Gaining complete visibility into attendance and absence data is one of the most essential steps toward efficient team management. That is especially true when it comes to reducing costs and margins.

Time and attendance systems offer tools to log employee hours with time clocks, manage schedules, and handle PTO requests. Many are also integrated with popular online payroll systems.

Time Tracking

Many companies still use outdated wall-mounted time clocks or paper time sheets to record employee hours. These techniques are susceptible to human error and can be erroneous.

Use the best time and attendance systems that enable employees to sign in and out using mobile devices or laptops as an alternative to administering these operations by hand. These systems can also provide various reports and automation to help streamline workflows.

While some employees may resist tracking their time, it’s vital to communicate how it will benefit them and the company. It’s not about spying or micromanagement—it’s a way to ensure they spend time working on revenue-generating activities.

It’s no secret that inefficient workflows cost businesses money. However, you may need to realize how much your team’s inability to prioritize and organize their work could cost you. Time tracking can help uncover bottlenecks that keep your team from working efficiently.

For example, suppose a team member frequently switches between contexts or takes unscheduled breaks during projects. In that case, it may be time to implement a new schedule that better suits the workload and encourages focused, productive work. Similarly, if employees spend too much time on admin tasks, they should be given more freedom to work on other initiatives that benefit the company.

Scheduling

It’s no secret that productive employees are essential to business success. There are many ways to boost productivity, from ensuring team members have the right skills to effectively delegating tasks. However, one often overlooked strategy is effective workplace scheduling.

Staff scheduling is assigning shifts and managing time-off requests, among other tasks. Using the right employee scheduling software can help businesses save costs by optimizing staffing levels and improving productivity.

For example, a study found that workers who received stable schedules two weeks in advance and were removed from on-call duties saw a 5 percent increase in productivity. That is likely since more consistent schedules allow employees to plan their lives outside of work, reducing stress and improving performance.

Scheduling can also help businesses improve service delivery by ensuring that all necessary processes are staffed adequately during peak times. In addition, it can help them avoid overstaffing during slow periods and understaffing during busy ones, which will ultimately result in cost savings.

Managers need access to detailed business data, such as historical demand and expected growth patterns, to create an effective workforce schedule. They should also consider current productivity and sales data, employee interviews, and staff logs to identify if specific shifts are less productive.

Reporting

The quality of employee work can depend on many factors, including their wellness, level of motivation, and work environment. Providing a comfortable workplace will ensure that employees can concentrate on their tasks without distractions and will be less likely to feel stressed out or frustrated when they encounter problems at work. Additionally, boosting employee productivity will require effective communication between managers and their team members. That can be done with easy-to-use tools and channels that can make it possible for them to communicate with one another quickly.

Using centralized reporting systems can also help boost productivity. These systems will provide data-backed solutions, allowing supervisors to identify and resolve problems quickly. For example, if an organization notices that absenteeism rates have been increasing over the past eight months, they can run ad-hoc reporting to find out what is causing it. They might find a correlation between busy periods and days taken off, which will give them an idea of how to address the issue.

Using clear and accurate reporting systems can also help boost employee productivity, showing the organization’s commitment to transparency. It allows employees to trust that their supervisors can accurately convey important information and respond accordingly. Furthermore, it will enable them to stay informed about the company’s successes and failures, motivating employees to continue performing well.

Payroll

It’s no secret that high employee productivity leads to improved sales and increased customer satisfaction. However, many small business owners need help boosting employee productivity at a reasonable cost. It is where time and attendance systems come in.

A good time and attendance system helps to streamline payroll by automating time tracking and eliminating manual data entry. They also help to prevent time theft and offer features like employee scheduling, geolocation tracking, project management, team communications, and more. They often integrate with online payroll services for seamless transfers of time data.

Depending on the specific system, it can track employee time using various methods, including swipe cards, barcodes, PINs, mobile apps, and biometrics. They can then export this data to payroll systems for processing and reporting. They are often easy to use and accommodate various punching options, schedule templates, employee PTO, and attendance rules.

For example, with Deel, employees can track their own time, set their lunch breaks, take long or short breaks, and log all other types of paid and unpaid leave, such as sick days, vacations, FMLA, bereavement, or jury duty. They can also access their pay stubs, tax withholding information, and W-2 forms within the system. This transparency and accessibility can go a long way in increasing employee satisfaction and morale.