How To Automate Employee Time Tracking

Happy manager using automated employee time tracking system

Imagine you’re a business owner juggling employee schedules, overseeing projects, and struggling to keep track of payroll. It’s a daunting task, but there’s a solution: employee time-tracking software. An automated time-tracking system will revolutionize how you track time, productivity, and payroll processing, saving you time and money in the long run.

Get Control of Daily Operations

More importantly, Chronotek Pro's employee time tracking features will answer your most critical business questions:

  • Which jobs are making/losing money?

  • Are employees at work when they claim to be?

  • Do employees leave the job site while clocked in?

  • Can supervisors and employees communicate effectively?

  • Are you compliant with government regulations?

Easy access to these answers empowers you with information to make the best decisions. A 17-second clock-in with our employee time tracking app captures your employees' work hours and generates detailed reports with every answer you need.

Top 10 Reasons Employee Time Tracking Is Essential

business owner managing remote employees from her desk with employee time tracking software

 

Employee time tracking isn’t just a luxury; it’s necessary for businesses striving to optimize productivity, remain competitive, control labor expenditures, and maintain compliance with regulations. With so many benefits at your fingertips, it’s time to explore why time-tracking apps should be a priority for your organization.

In the following sections, we’ll delve into ten specific advantages that time-tracking software offers, from monitoring remote workers to streamlining payroll processing.

Top 10 Reasons Employee Time Tracking Is Essential:

1 - Monitors Remote Workers in the Field

2 - Tracks Labor Costs 

3 - Forecasts Future Profits and Labor Dollars

4 - Keeps Customers Happy 

5 - Maintains Compliance With Government Regulations

6 - Boosts Employee Productivity

7 - Streamlines Payroll Processing and Eliminates Costly Mistakes 

8 - Addresses Data Security and Privacy Concerns

9 - Equips Your Teams With Integrated Communication

10 - Prevents Time Theft

Questions & Answers

1 - Monitors Remote Workers in the Field

see where employees are in the field with gps time tracker

 

Are your employees late to work? Did they forget to clock out? Did they leave the work site while on the clock?

Managing remote workers can be challenging, especially regarding ensuring accurate work hours and preventing time theft. Chronotek Pro's time-tracking software is a game-changer, allowing you to monitor employee activities and locations easily. Supervisors can receive push notifications or text messages when important events happen and contact employees immediately through the app.

Admins stay apprised of events by monitoring their dashboards for live activity feeds and issue tiles.

Features such as GPS tracking, attendance monitoring, and live maps on your desktop give you a clear picture of your remote teams’ work progress, ensuring they’re in the right place at the right time while on the job.

Remote workforces are becoming more common, making effective employee monitoring critical. A time tracker app provides transparency, allowing you to keep a close eye on the hours worked by remote employees, guaranteeing precise work hours and deterring time theft. You can manage your remote workforce efficiently and confidently with the right time tracking solution.

2 - Tracks Labor Costs

a business owner tracking labor costs with time tracking software

 

Labor overhead can be a significant expense for service businesses running 50% or higher, making it crucial to track and manage them effectively. You certainly know your labor expenses because every payroll day is a painful reminder. But do you know how you’re spending your money?

  • How much of your labor overhead goes to overtime and travel pay?

  • How much does each job/location cost you?

  • Which jobs are losing money?

  • What’s your gross profit/loss for each job?

  • Which jobs have the most overtime and travel pay?

Yes! Chronotek Pro answers all these questions.

By tracking time with Pro, you can see your labor dollars spread across jobs, along with regular wages, overtime, and travel pay. This level of accurate, parsed-out information illuminates problems hiding in the depths of the breakroom sofa, empowering you to make informed decisions about your workforce.

Your decision-making abilities with Pro also have a profit and time management superpower.

