6 Tips to Keeping Track of Employees Time & Attendance

Maintaining an accurate record of the hours spent at work is necessary to ensure fair compensation and proper billing. Measuring the time employees are on the job also can help establish additional business objectives and helps to set performance benchmarks for productivity. If a company needs to increase productivity, it should engage in a strategy of increasing the hours employees work each day.

1. Timesheet Rounding

If employees are expected to track their own time, they must be given guidelines on how the time should be recorded. Timesheet rounding can prevent employees from spending more time on the job than initially recorded. The timesheet and time card must be finished quickly and accurately. The employee must fill out the timecard and include time for breaks, lunch, leave, and other non-working time. This is a quick way to record the company’s payroll record-keeping needs accurately. The DOL allows for reasonable rounding up or down so long as the numbers are not inconsistent with the records of each employee’s total hours worked.

2. Biometric Devices

Biometric devices are electronic systems that record employee time entry by scanning an employee’s fingerprint. Because these devices are more costly to implement than time clocks, they are usually used in industrial settings. Advantages of biometric time tracking over traditional time tracking include higher accuracy and compliance with federal laws on overtime pay. Biometric time tracking also allows companies to manage their workflow better because employers can program the device with limitations on the number of work hours allowed per day.

3. PTO Banks

PTO banks are an effective way to manage accrued time off. There should be a designated person in charge of recording the time on the PTO bank. This does not mean that all accumulated time will be used, but it does mean that employees will not have to worry about drawing up a separate form for their time off requests. The payroll processing system will be able to process time off requests from employees in the payroll system based on the accrued time recorded in the PTO bank.

4. Attendance Incentives

Attendance incentives are effective in reducing employee absences. If an employee sits at their desk during their lunch break each day, they might not receive any additional pay. If an employer has a policy of rewarding employees who come in to work on their lunch break with a small amount of money or other time off at the end of the year. Employees will be more inclined to come to work during their lunch breaks and keep a good attendance record.

Incentive programs for employees with perfect attendance records can motivate them to take their time-tracking responsibilities seriously. Incentive programs work best when they are tracked through an automated payroll system. These programs do not need to be announced publicly, but it’s a good idea for employers to implement them as a positive recognition program for their hard-working employees.

5. Time Tracking Software

Time tracking software can monitor the time employees log on to their workstations. The software can be set up for employers to track both time worked and all employer-required equipment, tools, and technology. The software will also record other critical information such as the employee’s name and badge number, the department where they work, actual start and end times, and any breaks taken or taken by cell phone.

Employers can also implement computerized time-tracking software to help them monitor the hours that employees spend in the office. The software will track an employee’s total hours worked and adjust wages based on the number of hours worked. Employees must understand that they are responsible for maintaining their records and should not alter or destroy them.

6. Wellness Programs

To establish a wellness program, the employer should first be able to keep accurate records of their current employee’s lifestyles. An employer can create rules for employees based on their biometric information. It usually begins with incentives for employees who take measures to improve their lifestyle and then eventually rates employees on different levels of compliance against these rules based on their biometric information. Wellness programs are one-way employers can ensure that they meet federal mandates related to work-related injuries and illnesses.

Employees are more likely to make the necessary time to be productive, knowing they will be rewarded for their efforts. For companies with strict attendance policies, electronic time cards and a PTO bank can help employers ensure that employees record only the hours that have been worked. Keeping accurate time records is important to any company that wants to track productivity and provide fair compensation.