Keeping track of your employee attendance records is something that’s necessary for a business. Done correctly, tracking employee hours promotes accountability and even incentives for your workers and helps you to run a tight ship.
Gone are the days where people punched in using time cards. With technology comes a plethora of new and exciting ways to accurately track your employee’s hours. Some of these methods are affordable or even free, and can make your life as a manager much easier.
This how-to guide will walk you through some of the popular options available for keeping employee records. Let’s get started!
Paper or Technology?
The most important thing you’ll need to decide right away is how you plan to keep track of your employee hours. Your two main options are good ol’ paper and pen (probably in a large log or some notebook) or with a digital service that requires at least one computer and possibly mobile applications, too.
In 2019, most people are obviously going to err towards technology. True, there are plenty of apps out there that will make your life easier. But if you need additional funds to finance the purchase of an app—especially if you run a large business—you may decide it’s better to do things old school.
Cons of Paper
If you decide to go with a paper tracking system, keep a couple things in mind.
You may save money not purchasing software, but you’ll also be dealing with a system that is impossible to verify (unless you use outdated actual stamp cards), time-consuming (costing you money and time when you delegate the task to an employee or do it yourself), and the added step of transferring all your hours over to a digital payroll service.
What Can Tech Do?
Time and attendance software offer next-generation solutions for your small business. We’ll look at your options in a second (and pricing), but for now, here’s what good software can do. There are some free services too, like this website.
You can easily track (and differentiate) between shift time and net time worked. This allows you to record a more accurate time log for when people take breaks, leave work early, or call in sick. Net time tracks how long the employees worked while accounting for lapses in time too.
The best software will also integrate with your point-of-sale systems and payroll. Any popular software you’re already using to send out paychecks or convert sales in house can easily convert the number of hours over when it comes time to pay. Another added benefit is it’s much easier for your employees to track their hours and get paid.
Finally, you have several options. You can buy one-off services where you pay a one time fee (possibly updating it every few years), or pay a monthly subscription service. The benefit of subscriptions services is they are usually catered towards the size of your small business. Basically, you get what you pay for (and need).
Cons of Tech
A few negatives come along with tech, too. You’ll always need Wifi access to track things. Keep a pen and paper booklet on hand in the event that you lose electricity.
Using any sort of mobile application also brings about the possibility that your employees won’t have iOs or Android compatibility. Some apps only work with one or the other.
Employee Attendance Records Software Options
The right software will help you run your small business. Here are some options.
Deputy
Deputy is a time and attendance app that works with your smartphone and in-house computers. They tell customers that they eliminate the need for spreadsheets, databases, or anything related to employee tracking with their application.
Users boast that Deputy has a seamless, easy-to-use interface that makes logging your hours simple. Interestingly, they work on a per-user, per-month model—times the number of employees you have by $2 or $3 depending on the features you choose, and that’s your monthly rate.
TSheets
TSheets is a product of Quickbooks, which is a household name in company and employee management. This app comes with mobile time clocks, scheduling abilities, integrations to all types of operating systems, and even GPS positioning.
The latter may seem odd, but GPS positioning is a popular way to keep employees accountable. Especially if your workers travel, you can keep logs on the number of hours they are working away from the office.
Their pricing model is similar to Deputy, but works in tiers. Less than 99 employees costs $5 per employee, per month.
TrackSmart
Rounding out your tech option reviews is TrackSmart. They boast that their software turns “any computer into a time clock” and that they offer 24/7 tech support.
Their product is similar to both Deputy and TSheets, but they calculate their pricing on an individual basis.
Last Pieces of Advice
There are many other types of software available. Once you pick the right one (or go with pen and paper) keep in mind that you’ll want some type of cloud storage if your software doesn’t come with it. In the event that the app crashes or the tech breaks down, you’ll need well-kept records of all your employee’s information housed somewhere.
This could cost you a lot of money, so don’t neglect it.
Wrapping Up
Keeping employee attendance records is a vital part of making sure your business runs smoothly. Gone are the days where people stamped themselves in on the wall. Thankfully, there are plenty of options out there nowadays that integrate seamlessly with the technology that we walk around with every day.
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