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Why time and attendance is crucial for businesses to track and help prevent reputational risk

. Planning shifts, creating rosters, managing leaves, and keeping track of employees’ clock in and out times are some of…

Why time and attendance is crucial for businesses to track and help prevent reputational risk

25th November 2019

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By Bryce Davies, General Manager UK at Tanda

Every year, problems with tracking time and attendance (and ultimately, wages) cause governments to apprehend and collect millions in penalties. Planning shifts, creating rosters, managing leaves, and keeping track of employees’ clock in and out times are some of the most important things a business manager does on a regular basis. While some still use paper and punch cards in order to get these done, it can easily become tedious and prone to errors, especially if the company is growing at a steady pace.

In the UK, under an employees’ contract of employment, they have a legal right to be paid on time. If an employer is regularly late when paying wages, employees are entitled to try and resolve the problem through the internal complaints and grievance procedure or make a formal complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission. The worst-case scenario for employers is that they are sued for constructive dismissal for late payment of wages, potentially resulting in a capped £86,000 fine or 52 weeks gross salary, whichever is lower. This is also potentially damaging in terms of reputation, from both a recruitment and retention perspective. 

However, with the age of technology comes new, automated solutions in the form of time and attendance software and here are the reasons why businesses should invest in it:


Accuracy and real-time reporting

Time and attendance software records in real-time when staff clock in and out of work. This lets managers know instantly who is at work and when they clocked in. It shows real-time employee data that allows businesses to make faster, more informed decisions in terms of enabling them to optimise workforce productivity, helping to compete in the market and drive their bottom line.


Prevent “buddy punching”

“Buddy punching” happens when employees clock in on behalf of someone who is not yet at work. Latest research says that it is costing US businesses $373 million annually. Certain time and attendance software asks employees to input a 4-digit PIN and takes their photo whenever they clock in and out, verifying their attendance.

New tech such as time and attendance software also provides business owners and managers more resources to prevent buddy punching with most options are available with little added effort or cost.


Better and faster payroll processing

According to the survey by the American Payroll Association, 37 per cent of respondents say they financially struggle if their pay check arrives later than expected.

Time and attendance software automatically sends out payroll info to your payroll software. This cuts down processing time from hours to minutes, freeing-up valuable time and resources of payroll staff.


Flexibility

Time and attendance software can let you have multiple time clocks at different places. Your staff can clock in at your office and clock out on their work site.

Certain software also enables GPS clock-ins, allowing managers to accurately pinpoint remote workers location upon attendance.


Compliance

Penalties on incorrect wage pay runs are costly for businesses. By the end of 2018, the fair ombudsman of Australia collected over $10 million from businesses with inaccurate timekeeping records.

Using time and attendance software ensures that your business stays in line with the law, preventing penalties that will affect the bottom line.


Know when staff clock in and out in all your locations

Using a tablet, desktop computer or smartphone to log when employees clock-in and clock-out of work, gives employers an accurate record of their attendance, helping employers to schedule and calculate payroll accurately.

Time and attendance software also allows employers to automate admin work, build rosters, improve timekeeping and process payrolls while staying compliant.

Whether you’re in need of a solution for simply creating rosters, or something that already integrates with your POS system and payroll software, or perhaps all of the above, an all-in-one platform is guaranteed to cut down admin work from hours to minutes. This provides businesses with an automated solution that covers ground from onboarding down to paying employees for the hours they worked.

Categories: Articles, Training

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