Employees new to online time tracking sometimes think that their bosses are cracking the whip – recording time down to the second, revealing tardy patterns, the true length of lunch breaks, and the real sick leave rate. While all that will indeed be revealed, tracking time online is just so easy people tend to love it.
Letting a system do all the calculations, run reports on a variety of criteria, and record expenses all in real-time is invaluable.
Plus, a little visibility can actually be a relief. Sometimes the boss actually has the wrong idea about absences and tardy frequency. This can cause unnecessary tension. Transparency eliminates the guesswork and even helps to subdue some pessimism and blame.
Cloud-based time tracking is convenient. It’s not big brother.
The benefits to busy managers are huge. With online time tracking there is no more guess work, no more adding up hours manually, no more battles with employees over lost or forgotten time. Managers simply check over time cards for accuracy and prepare the payroll report. The system does everything else. And the benefits extend beyond making payroll easier and more affordable. Our workforce management package also includes:
- Data upload into QuickBooks and other popular payroll programs
- Location data tracking with each clock punch, including geolocation
- Time tracking for billing customers
- Variable pay and bill rate settings
- Comparison reports for viewing project time against actual time worked
- Approval process
- Unlimited supervisor levels
- Tardy reports
- Company calendar
- Scheduling
- Business expense tracking like travel and mileage, plus receipt storage
- Human resources document templates and storage
- Employee messaging
Employees Who Resist Tracking
It’s worth noting that employees who really resist online efficiency applications might just be the least efficient and productive staff members. If they are afraid of being monitored, they probably have something to hide, or they know they are losing their beloved, antiquated system that they so cleverly used to their advantage. An online time clock could be a good way to weed out the productive from the unproductive employees.
Of course, some employees might simply find logging on to be a hassle or they might not be computer savy. They also might mistakenly assume that the tracking system tracks more than just time (like, for instance, their every move. It definitely does not do that!). These might be the reasons for their reluctance. Listen to employees who complain, and try to get to the bottom of their reasoning. They may simply be great employees who are going through a legitimate adjustment period.
Adjustment Period
Every employee who is slow to adopt the new habit, isn’t necessarily resisting. No matter how willing an employee is to take on a new system at work, they may have a hard time adjusting to it. People get used to their old habits and sometimes find it difficult to establish new ones. If employees have never signed into a program on the web to keep track of time, they probably won’t remember to do it from day one – it’s not part of their routine. Give employees a chance to get used to it. As long as you, the manager, insist they use it and are consistent with it, they will realize that they have to use it if they want to get paid. Here are some tips for nudging your employees into the new routine:
- Provide adequate training.
- Make a bookmark on the employee’s browser right on the bookmark bar so they can’t miss it.
- Add an icon to the desktop to our log in page.
- Tell employees that they will only get paid for the hours that are on their time cards.
- After a waiting period, inform employees that if they don’t clock in and out for their shifts, they will be written up.
- Explain to them how useful it will be for them and how important it is to you.
Benefits for the Employee
Many employees will recognize the benefits, if not right away, then within a short while of using the new system. Employees can see their pay period totals in real-time so that they know what to expect on their next pay checks. They can check their paid time off balances, view past pay periods, and improve their own work habits. They can also make online requests for time off and for time clock edits so that they don’t have to hunt down their boss to get this stuff approved. Employees generally find that the system is as convenient for them as it is for their bosses. Having records available at the click of a button and snapshots of the pay period proves to be a real benefit for any employee.
