Companies constantly seek new and better ways to track employee time. Whether your business is in an office, a restaurant, or on the floor, being able to track and review employees’ time provides a way to ensure they are paid correctly. It also provides a key tool for performance reviews.
For 2018, there are five time tracking trends that may help you get a better picture of how much time each employee puts in on a regular basis.
Automated Time Tracking
Computers have made it far easier to track time than any previous system. Punch cards and paper time cards were relatively unreliable and easy to work around. Automation is difficult to manipulate and it takes just a few seconds a day for employees to complete. It also provides a way of enjoying compliance with labor regulations. With the price of this technology being cheaper than ever, automated time tracking will continue to be a trending project management tool.
Robust Analytics
Automation also makes it easier to review data much faster than any time in the past. As more companies use automated time tracking, there is a rise in their ability to conduct more efficient analytics on employee time. This simplifies the review process for employees because you can see who is working more hours, who is coming in late consistently, and which employees regularly call in sick or miss time. Instead of managers having to comb through numerous files and having to create their own spreadsheet, they can now create a quick query and work with the reports returned based on their specification about time worked.
The Rise of Kanban Boards
The Kanban board began with Toyota, a name synonymous with high quality and efficient production. While it is primarily a tool for tracking projects, some Kanban tools give you a way to track how much time employees spend to complete certain tasks. By tracking this aspect, you can better set up schedules and plan for things like product releases, how many patients can be seen over an average day, and how long things take from shipment to reaching the floor. It is much easier to streamline a project or regular task when you know approximately how long each task requites.
More Attention to Security
Technology can make time tracking simpler, but it also requires additional security to ensure that the time is not manipulated by outsiders. Most hackers will not go after employee time data, it is often linked to other data, and that is information you don’t want compromised. Having a system that takes security serious, you can be more confident that the time (and other sensitive information) has not been changed.
Develop Schedules
For some industries, this is the biggest benefit and one of the most promising trends. When you know who is reliable or you need to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to have hours that fit within their schedules (including vacation, classes, and holidays), it is much easier to develop a schedule. With everyone’s time data already stored in the system, it is much easier to create a schedule around requested time off, holidays, classes, and other complications. This is particularly useful in businesses with numerous part-time employees and multiple shifts.