When running a business with employees, you need to keep track of their time. One sure way of tracking your employees' clock in and clock out hours is by using a traditional time clock that allows them to feed their time cards and punch time onto them.
Thanks to technology, time clocks are now digital, and there are several versions of them in the market. If you are looking to invest in an employee time app for your business, this guide offers tips to help you make an informed choice.
Choosing a time clock for your business
With too many versions of timeclock apps in the market, it is easy to make the wrong choice. There is no one that fits all employee time management apps.
Your app of choice will depend on the nature of your business. However, knowing what to look for in a time clock app can help you make an informed choice.
If you don't have any experience with time clocks, it would be best to ask for help from someone who has had some experience. Alternatively, you may want to read this in-depth comparison of 10 of the best clock in clock out apps in the market.
What to look for in a time in time out app
Organizational structure and size of your company
The size of your company is one important thing you will want to consider when choosing an employee time management app for your business. Different apps are designed for different company sizes. This means what works for a small company may not work for a large organization.
Besides company size, the structure of the organization is also another factor. Consider if you want to have one person as the app administrator or have multiple admins for different departments or teams and the number of shifts.
Once you have these considerations in mind, go for a solution designed to fit your organizational structure best.
Integration with payroll providers
When choosing a clock-in clock-out app, you will need to choose one that easily integrates into your existing payroll software or provider without any technical issues.
Integrating your time management app into your payroll can help streamline your business's payroll processing by ensuring that all employees' work hours are captured in the payroll software in real-time, which can be a time saver.
Alternatively, if it doesn't offer integration into existing payroll software, it should have its own payroll capabilities that allow you to run and manage payroll-related issues from within.
Ease of use
Ease of use is another factor to consider when choosing a clock-in clock-out app for your business. You don't want an app that will give your employee problems that can result in payroll errors. Go for an app with an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that will not be problematic even to the least tech-savvy employee.
An ideal clock in clock out app should present an employee with a minimum number of options, emphasizing the clock in and clock out options. Additionally, it should be easy for employees to correct errors they make in the process of clocking in and out.
The problem you are looking to solve
Different businesses will have different needs for an employee time clock. So, when deciding on purchasing a clock-in clock-out app for your business, consider if it will help solve the problems you are looking to solve.
For example, if your problem is buddy punching, you may need to invest in a biometric-based attendance system. This will help you mark your employees’ attendance by scanning their fingerprints as they walk in or out.