When it comes to tools to add to your business, there are many choices that are available but having an employee time and attendance software will save you money. Yes if you have employees that work by the hour, then it is important that you keep up with their time and attendance accurately. It is almost impossible to keep up with time and attendance by hand unless that is all you have to do and that is why we recommend you look into this type of software. Each time you break out your employee handbook and refer to your attendance policy you will know that you have an accurate way of tracking attendance and identifying any trends as well as knowing where you are at on your budget at all times.
The concept behind this type of employee time and attendance software is simple. It comes with a database that has been specially designed in order to record and keep track of the time that has been entered. Many of the programs today come equipped with the electronic clock that is used by the employees each time they come in and leave. For example, the employees are giving a card that they scan at the start and end of their day. When using a system like this it will be able to track the exact time an employee begins their shift. It will also accurately keep track of each part of the hour so that you are not overpaying an employee when they clock in late or out early.
As an example if an employee clocks in at three minutes past their start time...
Time and attendance software is a God send to a business owner since the time it will save you can allow you to spend that time running your business. As an example if an employee clocks in at three minutes past their start time how do you break that down so that you are paying them accurately? Do you move the time forward to six minutes past so that it will count as one tenth of an hour? Or do you move it back to the top of the hour and give the employee credit for the full hour? Finally you could leave it as is and pay them exactly the time they were there. Provided your employee handbook clearly states your policy and it is allowed by your state department of labor some businesses will always move it forward to the nearest tenth of an hour. In addition, the employee is considered tardy and subject to discipline.
Can you imagine manually trying to keep track of everything that a good business could be tracking with a solid time and attendance software? Such things as how many times an employee has been sick in the last year. Maybe tracking vacation time earned by the pay period. Maybe pulling up how many hours someone has worked in a certain time frame for a regulatory agency. The uses are limitless!
If the average wage in your business is just $10 per hour and you have fifty employees...
As you know as a business person labor is the most expensive element of your expenses. Just the ability to save a fraction of those expenses could amount to a very large sum of money. If the average wage in your business is just $10 per hour and you have fifty employees that check out three or four minutes early everyday it could be costing you as much as $50 per day. This doesn't include the productivity that will be lost also. This could be changed by simply making sure you attendance policy in your employee handbook clearly identifies how your time system calculate time.
This particular article is not intended to endorse any single time and attendance software program. Although there are many out there to choose from the bottom line is to find one that fits your particular businesses needs. Depending on the type of employees you have and your business environment the purposes you will use if for will vary. If you are a smaller business that employs family and friends this could make it easier to establish some guidelines and rules so that you are not paying for time not worked. On the other hand if you have a larger business with employees spread out over a large area it will accurately track their time especially if the employee must use a coded time card issued just to them!
By finding a reputable employee handbook templates software that allows you to establish rules that state an employee that falsifies an official company document (employee time card) they will be subject to discipline up to and including termination. This will allow you to take action if one employee clocks in or out for another employee. Trust me it is done all the time. A time and attendance software takes all the guesswork out of it! Research various versions and get yours today!
