The business world is so competitive; it’s hard to keep up with the ever-changing environment. And as any entrepreneur will tell you: a significant problem when running your own company or managing others on payroll can be inefficiency and lost productivity due to lousy timekeeping.
A simple attendance system might work if a construction business has a few employees. But when managers need to monitor many workers, how will you ensure money isn’t being lost through lack of employee productivity?
The answer often lies with a reliable timekeeping system – this will help companies track employees’ attendance records and punctuality throughout each day or week. This will ultimately improve workflow efficiency while ensuring employees don’t game their hours from work (illegally).
As a project manager, you have a wide variety of time and attendance systems to choose from. Which one will be suitable for your company?
Read our buyer’s guide to learn about the benefits of advanced time and attendance systems and what factors you need to consider when buying such a system.
The most significant advantage of a time and attendance system is that it guarantees 100% compliance with labor laws. You won’t need to rely on old-fashioned methods such as pen and paper or spreadsheets.
These systems can easily track employees’ hours, even if they work from several locations simultaneously. Plus, they can clock employees in and out of their stations before starting or finishing a task.
You won’t need to go through endless piles of paper records and therefore save time and money by getting rid of the top 3 common issues:
A time and attendance system will never allow workers to change their attendance records. It will also alert managers if an employee works for more hours than recorded during a specific period.
Payroll can be automatically generated with minimal mistakes through the system software. Managers won’t have to worry about miscalculations through human error.
The system can create reports that show all the hours an employee worked in a week or month – even if they were split into two different projects. There won’t be any problems with calculating overtime pay. The system already shows the actual employee hours worked, not exaggerating their overtime pay.
HR can also verify leave and sick absences by looking at the system data. They won’t have to personally ask workers when they leave or suddenly don’t show up at work.
Managers can enhance workplace efficiency and identify problems with non-attendance by looking at historical data. If a worker has the habit of being late, you’ll have the chance to fix this issue early on instead of facing future problems with project progress.
A time and attendance system can also track the time it takes for an employee to complete a task. Managers can then adjust their work tasks based on this information. If a worker takes too much time finishing a job, you can split the task into two and assign it to another worker to speed up the project.
Managers wouldn’t need to micromanage each worker since automatic monitoring with this software allows compliance with work-time instructions.
As technology evolves, the construction industry has to keep track of innovations. Time-tracking has become ever so easy with software and advanced systems.
In today’s world, there are many potential ways to integrate time and attendance monitoring with other systems such as payroll or workflow management – it all depends on your business needs.
Here are 6 time and attendance solution options:
The most basic time and attendance system is a simple way to track who’s working. Employees punch in with their clock card, which has the hours they’ve been at work printed on it for easy reference later. The machine also automatically updates itself, so there’s no need for manual input or stamps from someone else.
A self-contained time clock system records employee arrival, departure, and break times through PINs or key fobs. Data from these devices can then be downloaded onto your database in a format compatible with spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel. Multiple terminals are linked together to cover various entrances/exits.
The software-based system is a more modern and efficient way for companies with dedicated computer workstations.
All employees can use this system, and time-tracking is based on their log-in times instead of hours worked in person. This also allows you to access data from anywhere through the Internet connection on your mobile device so long as there isn’t any pesky encryption thrown into the mix.
Integrating a T&A system will allow accurate payroll management, complete oversight, and visibility over employee absences.
Data from worker punches are sent in real-time and automatically combined into an accounting ledger to calculate payroll accurately. This integrated system can also manage worker absence at any given moment without disrupting workflow on site- it also forecasts future workloads based on current trends.
The work terminals themselves may include one (or more) access control devices alongside them, so managers know who has entered their departments regardless of whether they are nearby or not. The system lets managers visualize individual workers’ movements throughout their facility by showing which areas have been accessed most recently.
Having such an integrated attendance tracking system is essential in today’s competitive environment, where businesses are constantly going up against each other, just trying to stay ahead of the curve.
In a world where many modern businesses employ flexible work schedules, it might be necessary to monitor off-site time.
Workers can clock in with remote mobile devices that provide them access to an online portal that reports their hours worked and requests days off when needed–saving you money by cutting down on unnecessary costs.
Biometric clocking in systems identifies a staff member based on the unique physical characteristic—these range from relatively inexpensive fingerprint readers to mid-priced hand or facial recognition readers. Expensive machines with iris scanners are also used for checking in and out by workers without having another person buddy punch them.
When searching on the net, you will be bombarded with many options of time tracking apps and software providers.
Each provider will entice you with their taglines, discounts, and free trials. If you want to make a long-term commitment, you have to make sure the time tracking app or software is aligned with your company’s needs.
To narrow down your search, you can consider the following 3 factors:
Do you want complete workforce management software? Or are you looking for specific time-tracking apps to manage employee scheduling?
Fully integrated time and attendance software and iris scanning machines are more expensive than simple clock cards. Consider what to purchase by looking at your overall budget and what you can potentially afford in a few years.
If your company is growing, investing in a more complex system is a great option. In contrast, businesses with limited budgets can stick with easy-to-use and affordable time tracking systems.
Is the software compatible with your current system?
If you’re planning on integrating the attendance software with your existing interface, you should consider their compatibility. The last thing you need is to get stuck with a time and attendance software that lags your entire process.
It’s best to consult the time tracking software provider to understand the requirements and any specifics you need to know to install it in your system.
Some suppliers might offer hardware to sell the time and attendance software. This is called an aggressive SaaS model. Vendors that provide such attendance solutions typically operate within a limited scope, assisting small businesses that require systems with basic functionality.
Suppose you seek a time tracking system with additional features that can track employee hours in multiple locations that facilitate payroll processing to reduce labor costs. In that case, you need to look for a different supplier.
Generally, apps that provide such an attendance solution include kiosk clocks. These clocks are specially designed apps that help monitor workers through GPS tracking and quickly register employee attendance through facial recognition.
With over 15 employees, any business can benefit from an attendance tracking system. However, as a project manager, you should choose the right kind of tool to maximize ROI for your company and facilitate employee scheduling.
With MobiClocks, you can take charge of your human capital management through a worker-friendly system that generates payrolls at the click of a button. Its cost coding feature helps you allocate tasks and calculate workers’ actual hours, making tracking time and resource management more effortless.
At MobiClocks, we offer a free trial, so you can test out our software before purchasing it, which means there’s no risk for you–If this sounds like something that will work well with your construction business, sign up today!
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