3 - Forecasts Future Profits and Labor Dollars

profits and labor dollars forecasted into the future

 

You’ll love seeing your spent labor dollars distributed to every job and allocated by overtime and travel pay. But forecasting future labor expenses is vital for businesses as they plan for growth and make strategic decisions about hiring and scheduling. Time tracking software can provide accurate data on the number of hours employees work, enabling you to calculate the labor needed for upcoming projects and plan for staffing requirements.

However, Chronotek Pro gives you a profit-tracking superpower by answering the following critical questions -

  • Will you make money in the future?

  • Which jobs will lose money unless you make a change?

  • Do you have overtime scheduled for a job 6 months down the road?

  • Will jobs have future travel pay beyond your budget?

  • Has someone scheduled an employee or supervisor with a pay rate exceeding the budget?

Pro answers these questions with future profit tracking – a true superpower combining your budgets, worked and scheduled hours, and loaded pay rates to give you a complete picture of the future.

You can avoid troubles ahead when you see the end from the beginning.

By using Chronotek Pro's GPS time tracking software to track labor hours and project progress on the job site, you can make informed decisions that ensure the success of your business in the long run.

4 - Keeps Customers Happy

A customer smiling, satisfied with the service they received due to employee time tracking

 

Customer satisfaction is the backbone of any successful business, and time-tracking software plays a crucial role in meeting customer expectations. Your customer walks into her building and sees overflowing trashcans and dirty bathrooms. If your employee’s work schedule is on a spreadsheet, she knows your employee was a no-show before you did. And she’s not happy.

Time-tracking apps and employee scheduling apps save you this embarrassment. Chronotek Pro alerts your supervisors when a shift is missed, immediately giving them time to cover the job. By resolving problems promptly, you can prevent customer dissatisfaction and maintain high service standards.

Time-tracking software promotes accountability among employees. When employees know their working hours and attendance are being tracked, they are more likely to be diligent, honest, and productive. This increased accountability translates into better service delivery and higher customer satisfaction.

Also, time clock software ensures you have sufficient staff available to meet customer demands. The app provides real-time visibility into employee schedules and attendance, allowing you to identify any staffing gaps quickly. By addressing these gaps promptly, you can ensure that your customers receive prompt and reliable service, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

Customers will also enjoy knowing you can verify when your employees are in their buildings. You can send them a detailed report showing the precise clock-in, clock-out times, and hours spent on the job. Providing time reports to your customers offers transparency and proves you deliver on the contracted hours.

Timely project completion and efficient resource allocation are key factors that directly impact customer satisfaction. Time tracking software offers various benefits, such as accurate and timely information about progress, improved resource planning and management, and early identification of potential problems.

By leveraging time-tracking software with unlimited users and key features, such as shift scheduling, no-show alerts, employee monitoring, and detailed reports, you can track time efficiently to meet and exceed customer expectations, fostering long-term loyalty and success. Our customers inform prospective clients that they use our tracking software for employees for accountability, quality control, and accurate hours, considering us an asset to build trust and credibility.

5 - Maintains Compliance With Government Regulations

an employee driving between jobs is due travel time pay

 

Compliance with government regulations is critical to running a successful business, and accurate record-keeping is a key component of this process. Time tracking software ensures that companies adhere to regulations by maintaining precise records of employee hours, overtime, and other pertinent data mandated by the government.

For instance, the Department of Labor requires "Time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time." One of the key features of our employee time tracker app is a travel feature that automates travel trips. It's integrated with Google Maps ™ and automatically creates a travel time card when your employee clocks in and out of different jobs. Use the actual time the trip took or use Google’s estimate.

Your employees will enjoy knowing you’re paying for every minute they have earned.

In addition to accurate record-keeping, time-tracking software can help businesses track overtime and ensure employees work within the legal limit. By implementing timekeeping software, companies can maintain compliance with industry-specific regulations, avoid costly fines, and maintain a positive reputation.

6 - Boosts Employee Productivity

a group of productive cleaning employees

 

Boosting employee productivity is a constant challenge for businesses, but time-tracking software can help identify areas for improvement and monitor work hours more effectively. Time tracking apps like Chronotek Pro provide valuable insights into how employees allocate their time, allowing managers to recognize areas where employees may not be utilizing their time efficiently and take corrective action. Managers can better understand employee time and optimize their workflows for increased productivity by using a time-tracking app.

