As a member of management, you should make sure that your employees are tracking their time correctly. If you’ve had trouble doing so in the past, you’re in luck. Below, we’ve detailed why this is important and the ways you can fix this problem.
Why Time Tracking Is Critical
Tracking your team’s work hours is critical for your company’s bottom line. First and foremost, it allows you to bill clients accurately, ensuring profitability. Statistics from the Harvard Business Review indicate that the U.S. economy loses $7.4 billion each day due to untracked work hours.
Additionally, after each project, you can compile and analyze data to determine how long each task takes. Having accurate time hours allows you to provide more precise quotes for future clients, in terms of both time and money.
Proper time tracking can also prevent disputes with employees and contractors. There’s nothing worse than having an employee claim they worked a certain amount of time, only for your records to indicate otherwise. Setting a clear expectation with your employees and contractors that you require accurate time tracking will prevent headaches down the road.
Make It Easy For Your Team
If time tracking seems like a chore, your employees will treat it as one. You can simplify the process, making it easier for your team to track their hours by providing them with a solution like a mobile time card tracker.
No longer will employees need to manually log hours on a timesheet. Time card trackers allow employees to begin tracking their time with the mere push of a button on their phone. Plus, employees and management will receive payroll statistics and updates in real time. Simplifying the time tracking process will increase the likelihood of employees doing so, thereby making the process much more efficient.
Additionally, the best time card apps come with location tracking. Not only does this allow you to verify that an employee was on a job site, but it also helps remedy any discrepancies. If an employee forgets to log their time, there’s no need for a drawn-out dispute. You can instantly verify, by using the location tracker, if they were at the site during the indicated time.
Communicate With Your Team
Another key element of efficient time tracking is communicating with your team. Initially, you should take the time to explain to your team why the time tracking system is beneficial for everyone. Make it clear that accurate time tracking will increase the likelihood of them being paid on time in the correct amount.
Furthermore, you’ll want to explain your guidelines and expectations during implementation. At this time it would be best to address what employees should do if they believe there is a discrepancy. Who should they go to with these concerns?
Lastly, you should ask your employees for feedback. Doing so demonstrates to your team that you value their opinion and are willing to work together. The ability to do so will likely increase your team’s receptiveness. Listening to their suggestions could make your team much more willing to make effective use of the new time tracking guidelines you’ve put in place.