be in person, but you do need to provide some way of letting everyone know how to use the software. This can be an email, a short training session (30 minutes or less), or a video that will walk the employees through the process when they start needing to use it. Make sure there is someone available to answer question and let the employees know who that person is.
Send Reminders for the First Few Days
Switching to time tracking software from other types of time tracking may time some time to get used to, and a few reminders in the early days can help everyone get accustomed to the switch. The reminders can be an email that just lets people know that they should be login through the system, or it can be a reminder from the managers.
Time Card Submittal Reminders
No matter how long people have used time tracking software, signing the timecard is something that is bound to be forgotten by everyone at least once. The thing is you never know who will forget or when. Making a regular habit of sending a reminder the day they are due will significantly reduce the number of people who forget (though it won’t eliminate it completely).
Generate Regular Reports
One of the best things about time tracking software is that you can easily analyze data. However, if you let it pile up before you look at it, there is going too much to go over. Reviewing reports should be at least a monthly activity (if not a weekly one). That way you catch potential problems earlier.