We’ve seen a lot of back and forth about whether or not remote work is here to stay. According to CNBC, while workers prefer the flexibility of remote work, employers still worry about the lack of oversight remote workers have.
The truth is that there are plenty of tools at your disposal that balance management needs with worker privacy, including a cloud time clock. It’s time to embrace the push for flexible work options without sacrificing productivity.
How can cloud-based time tracking revolutionize your workforce management and ease some of the biggest concerns that come from remote work? Read on to find out.
Benefits of a Cloud Time Clock for Your Business
You don’t want to eliminate the work-from-home option, but you’re tired of feeling like your workforce is scattered. Let’s take a look at how a cloud time clock can benefit your business and streamline your day-to-day practices.
Eliminating Time Theft
According to Harvard Business Review, even major companies like Google have implemented remote time tracking to deal with issues like time theft. Time theft is characterized by:
- Getting paid for non-working hours
- Clocking in late and clocking out early
- Taking extended breaks
With better time-tracking, you can ensure that your employees are clocked in as expected and cut down on paid time theft.
Optimizing Payroll
Speaking of paid time, remote work can also pose significant problems for HR departments and payroll managers. Without oversight of working hours, you rely on employees to self-report their worked hours. This can lead to misreporting and improperly calculated paychecks.
With cloud-based time tracking, you can implement smarter payroll systems. When there’s no question of how many hours an employee worked, you can eliminate complaints or problems related to pay.
Creating Accountability
Have you ever had the suspicion that one of your remote workers is ending their workday early or starting late? Do your remote workers seem to disregard your time off policy and take personal days without notice?
Cloud time clocks produce an indisputable record of when your employees were clocked in and working. Analyzing your time clock data often allows you to address attendance issues quickly and enforce your time off policy.
Getting Back to Core Functions
As a team manager, your job isn’t to chase down your employees. Yet, without a tracking system in place, you have no way of knowing who’s clocked in and you may find yourself doing exactly that.
Reliable attendance tracking eliminates a time-wasting problem and allows you to focus on core functions, like overseeing projects, delegating tasks, and reviewing employee performance. All of this supports the productivity levels you’d see from in-office work.
Why Use Cloud-Based Time Tracking?
There are plenty of employee attendance software systems to choose from. Why choose a cloud-based time clock system over centralized software? Here are the top reasons.
Accessibility
Centralized software only works on pre-programmed devices, requiring both you and your employees to stay locked to specific computers or tablets. We live in an era of on-the-go internet access, and it’s time for employers to account for that.
Cloud-based time clocks are accessible from just about any internet-enabled device. This is a crucial feature for mobile employees and for employers looking for real-time oversight.
Real-Time Information
One of the most important elements of increasing accountability is timeliness. You need to start catching discrepancies early and addressing them right away if you want to see real improvements in attendance.
Cloud time clocks not only compile and analyze data for you, but they allow you to track what’s happening in real-time. You can find out why employees are absent the moment you notice they aren’t clocked in.
Scalability
Another great feature of cloud-based time tracking is that it isn’t nearly as limiting as traditional software. You can add and remove employees in a few simple steps.
When you’re signing up for new remote work management technology, this scalability is key. You need the control to grow or shrink your business, and your tech needs to grow or shrink with you.
Additional Features to Look For
The basic online time-tracking program is going to track when employees punch in and punch out, but not much more. Here are the additional features you should consider to maximize the use of your cloud time clock.
Biometric Clock-In Options
Buddy punching remains a major concern for companies that offer work-from-home options. One employee can easily share their unique passcode with another and biometric clock-in options eliminate that risk. No one else can cover for an employee who has to use facial recognition or fingerprints to clock in.
Scheduling Functions
If you really want to revolutionize your workforce, you need a time clock that streamlines all tasks related to time on and off the clock. Make sure to integrate scheduling functions that make time off requests a breeze. You should even be able to track things like remaining PTO, sick leave, and more.
GPS Tracking
Not all remote workers are sitting at a desk in their home office. In fact, many remote workers are mobile workers, meaning that to get a job done, they need to go to a specific location away from the office. GPS time clock tracking can confirm not only when an employee is working, but where.
Built-In Security
Did you know that if you require your employees to share information digitally, it’s your job to protect it? The Federal Trade Commission outlines all laws related to employee information protection and when you’re liable. The best thing you can do is invest in a cloud time clock with built-in security.
Looking to Increase Digital Workforce Management? Use TimeTrakGO
If you’re not using a cloud time clock to oversee remote employee attendance, now is the time to start. Better attendance management will revolutionize your business, from eliminating time theft to increasing productivity.
There’s no better option for today’s workforce than TimeTrakGO. We’ve been setting the standard for remote time tracking for years and have customizable options to fit any workforce. Sign up for your free trial to see how TimeTrakGO fits into your workforce.