By providing visibility into employee work habits and helping identify potential issues, time-tracking software can significantly improve productivity, ultimately benefiting the entire organization. Empowering your team with the best employee time-tracking tools can be a game-changer for your business, increasing efficiency and success.

7 - Streamlines Payroll Processing and Eliminates Costly Mistakes

a happy payroll admin who uses a time tracker app to streamline payroll and eliminate costly mistakes

 

Payroll processing can be time-consuming and error-prone, but an employee time clock app offers an efficient solution. Online timecards are ready when you are. Supervisors and payroll admins can do timesheet approval routinely without waiting to collect handwritten weekly timesheets.

By automating timesheet calculations and approvals, a time tracker app saves time, reduces errors, and ultimately leads to cost savings by producing accurate time-tracking records.

In addition to streamlining payroll processing, an employee time clock app can generate reports that provide valuable insights into labor hours, pay rates, billable hours, and other relevant data. Be confident that overtime hours are captured automatically and accurately for your pay period. This key feature is enormous for a semi-monthly pay period, or California expanded OT rules.

Businesses can track employee hours accurately by automating these tasks and reducing the potential for expensive human errors, ensuring precise billing, and maintaining a healthy cash flow. Mistakes in payroll processing can lead to costly errors and even legal issues. Time-tracking software addresses this problem by automating timesheet calculations and approvals, reducing the potential for human errors, and ensuring accurate payroll processing.

An article in The Washington Business Journal discusses three factors in processing handwritten employee timesheets:

  • Payroll admins misread handwritten timesheets

  • Admins make typing mistakes

  • Admins take considerable time to process handwritten timesheets

Reading and typing mistakes can cost up to 8% of annual gross payroll, while an admin spends 5-6 minutes per timecard each pay period to process payroll.

“For a company with 25 employees who are paid an average rate of $10 per hour, total savings add up to about $8,400 a year based on just these three factors. For a company with 50 employees and the same per-hour rate, the potential savings soar to about $16,800.” (1)

Almost 60% of our customers reported saving between 5-10% on labor costs by using our employee time tracking app, and 20% of those saved more than 10%.

In the example above, with 25 and 50 employees, the investment cost to automate and solve these problems is $1668 and $3168, respectively. That’s a 400% return on investment!

Generating reports with time-tracking software offers the added benefit of automating timesheet calculations and approvals, saving time and reducing errors. By implementing a time-tracking app that streamlines payroll processing, businesses can mitigate the risks associated with payroll errors (including the false impression of time card manipulation), maintain accurate records, and ultimately save time and money.

8 - Addresses Data Security and Privacy Concerns

An image showing a secure employee time tracking system to address data security and privacy concerns.

 

Data security and privacy concerns are top of mind for many businesses, and time-tracking software plays a critical role in addressing these issues. By prioritizing data protection and user privacy, time-tracking software ensures that sensitive information is secure and helps businesses maintain compliance with relevant regulations.

Time clock software can also facilitate transparency into work processes, enhance employee accountability, and provide insight into billing and invoicing to help address data security and privacy concerns. Businesses can safeguard their sensitive information and maintain customer trust by implementing time-tracking software that prioritizes data protection.

9 - Equips Your Teams with Integrated Communication

A manager using a time tracking app to equip his teams with integrated communication

 

A river that doesn’t flow well threatens its ecosystem, just as poor communication endangers a service business. The Chronotek Pro employee time tracking app has communication channels for supervisors and employees, including private, team, company, and job boards. Supervisors can also call employees through the app.

Everyone is always on the same page, ensuring a healthy and steady flow of the right communication to the right people at the right time. Effective communication is crucial for team collaboration and project success, and time-tracking software can play a vital role in equipping teams with integrated communication tools. By offering transparency into work processes, increasing accountability among employees, and enhancing productivity, time-tracking software facilitates better communication and teamwork.

