Managing Employee Hours: 8 Tips for the Innovative Entrepreneur

Imagine running a business where you don’t have insight into the hours your team has worked. This could lead to major issues, such as failing to provide the correct overtime pay. You also risk dealing with employee time theft. An innovative entrepreneur will use certain strategies for employee tracking, and it’s crucial to understand the opportunities available.

We’ve created a guide with some of the most notable employee tracking methods that successful companies use. Let’s explore the key information you should know.

1. Eliminate Outdated Methods

Not all methods are worth using regarding time tracking. Pen and paper, for example, often cause more issues than they solve.

The primary issue here is that handwritten records can easily be destroyed or lost. This creates the opportunity for employees to deceive employers about how many hours they’ve worked.

2. Use Time-Tracking Software

One of the best ways to manage employee hours at your company is by using time-tracking software. This ensures that you’ll get the best results while minimizing common issues entrepreneurs deal with.

As the name implies, the software allows you to easily track the amount of time your employees work. This could include workday hours or the time spent on a specific project.

It can substantially improve how accurately you bill clients and compensate your workers. It can also identify areas of concern regarding time utilization. This software prevents a process known as “buddy punching.”

This involves scenarios where one worker clocks in for an absent worker so they still get paid even though they aren’t there. Left unchecked, situations like these can cost organizations tens of thousands of dollars per year.

When looking for software to use, check out the developer’s reputation. See what other people have to say about the experiences they had. You should also look at the application’s features to ensure it’s suitable for your company.

The last thing you want is to purchase software that can’t meet your needs. Pricing is also an important detail to consider.

Keep in mind you often get what you pay for, and it’s recommended to avoid the cheapest options. With enough due diligence, you’ll find the ideal option for your needs.

3. Plan Ahead

It’s imperative to release your employee schedule in advance. In general, it’s recommended to do so at least two weeks prior.

However, you should start developing the schedule at least three to four weeks beforehand. Publishing schedules at the last minute can easily frustrate your workers.

There’s a good chance that many of them will have conflicts and request changes, undoing your hard work. You can even plan further ahead than four weeks if your company’s operations are consistent. For instance, if every workday is more or less the same, then you can release a long-term schedule for your employees.

4. Consult Past Data

Employee data can help you develop ideal scheduling tactics. It’s unlikely that you’ll create the best employee schedules without access to this information. To clarify, you’ll gain insight into details like the times your employees prefer.

You can also learn more about workers who aren’t pulling their weight. One of the best ways to handle this obligation is by using time-tracking software that incorporates artificial intelligence. The application will quickly learn from past data and automatically provide solutions.

This can substantially reduce the amount of time you spend analyzing the data you acquire. It can also help you make better decisions in the future.

5. Quickly Adapt to Employee Needs

You can easily experience schedule disruptions if you don’t quickly adapt to employees’ needs. For instance, let’s assume that you have multiple members of the same team request PTO for a specific week. This could cause schedule conflicts with other members of your organization.

It’s best to accommodate these situations as soon as possible. Otherwise, you could deal with unnecessary lapses in performance. Even minor scenarios could be costly to your organization.

6. Streamline the Entry Method

The fewer details you input, the easier it will be to manage employee time tracking. However, this will strongly depend on your organization and its needs.

For example, some businesses simply need a way to track how many hours the employee spent working at the company on a particular day. Others might need to gain insight into the precise amount of time it takes to resolve a software bug. You may also need data about how long employees spend on each part of a process.

This could include development, design, testing, etc. The easier you make time tracking, the more accurate your timesheets will be. Use the bare minimum amount of information for your tracking methods.

7. Stay Transparent

It’s normal to keep certain time-tracking information private. This is especially relevant during projects that contain sensitive data. However, you should consider making basic info transparent to other employees.

Allow workers to see how many hours their colleagues are working and what projects they’re part of. This will motivate them to work harder and stay vigilant in their time-tracking efforts. It also establishes friendly competition, as people will learn who’s worked the most amount of time.

8. Don’t Over-Monitor Employees

Do your best to ensure your time-tracking methods aren’t anxiety-inducing. A common mistake companies make is scrutinizing each hour that employees work.

This can lead to undue stress and even reduce employee morale. In some situations, it could cause them to look for jobs at other companies. Instead, keep records of employee time tracking info and step in only when necessary. Your teams will run more efficiently this way.

Become an Innovative Entrepreneur

You’ll need to become an innovative entrepreneur if you want to achieve long-term success. The tips in this guide will ensure you use the right time-tracking strategies to get the best results and avoid issues you may have otherwise encountered.

TimeTrakGO prides itself on offering a comprehensive time-tracking solution that’s intuitive and easy to use. It offers a perfect mix of employee scheduling and hour tracking. Start a free trial today to learn more about how we can help your company reach new heights.