Whether your business uses paper timesheets, a manual time clock, or a digital time-tracking app, the challenge of ensuring accurate time records is real. Employees may forget to clock in or out despite the method used, leading to discrepancies in their timesheets. Employers must not overlook minor inaccuracies or missed clock-ins and should pay employees for all hours worked, as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Complying with legal obligations and maintaining a fair and just workplace is essential.
Do you want to ensure that your employees are always at the job site when clocking in?
Top Takeaways
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Importance of Precision: Accurate "clock in and clock out" procedures are indispensable for precise time tracking in business operations.
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Adoption of Best Practices: Establishing a clear attendance policy, assisting employees in forming good habits, and enforcing discipline when necessary are crucial steps in ensuring accurate time tracking.
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Use of Advanced Solutions: Leveraging advanced time-tracking solutions like Chronotek Pro can streamline the process, minimize inaccuracies, ensure compliance with labor regulations, and enhance operational efficiency and accountability.
Best Practices for Tracking Employee Attendance
Accurately tracking time is critical for businesses. Effective timekeeping helps companies remain compliant and saves labor dollars. It also encourages employees to be on time and not forget to clock in. Companies can adopt and follow best practices to track time correctly.
1 - Have a Written Policy for Attendance Tracking
Every business should develop a comprehensive written policy outlining clock-in and clock-out procedures. This attendance policy should address several expectations:
- Specify how employees are expected to record their time
- Clarify situations that require clocking in and out (e.g., lunch breaks)
- State the procedures for reporting and fixing time clock errors
- Address disciplinary measures for failing to obey the time-tracking policy.
Require employees to read and sign this policy to ensure understanding and compliance. Furthermore, any updates or changes to the policy should be communicated and reviewed with the entire team promptly.
2 - Help Employees Build Good Habits
Some employees may struggle with punctuality in a relaxed environment. Businesses can help employees cultivate good habits to encourage them to clock in and clock out on time. Suggestions include setting reminders or alarms to prompt on-time clock-ins and clock-outs, offering incentives for punctuality (such as gift cards or company-provided lunches), and emphasizing the collective benefits of accurate time tracking for payroll accuracy and operational efficiency.
3 - Try Discipline When Necessary
Disciplinary action is unfortunate but required when employees consistently fail to clock in or out. A verbal warning is a practical first step to address such behavior. If the issue persists, businesses may escalate to a written warning and, if necessary, consider termination.
Employers should not use pay as a disciplinary measure for time-tracking mistakes.
Improve Time Tracking with Chronotek Pro
The attendance policy should outline how you expect employees to record their time. Employees will still forget to clock in and out despite trying to follow the rules. Chronotek Pro can make timekeeping easier, more accurate, and decrease the need to edit time cards. Employees can clock in and clock out using Pro’s GPS time clock app or call from job site landline phones. Chronotek Pro ensures employees clock in and clock out at the correct site with smart scheduling features and TimeTiles™.
The Pro app allows field supervisors to see and manage work activity in real time and get alerts if someone is late, doesn’t show up, or leaves the job site while on the clock. Supervisors and their teams can stay in contact throughout their shifts through the communication hub, which is also an excellent way for admins to send out company-wide policy updates.
If you struggle with tracking employee attendance, you will not regret using Chronotek Pro. Try it free for 14 days.
Conclusion
