Timekeeping and payroll are two elements of a business that are inherent to its success and making both as simple and effective as they can possibly be, is the first step towards a business being productive and profitable. Nowadays, more and more small businesses are turning to online systems to track and manage employee timekeeping and payroll, and there are multiple advantages, most of which can be found below:
- Online time and attendance systems can be integrated with payroll
- Employees themselves can clock in and clock out online
- Employee attendance and leave/time off can be tracked very easily online
- There is no more need for clumsy time clocks
Software features of an online time and attendance system:
When you use an online time and attendance system, the hours that employees have worked are automatically shared with the payroll system, and simply require approval from the business owner or manager, making the whole process very efficient. Such a system can be operated anywhere with an internet connection, and timecard history is stored for each pay period. With a quick report, managers can easily see an employees’ attendance and time-off used, or unused. In fact, multiple time-off categories such as vacation or sick leave, can be defined, tracked and reported with ease. The number of hours off permitted for each employee can be seen at the click of a button, along with the balance, and will appear on each individual timecard. With the way the system operates, employees are not able to enter more time off than they are permitted to take, either. Here are some other popular and effective features of an online time and attendance tracking system:
- No software to install, it simply runs from your preferred browser
- Data is securely stored
- All necessary data required for compliance with federal and state regulations, is retained
- Employees can review, edit and approve their own timecards, which are then automatically shared with payroll
- Hourly and salary timecards allow for multiple entries and daily hours totals, which can then be used either for weekly or biweekly pay periods
- Customization of timecards is made easy to accommodate vacation, sick and other hours
- Reporting is accurate and overtime hours are automatically calculated
These are just a few of the benefits of online systems, and as you can see, you would be hard pushed to spot any elements that can be exploited or that might be less beneficial for a company than any other type of system.
With clocking in cards fast becoming a thing of the past, your small business could soon be reaping the benefits of having an online time and attendance system. To discuss this in further detail, you might want to make an appointment with your local payroll service provider, who can talk you through your options.