Is It Time to Evaluate Your Time and Attendance System?

Are you spending more time managing time-off requests and schedules for your employees than anything else?

If so, your current time and attendance method may be holding you back.

Whether you’re using an Excel spreadsheet to track hours or making handwritten schedules, using an outdated time and attendance system can slow you down and lead to inaccuracies.

How effective is your system?

Paper time sheets and punch cards can put your business at risk for buddy punching, in which an employee clocks another employee in or out. Research estimates this method is costing U.S. employers more than $373 million a year.

Ask yourself these questions to determine whether your current process is working for you:

• • How many hours a week do I spend managing time and attendance? Evaluate how much time you’re spending when making schedules and managing attendance. If it takes over 10% of your time, you may want to switch to a newer, more efficient system to help reduce that and give you the flexibility to focus on other aspects of your business.
  • Has an employee ever been confused about their work schedule? Numerous updates to a schedule can confuse you and your staff. Reprinting and reposting schedules could cause employees to miss their shifts unless you make sure all employees receive the most up-to-date version.
  • How much of my budget do I invest in these tools? If your current method is saving you money but not time, in the long run, it will be costing you money. Invest in a system that is capable of fulfilling your requirements for time management without compromising your budget.
  • Can these tools be used anywhere? If your tools aren’t accessible outside of your business location, your process could slow you down, especially if it involves an issue with payroll.
  • Can my current system calculate overtime? If not, manual calculation will not only take more time, but lead to more human errors.
  • Can I locate my records and documents easily? Reduce the storage of paper documents with a cloud-based system that doesn’t require you to be at the office to access important information.
  • Has an employee ever lied about the hours they worked? How are you currently tracking employee hours and attendance? A manual punch card or handwritten notes can easily veer into a dangerous territory without concrete proof of employee attendance tracking.

The benefits of an automated system

With an online time and attendance solution, you have the flexibility to perform tasks quicker and more efficiently, with less errors.

Using TrackSmart, you can:

• • • Manage time-off requests
    • Give employees access to their schedules
    • Allow employees to clock in and out
    • Access information from a mobile devise
    • Run reports quickly
    • Keep records of employee information
    • Monitor overtime

Here are two examples of the advantages to using an automated system:

• • • Office manager Leeza Freeman of Total EyeCare, used spreadsheets to manage employee schedules at an optometry practice before switching to an online system.

 

Overseeing employee schedules using spreadsheets became a challenge; she was constantly reprinting updated schedules to guarantee employees have the latest information.

Now, Leeza saves 15-20% of her time by generating automatic schedules, viewing PTO requests in one central location and monitoring employee hours.

• • • Barbara Muzeni, director of finance and operations at Orlando Shakespeare Theater, tracked attendance with paper time sheets.

Chasing down employees who would often forget to submit their time sheets became a time-consuming process. Barbara had to call employees and have them submit their time sheets as a result.

The payroll process became a smoother thanks to an automated system that allowed employees to submit their PTO requests and time sheets conveniently on-site and off.

Track Attendance Easily and Efficiently

Looking to upgrade your time and attendance processes? Invest in TrackSmart software to track employee attendance and time off and ensure accurate timekeeping. Our Web-based software allows employees to manage their requests, swap shifts and clock in and out from anywhere.