Timesheet Software Eases the Administrative Burden

Rob O’Regan -- Expert Business Source, 3/1/2007 6:01:00 AM

Keeping track of employees’ hours – even if your workforce is small – is no picnic. As your business grows, your time-tracking methods may need to grow with it. And as with many other parts of your business, technology is driving advances in this space with timesheet software and new techniques for tracking workers’ time on the job.

Time-and-attendance or timesheet systems can ease the paperwork burden and increase operating efficiencies by reducing the inaccuracies that are common with traditional paper-based methods. BuyerZone.com offers a comprehensive buyers’ guide on time-and-attendance systems. The main points are summarized here:

• Make sure time and attendance software is right for you.
  Most companies find they need a time and attendance system when they have about 25 employees they need to track. Timesheet software can address any of several needs including a desire to reduce the administrative hassles of managing paper time slips, mistakes in calculating time sheets, or concerns about “time theft” (the practice, intentional or not, of over-reporting time on the job). However, if your staff is primarily salaried, time sheets are manageable, and you do not need detailed information on how your workforce spends its time, a time tracking system is probably unnecessary.
• How it works.
  Time and attendance software collects employee time data and enters the information into a database. The collected data is then reviewed and approved by a manager so it can be used for payroll processing and custom reports. Employees use unique identifiers to log in and out, typically a card with a magnetic stripe or barcode, or a “proximity card.” In which employees can wave the card by the time entry device instead of actually swiping the card through a reader. For additional security, some companies offer a biometric input device that checks fingerprints or handprints to ensure that the correct person is logging in and out.
• Features.
  For smaller companies, basic time and attendance systems provide routine time tracking of employee log-in/log-out times. These time-clock packages also offer schedule management, which allows supervisors to create and maintain a schedule for each employee. In addition, supervisors can set rules for scheduling staffers, including setting break times, holidays, and even whether overtime is allowable. With most systems, you can also track tardiness and patterns of absenteeism.
• Pricing.
  A small company can expect to pay less than $1,000 for a basic time-tracking system with scheduling functionality and payroll service integration. Prices can climb swiftly into the tens of thousands of dollars as you add more people and data-collection devices.

Curt Finch, CEO of Journyx, a developer of time and expense tracking solutions, offers these tips when shopping for timesheet software:

• Don’t fall for a deceptive demo.
  Demand that any software vendor prove that their solution will solve your company’s specific business problem.
• Make sure you will get responsive support.
  Don’t settle for a static outdated FAQ list or a support staff that is part of the sales team.
• Consider a hosted solution.
  The “application service provider” model (also known as software as a service) allows you to “rent” software that runs on the vendor’s servers instead of having to install it on your own systems. This allows for faster rollouts, backup protection and easier upgrades.

Rob O’Regan is a freelance writer based in Londonderry, N.H.