Right Employee Time Clocks for Small Business

Is your small business still using traditional punch-in and punch-out time clocks to keep track of employee attendance? If so, your outdated methods could be costing you in the long run. The new generation of employees expect modern conveniences when they look for new careers and you could be missing out on talent if you have not upgraded. Outdated timekeeping methods could also be hurting your bottom line. Issues such as buddy-punching missed clock-outs, or the time and effort your HR team devotes to recording and deciphering attendance all add up. If your company is still using a traditional time clock to track attendance, this article is for you.

Why Traditional Time Clocks Are a Thing of the Past

Employee time clocks for small business were introduced in 1888 by a jeweler in Auburn, New York. While they’ve gotten some upgrades over the years, many businesses are still using this model of timekeeping that was current over 120 years ago. Here are some reasons why it might not be the best fit anymore.

They Are Cumbersome

Even though they’ve been streamlined over the years, the traditional time clock still tends to sit in its own little place in the break room because it’s not easy to transport. That means that each location of your business needs one and that employees must make a special trip to clock in and out. Each arrival, departure, and break require a special trip. This encourages buddy-punching and missed clock-outs and can hamper productivity.

They Don’t Provide Flexibility

What do you do if you have an employee who is working on a project at a satellite office? How do you provide attendance tracking for an employee who needs to work from home due to a sick child? Flexibility is key in today’s work environment, and traditional time clocks simply don’t fit the bill. Small businesses succeed because they can be more nimble and adaptable than their big business competitors. However, they also need the tools in place to allow for this flexibility. An old school time clock is a hindrance to the type of dynamic company you want to be.

They Don’t Improve Communication

A clock in or clock out on a traditional system provides very little information other than the time an employee arrived or departed. If you want to find out why an employee was absent or clocked in late, you have to seek out that employee to ask why. When employees then self-report hours or reasons for missing work, it’s easy for them to tack on extra time or come up with excuses. This makes the traditional method unreliable and a waste of time.

Why Biometric Timekeeping May Be the Answer

If you have not researched biometric timekeeping as an option for time clocks for small business, you’re missing out. Biometric timekeeping gives employees the ability to clock in and out right from their own smart devices. It’s flexible, it’s accessible, and it provides your HR team with a tool that can help them be more productive and communicate better with your team.

Employees Can Access It From Anywhere

Many business owners are afraid to offer flex schedule options for their employees because they have no reliable way of keeping track of the hours they work remotely. Because biometric timekeeping is done from their smart devices, employees are able to keep track of their attendance and schedules when they are on the road, working from home, or stationed at a remote office.

No more worrying about those remote employees who can’t make it into the home office to clock in or out. This allows you to build flex time into your employees’ schedules, which helps with both recruitment and retention.

It Streamlines Communication

Want to know why one of your workers clocked in an hour late or left two hours early? Need to communicate about an upcoming medical leave one of your employees needs to schedule? Biometric timekeeping can provide a consistent and reliable way to communicate with your employees about their schedules and attendance. Workers can request time off, explain an absence, or arrange a vacation right from their own smart device.

It Can Be Customized

No two businesses are alike. When you use biometric timekeeping, you can customize your platform. Keep track of salaried vs hourly employees, monitor employees by project, or track employees by location. You can also enter in paid holidays, overtime, and other personalized settings on an individual basis for each employee. This allows your HR team to automate many of their tasks and frees their time to focus on other issues.

Is your company stuck in the past using an outdated timekeeping method? A traditional punch clock could be costing your business time, money, and valuable talent. Consider upgrading to one of the biometric timekeeping systems available to improve communication, provide schedule flexibility, and take some tasks off your HR team’s shoulders.