What time and attendance tracking software is best for your company?
With the explosion of mobile apps and cloud-based services, there are more time and attendance tracking software solutions than ever before. Some are free and some are extremely expensive, but little can be known based solely on cost. Taking a trial run is an important part of knowing which programs will work well for you, but with thousands to choose from, how do you pick the right programs to try?
Consider the following five elements to help pare down your options for time and attendance tracking software:
1. Time, Attendance and Your Business Model
The reasons why your business tracks hours and days should influence your choice for software. Most companies pay hourly wages and benefits are impacted by days and hours worked. However, this data is also useful in determining employee value and pinpointing ways a company can improve. For instance, a business may discover their flexible hour policy has left gaps in client services.
2. The Size of Your Workforce
It’s easy enough to schedule ten or less people with a pencil and paper, even without set schedules in place. Any more than that to track and the task becomes difficult, so working with a system offering automatic scheduling can free up a significant amount of time for management.
3. Compatibility
If your business is already running enterprise software, it makes sense to work with a time and tracking program you can integrate easily. For instance, will your time clock solution merge with payroll records? If you have to run time clock reports and then transfer data to your payroll software, upgrading to something more expensive may save you in the long-run.
4. Mobility
Instead of standing in line to check in at a time clock, allow your workers to log in from their desks or via smartphone or tablet. Tracking comes especially in handy for workers who telecommute or work at sites away from the office. Monitoring software, which takes a snapshot from a worker’s laptop or a screenshot of their desktop throughout the day, can help you stay on top of productivity concerns. These kinds of systems also allow for your workers to get straight to their tasks, instead of waiting at a time clock.
5. Connectivity
One of the best features of a time and tracking program is the ability for workers to see everyone’s schedule, as well as who has scheduled time off. This way, if scheduling problems are anticipated, parties involved can address it right away instead of waiting until the schedule has been set and posted. This also helps to cut back on payroll fraud by letting everyone know who is currently clocked in. If employees are listed as working when they’re not at work, the people picking up their slack are likely to report them.
Oftentimes, the easiest way to get a grasp on the best software available—especially those suited to the unique way you do business—is by working with a PEO payroll and time management pro. Specialists put effort into evaluating the newest and best products on the market, and they can help you set up your programs in a way that works best for you.
Click to email your questions on time and attendance tracking software to the pros at Einstein.