How much do you know about employee time clocks? If you run a small to medium-sized business, then you need to know as much as possible about them – otherwise, you won’t be able to accurately track the time that your employees have worked.
Without a good time tracking system, you might end up spending more money than you need to, which can have catastrophic results for your business. Even better, once you invest in a good modern system, it will grow with your business, so you won’t have to switch your methods. Yes, there are plenty of great points about employee time clocks.
Let’s go into some of the things that you need to know.
What’s Your Current Time Tracking System?
Odds are good that your current employee time clocks are the old fashioned kind. They might be on punch cards that are stamped when they are inserted into the clock. They might also be just kept on a spreadsheet or a handwritten piece of paper. A swipe card is a step up from this, but it still has its issues. While these might work, for now, they will be difficult to track towards the end of the year when you need to handle all of your payroll paperwork.
Plus, if you use one of these old fashioned methods, you might not be accurately tracking the time off that your employees have accrued. Are you worried that they might get an extra vacation day, simply because you wrote something down wrong? Or is the worry more along the lines of, “did I forget to pay that person for a sick day that they’ve earned?” If either of these is problems, then you definitely need to develop some sort of computerized system.
These older employee time clocks are functional, but they lack all of the bells and whistles of modern ones. It’s those additional features that make tracking time easier and save you time when you need to compile paychecks and calculate hours worked. Plus, these older methods are simply inconvenient, especially when you have employees that work unusual hours or are handling business outside of the office on a regular basis. It’s time to modernize.
New Employee Time Clocks Will Save You Money
This statement sounds unusual because you need to spend money in order to get these systems set up. However, you’ll end up saving in the long run, because you’ll spend less money trying to get your payroll done each week. It will be easier to track the time off requests and vacation days used. No matter how small your business is, these new employee time clocks are quite useful.
One of the best things about new time tracking systems is that they’re biometric. The days of having your employees’ clock in for one another when someone is running late are over. Instead, they’ll have to clock in themselves using a fingerprint or an eye sensor. These biometric systems ensure that you never have those types of shenanigans ever again.
Another useful feature is the fact that these new employee time clocks work from anywhere, and use an app on your employees’ smartphones. The app allows them to clock in at their desks, or when they’re meeting with a client. You won’t have to worry about employees gathering in one section of your office to clock in and out anymore.
Usually, those employee gatherings lead to wasted time on the clock, since your employees chat with one another as they would around the proverbial water cooler. This is a problem since you’re essentially paying them to talk to one another.
Modern employee time clock systems can even track the number of days off used and note when employees have requested that time off. The employee just needs to input their request and HR (or you, if you’re in charge of your small business) can approve those requests and add them to the system. This ensures that the employee receives those paid days off. It certainly makes life easier for both them and you. It also makes those employees happier, because they have fewer headaches to deal with.
Overall, modern employee time clocks come with plenty of features that work to their benefit – and yours. You’ll spend less time dealing with scheduling and payroll, leaving you with the time to get other important things done. On top of this, your employees will be happier, because everything will be much more transparent.
No matter the size of your business, you need a modern payroll and time clock system. It will be able to grow with your company through the years, and you won’t have to worry about switching to a new system in the middle of that growth. This makes everything easier for you.
