Time clocks are a powerful tool of small business because they allow for the automation of time keeping. However, not all time clocks are created equally. In fact, many of the traditional methods of keeping employee times straight are intrinsically flawed. Fortunately, there are ways to identify what the best time clock for small business is based on some select criteria.
Scale
One of the hardest parts of most time clocks is that they have definite limits on how many employees they can track at one time. The best time clock software is the kind that can be scaled to virtually infinite levels. While you may only have a few dozen to a couple of hundred employees, having the ability to scale as far as you need to without worrying about maxing out the system's capabilities is valuable. This takes away some of the stress that keeping track of multiple people's times, which allows you to focus on running the other aspects of your business.
Online Backup
One of the worst things that can ever happen to your time clock information is for the entire system to have a shutdown, a power surge, or some other unforeseen problem that causes it to simply no longer have the data you need. In order to keep payroll and benefits properly assigned to the people who have earned them, not to mention keep your accounting in order, you need an online backup. Any computer on your premises is vulnerable to any number of malicious, accidental and unpredictable problems that can ruin it, and your data. By backing up this data, you are proactively avoiding these problems in the first place. When an issue happens, the best time clock can be backed up and checked at any time from another location.
Portability
The world is not a cubicle, and the best time clock for a small business understands that flexibility needs to be a constant. The ability to manage the user experience from multiple locations is excellent for your ability to run your business from where you need to be. This portability is not just a top-down approach, however, as this also allows your employees who do not work in the office to clock in and out just as easily as your inside employees do. Portable time clocks allow for accurate time keeping, no matter where the employee works.
Usage on Multiple Devices
Flexibility is not just about where the employee may be when they clock in or out, but about what kind of device they may be using. In some cases, an employee simply does not have a laptop or a tablet handy. Fortunately, most people carry a smart phone in the modern world. With the best time clock software, your employees are able to clock in and out wherever they may be, using only the equivalent of an app they can download from anywhere. Employees on the road deserve credit for the work they put in for your company.
Readouts on Time Off Accrued
Just as you need to monitor when your employees are working, you must also keep track of when they should not be working. Overtime can cost you a great deal of unnecessary additional payroll, and denying workers their fair time off can actually be illegal. This is to say nothing or the morale hit that over-working employees can cause, as their lives should not be totally spent doing work. The best time clock software lets you know who is due to have time off, in the current day, the current week and also over the entire year's time.
