Employee time tracking is essential to ensure profitability and smooth day-to-day operations.
Time tracking refers to the processes involved in managing the time and attendance of employees in a business, such as tracking working hours (arrival, break times, departure) and absences.
No business can survive if it doesn’t accurately track its employees’ working hours. This is necessary not only to have a clear idea of labor costs and maximize profits, but also to comply with labor laws and ensure that employees are paid accurately and on time.
That’s why most companies invest in time and attendance software. This simplifies and eases management tasks, prevents payroll errors and limits time theft.
In this article, you will learn more about:
- The key features of time tracking apps
- Additional features offered by some time and attendance software
- The best apps to track employee working hours
- How to choose the best software for your business
4 key features for time management software
1. Different ways to clock
Time and attendance software can offer several different ways of clocking in and out to suit different needs.
For example, construction or homecare companies often need to have a geolocation-based time and attendance tool to ensure that their employees are in the right place at the right time. Other businesses prefer to have employees clock in and out in the break room or directly on their cell phones.
There is a wide range of clocking in and out options to suit a multitude of needs:
- Punch clock on tablet or fixed computer
- Mobile time clock with geolocation
- Time clock on fixed phone
- Self-service timesheet software
- IP-restricted computer time clock
- RFID time clock
- Bar code time clock
Choosing the right way to clock in and out for your business will reduce time theft or buddy punching in your organization.
2. Tracking of working hours
Time and attendance tracking software records the time employees start work, their break times, and the time they leave. Employees’ working hours are generally recorded on a timesheet and transmitted to payroll software once approved by a manager.
Using time tracking software allows you to automate the calculation of working hours, including overtime. You can also quickly validate employee timesheets and compare them with the planned schedule. No more manual copying of working hours.
You can also receive automatic notifications when your employees forget to clock in or don’t show up for work. This makes it easy to react quickly and find a replacement if necessary. You even have access to your employees’ clocking in and out in real time. So you know at a glance who’s on the floor or on break.
Finally, your employees’ time-off banks are also automatically updated, making it much easier to manage their time-off requests. Employees also have easy access to this information, enabling them to better plan their requests and make them more accountable.
3. Customizable settings
Customizing the settings of your time tracking software is essential to ensure that you comply with the laws and regulations in place in your workplace.
For example, you can set minimum rest periods between shifts, limit the number of hours worked per week, avoid overtime, and so on. You can also round off working hours to simplify payroll calculations.
Reinforcing your absence and lateness policy in a clear, unbiased way is easier when you rely directly on timesheets. For example, you can determine that an employee is considered late when they start their shift more than 5 minutes late. Late arrivals will be visible directly in the employee’s timesheet.
4. Report creation
Analyzing the data from your employees’ time and attendance records will help you improve your company’s operations.
This will give you a better idea of your labor costs, and enable you to analyze the busiest times of the year. You’ll then be able to create optimized work schedules according to your needs and objectives.
You’ll also be able to spot recurring problems such as repeated absences or lateness, shifts that are harder to fill or early departures due to lack of customer traffic.
Additional features to track working hours
Integration with employee scheduling software
Your time tracking software should also offer employee scheduling to enable you to really optimize your processes. It makes it easier to consult timesheets and better plan employee work schedules according to your company’s needs.
Scheduling software can save you a huge amount of management time, allowing you to focus on other important tasks. It lets you create work schedules that respect your employees’ availability and constraints. It also enables you to find replacements quickly by filling shifts, and simplifies shift swapping between employees.
Centralized communications
Some time tracking software also allows you to centralize your internal communications. This means you can chat with your employees in a professional messaging tool that better respects team members’ privacy.
You can also use the software to find replacements quickly, instead of having to phone each potentially available employee individually. Or send messages via Facebook Messenger to reach them.
The newsfeed function lets you share public interest messages with all your employees at the same time, and make sure they’ve seen them.
Computerized employee records
To simplify your employee management processes, some software packages offer the option of centralizing and digitizing your employee records. This gives you access to all the information you need to carry out your management tasks, wherever you are.
It’s also a highly effective way of enhancing security levels of employee data.
The best time tracking apps
Agendrix
Agendrix is a time tracking and employee management software package that, among other things, enables you to record employee working hours accurately and precisely, and automate the creation of timesheets.
The software is available online, on any device (computer, tablet and smartphone), and is easy for employees and managers alike to use.
Why choose this app?
Agendrix allows you to centralize all your company’s HR management, including employee scheduling, communications and time and attendance tracking.