Incorporating time-tracking software and project management tools into your team’s workflow helps streamline project management. Time management software also fosters a collaborative environment where team members can easily communicate, share updates, and stay on track with project milestones.

10 - Prevents Time Theft

A person using a time tracking app to prevent employee time theft

 

Time theft can be a significant issue for businesses, resulting in lost productivity and increased personnel expenses. Companies lose money with time theft in a few ways:

  • Employees fudge handwritten timesheets

  • Employees use time tracking apps to clock in away from the job

  • Employees leave the job site while on the clock

  • Employees buddy punch for each other

Time theft is a massive problem for small businesses, affecting up to 75% of companies. Reports estimate companies lose $400 billion annually in unearned wages and lost productivity, and 43% of employees exaggerate their work hours. (2)

Chronotek Pro firmly returns control to you with our exclusive location TimeTiles™ and GPS tracking.

TimeTiles™ are location-coded, tamper-resistant tiles posted at your job site locations. Employees clock in and out by scanning the TimeTile™ with the Chronotek Pro app – as simple as paying for groceries.

  • Employees must be on-site to scan a TimeTile™

  • TimeTiles™ requires unique employee logins, preventing buddy punching

  • Proprietary GPS tracking notifies you when employees leave the site while still on the clock.

Chronotek Pro helps prevent time theft by implementing key features such as location tracking, TimeTiles™, geofencing, ensuring that employees accurately log their hours, and discouraging unauthorized clocking in and out.

By implementing time-tracking software that prevents time theft and creating a written time theft policy, businesses can save money, increase productivity, and maintain accurate records of employee hours. A time-tracking solution benefits the organization financially and fosters a culture of honesty and accountability among employees, as they track employee time efficiently.

Automatic Time Tracking Gives You Control

a happy management team high fiving because time tracking software gave them control of their business

 

A simple 17-second clock-in with our mobile employee time tracker transforms your small business.

You need information now, not at the end of the month when you pull a spreadsheet. A spreadsheet reports what happened but fails to inform about what’s happening in 6 months. In today’s fast-paced business environment, having access to critical information is essential.

Time tracking software provides real-time time tracking data on employee work hours, who left the job while on the clock, who was late, or who will have overtime by Friday. You’re spending money now, which is when you need information.

The importance of real-time data in time-tracking applications cannot be overstated. By providing immediate access to critical information, time-tracking software empowers businesses to make data-driven decisions that drive growth and success.

It’s rare that just a few clicks on mobile devices automatically trigger so many positive benefits – from saving money, ensuring labor compliance, enhancing communication, providing oversight, maintaining customer satisfaction, preventing time theft, and so much more.

This simple act of automation restores control and confidence you can’t have with handwritten timesheets. Chronotek Pro is the best employee time tracking system is a machine that never sleeps and never stops providing the right information right now to make the right decisions.

Top 10 list - reasons employee time tracking is essential. 1 - Monitors Remote Workers in the Field, 2 - Tracks Labor Costs, 3 - Forecasts Future Profits and Labor Dollars, 4 - Keeps Customers Happy, 5 - Maintains Compliance With Government Regulations, 6 - Boosts Employee Productivity,  7 - Streamlines Payroll Processing and Eliminates Costly Mistakes, 8 - Addresses Data Security and Privacy Concerns, 9 - Equips Your Teams With Integrated Communication, 10 - Prevents Time Theft

 

Questions & Answers About Employee Time Tracking Apps

Q: Why is employee time tracking essential for businesses?

A: Employee time tracking is essential for businesses to optimize productivity, control labor expenditures, and remain competitive while maintaining compliance with regulations.

Q: How does employee time tracking software help monitor remote workers?

A: Employee time tracking software allows easy monitoring of remote workers by providing features such as GPS tracking, attendance monitoring, and live maps, ensuring employees are in the right place at the right time while on the job.

Q: How can an employee time tracking app help track labor costs?

