For centuries, employers have needed to track their workers’ attendance. The invention of the mechanical clock made this a little easier. Then traditional hole-punch clocking-in cards took things a stage further. But modern time and attendance (T&A) software has taken things to an entirely new level. Packed with features designed to save time and resources, they’ve revolutionised the way the modern workforce runs. If employed wisely, they allow for unprecedented advantages for employers – and employees, too. Let’s consider some of those advantages.

1. Employees have more structure

Clocking in is a good habit to get into. After a few days on the system, employees know exactly when they must show up, and when they’re allowed to go home. The potential for miscommunication is hugely reduced, and the entire workforce will be happier as a result. Good timekeepers have the reassurance of knowing that their behaviour has been recorded, and no longer will anyone be able to protest that they were on time when an easily-accessible audit trail can quickly prove otherwise. Clocking-in is effective whether you’re using it on-premise or, as current circumstances may require, via cloud-based time and attendance software to manage your remote workforce.

2. Employers have more accurate time and attendance information

An electronic T&A system collects reams of data about an organization’s timekeeping practices. Through it, employers can learn exactly when employees are late or absent, and they’ll know the extent of the problem, too. When employees are going to be absent, they can record their vacation on a unified system, so that management can plan around it. Some employers may want proactive alerts that’ll notify them whenever employees have forgotten to clock out, straying into overtime or getting close to exceeding working hours regulations –allowing employers to take corrective action quickly.

3. Avoid costly payroll errors

Payroll errors can be significant for both employer and employee. Correcting payroll errors is commonly cited as a time-consuming task for HR managers. By utilizing the automation that comes with a modern time and attendance system, human errors have less opportunity to slip in so you’ll spend less time identifying and correcting payroll errors.

The system integrates seamlessly with payroll systems, so that you’ll have a more accurate picture of your overall costs.

4. Eliminates time fraud

While an old-style clocking in card could be filled in and punched by just about anyone, a modern system requires that a specific worker be there to present a thumb or fingerprint, authenticating the record with their unique biometrics. Thus, you can be sure that when the system says that a worker was present, they really were!

5. Eliminates guesswork

Much of the misreporting that goes hand-in-hand with traditional attendance systems is not a result of malice, but of simple unconscious bias. We’re all, after all, far more willing to round up if we’re asked to guess how many hours we’ve worked in a given day! The precise clock-in times recorded by a digital system eliminates this problem.

6. Simplicity for employees

Another advantage of a biometric time and attendance system is that employees don’t need to spend time filling in forms, or remembering to bring a special key-card with them everywhere they go. This means less time spent by HR managers correcting mistakes.

7. Can be accessed remotely

Workforce’s are becoming ever increasingly mobile. Just because you’re out of the office, that shouldn’t mean that you aren’t able to keep up-to-date with your employees. Mobile alerts in the palm of your hand allow you to oversee the entire organization, wherever you are in the world. This will allow you to act quickly to correct errors, even if you’re out of the office. And the remote functionality of our software isn’t just restricted to employers. Remote workers can also use a web-based clocking in system to clock in remotely.

8. Improved reporting

We’ve already touched upon the wealth of information enjoyed by employers armed with an employee timekeeping systems. But all of this data is worthless if it isn’t presented in a way that’s easy to understand and act upon. Our software allows management to see attendance issues at a glance using an intuitive, colour-coded interface. You’re able to get reports generated in your format-of-choice, whether it be .pdf, .csv or .txt, to fit seamlessly into your existing workflow

9. Reduced administrative load

An attendance system eliminates the need for manual clocking-in cards. There’s no need to spend hours poring over figures; the data is collated automatically. The elimination of this menial work will allow your business to streamline, and your employees and managers to focus on the creative, fulfilling work to which they’re suited.

10. Ensures regulatory compliance

Your organization may have to adhere to industry regulations, have some compliance rules that are custom to your business and will need to ensure regulatory compliance. A good system should be able to tailor to your requirements to raise flags against any compliance issues before your business falls short.