Time tracking software
Time tracking software, also known as time and attendance software, is an application designed to help managers and business owners accurately record the hours their staff start and finish work.
This is useful not just for complying with employment law, but to speed up the payroll process at the end of each pay period.
How time tracking software works
Usually used in conjunction with or built into staff scheduling software, time tracking software allows staff to clock in and out of shifts using either a mobile app or by entering a four-digit PIN into a clocking-in terminal, such as an iPad or Android tablet running a time and attendance app.
When staff clock in, a record of the time (and, where relevant, location) of the clock-in is automatically recorded on the employee’s digital timesheet, which is then stored online for them and their manager to refer to later. Unlike paper timesheets, which can be easily tampered with, online timesheets can only be adjusted by managers or staff with specific user permissions (and even then, a record is kept showing amendments), preventing instances of time theft.
Why use time tracking software?
Although staff rotas give employers a fair idea of the hours their staff should have worked, rotas only tell part of the story. For instance, they don’t reflect when staff:
- Arrive late for work
- Finish work earlier than scheduled
- Finish work later than scheduled
- Miss a shift entirely
Without an accurate record of the hours their staff have worked, business owners risk over- or underpaying their staff for the hours they work, needlessly eating into their profits for that day.
As a business owner, you also miss out on useful staffing data which could be used to streamline operations and maximise profits. For instance, with a log of all the days when staff worked later than their scheduled finish time, managers are able to experiment with staffing levels on particular days, or spot potential issues that could be dealt with by additional training.
Time tracking software like RotaCloud also allows managers to run payroll quickly and easily by generating a variety of reports, from hours scheduled vs hours worked, to lateness and overtime, and more — without the need for manual data entry.
