How to Choose the Best Time Clock for Your Business
You know you need a time clock for your business, but which one do you pick? Keep reading below to learn how to narrow down the choices.
Did you know that businesses incur losses of up to $11 billion yearly because of time theft? This is a staggering figure that should confound every business owner. As a business owner, you’re probably contributing to this statistic without knowing.
Fortunately, there’s a way you can reduce time losses in your operations. Investing in a time clock will help you meet your time management needs. However, you must be careful when selecting a time clock for your operations.
Your time management needs are unique. What works for your neighbor might not necessarily work for you.
Here are the qualities to look out for when choosing a time clock for your business.
Analog vs. Digital
A paper punch card is the face of the analog era regarding time clocks. This time clock operates on a timecard and slot machine. Your employees would have to slot their time cards into the machine each time they clock in and out of work.
The machine registers the time by punching a tab out of the timecard. The location of this hole shows the exact time an employee came or left the office. It’s easy to see from the description that punch cards are a bit basic in tracking attendance.
Digital time clocks, on the other hand, come in different forms. You can choose to own a barcode time clock or a touchless time clock, among other options. These time clocks give you a better time management perspective in your operations.
The Accuracy of a Time Clock
The essence of having a time clock is to help you come up with better payroll policies. Therefore, a time clock with a high degree of accuracy is preferable. So how do you gauge the accuracy of different time clocks?
Time clocks that record a myriad of employee data without help from human personnel tend to be more accurate. A good example is the biometric time clock. Human beings are prone to making errors, and so they may provide inaccurate data to you for policy-making decisions.
Durability
A time clock is an investment, just like any other business asset. So, durability is a key feature you should consider when shopping for one. Assess the condition of your work environment first before settling for a time clock.
The assessment will tell you whether the environment is harsh, moderate, or favorable. Then you can decide on the right time clock for your operations. A military time clock can withstand harsh elements in the working condition.
It would be foolhardy to invest in this time clock when working in a favorable environment. Even though you’ll get a durable product, you’ll pay more. A barcode time clock would work fine in such an environment, yet it’s affordable.
Capabilities
Work with a time clock that can capture the unique biological traits of your employees. Such a time clock will better the time management accuracy of your workplace. It will also prevent buddy punching, which is notorious for wastage.
For the modern workplace, try installing the face recognition time clock. Make sure it can differentiate all your employees for the best results. This time clock is secure; it prevents employees from defrauding your business via buddy punching.
User Friendliness
A system will only yield the desired results if the end-users feel comfortable using it. Once you narrow down your time clock options, involve your employees in selecting the final one. Train them on how to use the new system so that they embrace it fast.
Once employees get used to the new system, motivate them further. Reward every person for the extra time they dedicate to the business. This means you must have a system that records extra time from employees in place.
Auditable
There isn’t a system that’s free from manipulation. Your supervisors can collude with some devious employees to manipulate the system. It would be best if you had a way of auditing your system to see any unscrupulous changes.
Look for a time clock that shows you the original time sheet alongside any changes that another person made. The feature should show these changes even if someone tried to eliminate the trails. It would help if you had the final say over the whole system.
Integration With Other Systems
Right now, there’s so much technological advancement in the business world. It’s almost impossible to imagine you are operating without any digital system in place.
Ask yourself if the time clock you want will integrate seamlessly with the other systems. A time clock that integrates with other systems won’t disrupt your operations at any point.
Number of Identification Features
Stay on the safe side by choosing a system with multiple authentication features. To put this into perspective, assume you have a touchless time clock. It only has a single way of identifying your employees.
The system will inconvenience you and even create losses if one day it develops challenges with its authentication channel. That’s why you better work with a time clock with different ways of identifying the employees. For example, a barcode time clock allows employees to use PINs to identify themselves.
Updates
Technology evolves at a rapid pace nowadays. You want a time clock that’ll update itself automatically to its latest version. These updates will provide you with additional relevant features to meet the changing demands of the work environment.
Avoid systems that force you to outsource the task of updating it with recent technological tweaks. The outsourcing function represents an additional expense to your business. Moreover, outsourcing puts you at the mercy of third parties.
Get Yours at TimeTrak Systems
A lot of productive time goes to waste because some business owners seldom track how employees spend business time. This wastage has a direct negative impact on businesses’ bottom line. It’s time for you to start engaging in time management to optimize your operations.
The above tips will help you settle for the right time clock for your operations. Once you have it, you’ll see the weak points of your operations so that you improve on them. Contact Time Trak Systems for the right time clock for you today.
