Working in academia has more challenges than the average industry. With the variety of jobs, hours, and sources of funding, keeping track of time and attendance is more intricate than the standard company. Yet many universities still rely on non-automated forms of time and attendance tracking for logging their employees' hours.
Learn why universities need automated time and attendance tracking software to help them navigate the complexities of staffing.
Meet Federal Regulations
Whether you’re at a state university or a private, meeting federal regulations is a must. When relying on non-automated time and attendance tracking, there’s no easy way to ensure that managers and directors are keeping up with those regulations. Instead, universities need to rely on training and continual checks to make sure that employees are paid correctly. An automated system takes out the guesswork when it comes to federal regulations. Each employee can be assigned to a specific group based on employment status and hours, automatically determining how to pay that employee.
Track Employees Accurately
In the university setting, not all schedules are created equal. There are salaried employees, hourly, part-time, full time, and per diem employees who all need their time accurately tracked. Without an automated time and attendance system, keeping up with all those schedules is a challenge. Often, frequent tardiness or absenteeism is missed because the system relies on manual entry which can allow time theft or simple neglect. When it’s time to account for paid hours, a non-automated system often has gaps whereas an automated system accurately tracks every minute of work by biometric or badge entry.
Manage Time Off
One of the perks of working at a university is the generous time off. Sick days and vacations are often provided but tracking use of those hours is complicated with a non-automated system. An employee stays home sick but a manager accidentally logs it as a vacation day. Since there’s no simple way for the employee to find that error, the employee only finds out when their vacation request is denied. Then, payroll needs to pour back through old records to find the error. An automated system allows time off to be managed more efficiently and become more error-proof. Employees can request time off using time and attendance software and then review their attendance. When errors are found, they can be addressed easily and efficiently.
Provide Granular Reports
Universities employ more than just professors. There are lab staff, department employees, and a whole host of support staff that are employed through grants, state funds, and tuition. It’s important for universities to maintain transparency so being able to accurately track and report how funds are being used is essential. With an automated time and attendance system, reports can be generated instantaneously with all the granularity needed to justify continued funding or request additional support.
It's not just Fortune 500 companies that can benefit from automated time and attendance systems. Universities can see significant improvements to their compliance and reporting by using an automated time and attendance system. From ensuring managers comply with federal regulations to providing donors and department heads with accurate staffing reports, investment in a time and attendance system can seriously benefit your university.