Customer service is available 7 days a week in English and French. The software also boasts over 40,000 5-star user reviews. It complies to the highest standards in terms of data protection.
Agendrix customers report a 53% reduction in the time required to track and process work hours with the software.
Main features
Agendrix offers a wide range of additional functionalities. They have been designed to help managers simplify their employee management tasks and centralize all information in one place.
- Employee records
- Professional communication tool
- Staff scheduling
- Onboarding tool
- Employee recognition module
- Leave bank
- Open shifts
- Shift swapping
- Integrations with the most popular payroll software
- Customizable settings
- Clocking tool with geolocation
Benefits
- Free, unlimited support, available in English and French
- Free version available
- Data protection that meets the highest industry standards
- Easy-to-use interface
- Available online on any device
- Customer support available 7 days a week
- Good value for money
Areas for improvement
- Does not manage employee time by project
- Does not offer a customer billing module
Pricing
- 21-day free trial available, no credit card required
- From $2.95 per user per month
Integrations
- EmployeurD
- ADP Workforce Now
- Ceridian Powerpay
- QuickBooks
- BeLocum
- Nethris
- Lightspeed
- Hopem
- Acomba
Main industries served
- Retail
- Pharmacy
- Construction
- Seniors’ residences
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Food & Beverage
- Tourism
- Health care
- Events
- Security
QuickBooks Time
QuickBooks Time allows you to track employee time and create work schedules. The software integrates seamlessly with the accounting software of the same name.
Why choose this app?
This application is perfect for companies that are already using QuickBooks and looking for a solution to keep track of their employees’ time without having to use any other software.
It’s ideal for companies with simple time and attendance tracking needs.
Interesting features
- Geotagging
- Integration with QuickBooks
- Mobile application
Benefits
- Seamless integration with QuickBooks
- Quality customer service
- Mobile clocking application
Areas for improvement
- Difficult user experience
- Not easy to use
- Does not allow communication with employees
- Very expensive
Pricing
- Free 30-day trial available
- $40 per month + $10 per user per month
Integrations
- QuickBooks
Main industries served
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Information Technology
- Government Services
- Accounting Services
Deputy
Deputy is a time tracking software that enables companies to ensure that they are complying with the laws and regulations in place when it comes to employee working hours.
It automates the tracking of time sheets and facilitates management tasks.
Why choose this app?
This application is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses looking for a simple solution to tracking employee working hours.
Developed for companies that hire hourly-paid employees and have variable working hours.
Interesting features
- Geolocated time and attendance
- Schedule planner
- Online clocking-in tools
- Customizable settings
Benefits
- Easy to manage employee overtime
- Simple break management in schedules
Areas for improvement
- Can sometimes be slow when editing schedules
- Does not offer employee records
- Does not offer customer service
- Does not support customer billing
Pricing
- 31-day free trial available
- From $6 per user per month
Integrations
Deputy offers integrations with more than 50 software applications such as:
- ADP
- BambooHR
- Dropbox
- Lightspeed
- QuickBooks
- Revel
- Square
- Zapier
Main industries served
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Security & Safety
- Events
- Education
- Healthcare
How to choose the best time tracking software for your business?
To choose the best time tracking software for your business, you need to start by listing your needs and budget. Once you have a clearer idea of what you’re looking for in a tool, you’ll be in a better position to evaluate each solution based on your criteria.
Don’t hesitate to ask for a demo of the software you’re most interested in, and give it a try. Most work time management software offers a free trial to ensure that the product is right for you.
Finally, don’t overlook the quality of customer service offered by the software. Make sure you can get help quickly when you need it. Support can have a huge impact on your experience.
Conclusion
Using time tracking software is essential if you want to improve your company’s processes and simplify your management methods.
Don’t hesitate to try Agendrix free of charge to see if it suits your needs. You can set up your account in just a few minutes and test the various features for a few weeks to see if they meet your expectations.
How to Keep Track of Employees' Working Hours?
There are a number of ways to keep track of your employees’ working hours:
- Paper timesheets
- Online timesheets
- Time tracking software
What Is Time Tracking Software?
Time tracking software is a software tool that automates the management of employee time & attendance and timesheets.
What Are the Advantages of Using Time Tracking Software?
The advantages of using time tracking software like Agendrix include:
- Reducing by half the management time needed to track and process employee working hours
- Saving time and money
- Increasing employee satisfaction
- Reducing scheduling and payroll errors
- Automating HR and management tasks
- Increasing employee productivity
- Enhancing protection of employee data
- Reducing time theft and fraud
- Creating reports from data
