Time Tracker – Understanding how to track the number of hours you and your employees’ work can be difficult. With shift patterns changing to suit the needs of your business, keeping tabs on how many hours you and your staff work is no simple task. The situation becomes even more confusing if you work for a business that bills clients by the hour.
The question is, are there any simpler ways available to number of hours worked?
Well, it just so happens that there are. In this article, we will look at a variety of methods for tracking the hours worked. We will also look at software solutions that make the task much, much easier.
Let’s get started.
What is a Time Tracker?
A time tracker is a method of monitoring the number of hours worked over a period of time or on a task. Employers often use it as a way to monitor the working hours of staff and run payroll effectively.
For businesses that bill by the hour, a time tracker solution is a great way to monitor how much time they spend on a client. This allows for accurate invoicing and billing.
In what ways can I track the number of hours, I and my staff work?
For as long as people have worked, there has been a need to track the number of hours on a task. In the old days, keeping tabs on how much you and your staff worked involved pen and paper. They would record clocking in and clocking out times in a ledger. Somebody would then have to perform mathematics on these to work out the number of hours and minutes worked.
With the advent of computers, the process of hours’ time tracking became much easier. Smaller businesses can use spreadsheets to perform basic calculations and automate some of the processes. Larger businesses tend to employ dedicated software solutions that take the sting out of tracking the number of hours worked.
Can you buy timekeeping software?
The quick answer is, yes. Dedicated software is available that monitors timekeeping. Some of it is even free. For large businesses that require a solution that performs the tasks of an HR Department, more expansive software is available. This type of software will monitor clocking in and out times (logins) and work out the number of hours worked. It will also have options to monitor breaks (paid and unpaid), holidays, and overtime. It may even be able to run payroll.
What about time tracking software for remote teams?
It is perfectly possible to acquire software that performs timekeeping for teams who work remotely. This type of software will potentially require a server to run on or a VPN. Remote teams will log into the software when they begin work and log out when they finish. The software will then work out the number of hours worked. Businesses can then use this for payroll purposes, etc. or the software may perform calculations on the data itself.
- Clock in and out from browser
- Time tracking via Phone & Tablet app
- View & approve time records online
- Export timesheets to payroll
- View & approve staff vacation requests
- Overview of employee availability & absences
Photo by Luke Chesser on Unsplash