A: An employee time tracking app helps track labor costs by providing detailed information on regular wages, overtime, travel pay, and job-specific expenses, enabling businesses to identify areas of profit and loss and make informed decisions about workforce management.

Q: How does time tracking software aid in forecasting future profits and labor dollars?

A: Time tracking software assists in forecasting future profits and labor dollars by providing accurate data on employee hours worked, enabling businesses to calculate labor needs for upcoming projects and make informed decisions about hiring and scheduling.

Q: How do employee time tracking apps contribute to customer satisfaction?

A: Employee time tracking apps promote customer satisfaction by ensuring employee accountability, timely project completion, efficient resource allocation, and transparent reporting of hours worked, leading to better service delivery and meeting customer expectations.

Q: How does time tracking software help maintain compliance with government regulations?

A: Time tracking software helps maintain compliance with government regulations by accurately recording employee hours, overtime, and other relevant data, ensuring adherence to industry-specific regulations and avoiding costly fines.

Q: How do employee time tracking apps boost employee productivity?

A: Employee time tracking apps boost employee productivity by providing insights into time allocation, identifying areas for improvement, and optimizing workflows for increased efficiency, ultimately benefiting the entire organization.

Q: How does a time tracking app streamline payroll processing and eliminate costly mistakes?

A: A time tracking app streamlines payroll processing by automating timesheet calculations and approvals, reducing errors, and generating reports with valuable insights into employee hours, pay rates, and billable hours, leading to cost savings and accurate payroll processing.

Q: How does a time tracking app address data security and privacy concerns?

A: A time tracking app addresses data security and privacy concerns by prioritizing data protection, ensuring sensitive information is secure, and maintaining compliance with relevant regulations, safeguarding business information and customer trust.

Q: How does employee time tracking software facilitate integrated communication among teams?

A: Employee time tracking software facilitates integrated communication among teams by providing channels for supervisors and employees to communicate, share updates, and collaborate effectively, promoting transparency, accountability, and project success.

Q: How does a time tracking app prevent time theft?

A: A time tracking app prevents time theft through features like location tracking, unique employee logins, and GPS tracking, ensuring accurate recording of hours, discouraging unauthorized clocking, and promoting honesty and accountability among employees.

Q: How does a time tracking app handle different time zones for remote teams?

A: Chronotek Pro handles different time zones for remote teams by allowing admins to set their time zone preferences. The software adjusts time records and generates reports based on the selected time zone, ensuring accurate tracking and record-keeping.

Q: Does a time tracking app offer real-time notifications and alerts?

A: Yes, Chronotek offers real-time notifications and alerts for various events, such as missed clock-ins, leaving the job site while clocked in, and clocking in away from the job. These notifications help supervisors and employees stay informed and take timely actions as needed.

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Endnotes:

1. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2003/12/22/smallb10.html

2. 49 Shocking Employee Theft Statistics (2023) (explodingtopics.com)

Conclusion

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In conclusion, automating employee time tracking emerges as a strategic solution for businesses aiming to streamline operations, enhance accuracy, and improve overall productivity. By leveraging advanced technologies and software solutions, such as biometric time clocks, mobile apps, and cloud-based platforms, employers can eliminate manual processes, minimize errors, and ensure compliance with labor regulations. Automation not only simplifies timekeeping but also enables real-time monitoring of employee hours, facilitates seamless integration with payroll systems, and provides valuable insights for workforce management. Moreover, by freeing up valuable time and resources previously spent on administrative tasks, businesses can redirect their focus towards strategic initiatives and business growth.

Embracing automation in employee time tracking not only enhances operational efficiency but also fosters a more transparent and accountable work environment, driving success in today's competitive landscape.

By embracing these solutions, you can simplify payroll processes, reduce administrative burdens, eliminate time theft, and minimize costly mistakes. Invest in an automated time clock system to save time and money while ensuring accurate and efficient payroll calculations. With the right tools and processes, you can focus on more strategic aspects of your business and watch your profits grow.

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