If you find workplace time clock systems challenging, take comfort in the fact that many others share the same struggle. Mistakes with time clocks are common in both F&B and retail businesses. And it’s annoying, it really is.
Let’s crunch some numbers. An employee arrives 10 minutes early for his/her shift. Then this person fails to clock back in after a break, contributing another 10 minutes. Additionally, this person also forgot to clock-out right after work and only clocked out 10 minutes later than he/she was supposed to. That’s 30 minutes a day.
Of course, the impact may not seem significant individually. However, when you consider this across multiple employees every day and over the course of a week, the cumulative effect becomes huge. Your overall profitability can suffer due to seemingly small increments of 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there.
This time tracking glitch is a potential source of frustration for business owners and HR managers every time they review labor cost reports. But fret not, in this article, we address the common challenges related to clocking in and out and also discuss what to consider in time tracking to solve these recurring problems.
What is Time Tracking?
Let’s begin with the principal question, what exactly is time tracking? Time tracking is the process of monitoring a staff’s work hours to ensure proper compensation for the time spent on the job.
Central to this is clock-in clock-out, which is a practice to obtain the correct time calculation of staff working hours. Every minute matters if you hire hourly workers. You pay for the time they work, so using a reliable time-tracking system saves you money, time, and avoids disputes.
Common Clock-in Clock-out Issues at Restaurants & Retails
Let’s break these time clock issues down so that you understand where the bottlenecks are before choosing the right time clock systems for your F&B/retail businesses.
Paper Sign-off Method for Time Tracking
Whether you find a time tracking excel template on the internet or you count on punch cards in a mechanical device, using a paper-based method poses a potential problem. The possibility of errors is high when using a manual, paper-based approach.
Imagine this, have you ever asked your doctor to write a prescription for you and you couldn’t understand a single word? Yup, if you team is writing their hours on a clipboard, it will require additional effort for you to verify with each employee to confirm the numbers they wrote down. What an unnecessary obstacle!
Then later on, you still have to keep all those documents so that you have accurate records for proper documentation in case you need them later. Those papers are easily misplaced, aren’t they? Aside, can we really expect the ink to endure for years? It seems unlikely, doesn’t it?
Committing Time Theft
Off-the-clock work refers to any task performed outside of an employee’s official working hours. Enter the number one enemy that comes with off-the-clock work: Time theft
Time theft occurs when staff submit timesheets that indicate that they’ve worked more hours than they actually have. causes significant financial losses for small businesses every year. According to a payroll study, 43% of employees engage in such practices. If a substantial portion of your restaurant or retail staff has been committing time theft over an extended period, you may see excess claims of over 20% of base pay, which severely affects your bottom line.
Addressing time theft can contribute to more efficient operations and financial stability for your small business in the long run. Implementing clear policies and utilizing effective time tracking systems can be instrumental in curbing these losses and fostering a more productive and honest work environment.
Addressing Clock-in and Clock-out Issues
To address the clock-in and clock-out challenge, the initial step is to solve for accurate time in and time out. One way to do this is via automated time tracking. Automation not just conserves time but also mitigates potential challenges. This lowers the chance of errors, resulting in fair compensation for actual hours worked.
Look for a time clock solution that simplifies various tasks. This includes:
- Automated clock-in clock-out reminders
- Accurate clock-in via geofencing, GPS location (for mobile workers), photo verification or even wifi-based login timesheets creation
- Payroll consolidation, so hours worked are calculated automatically on payslips
Next, use data to determine the effectiveness of employee shifts. Time tracking software that can easily collect and analyze data for productivity improvement needs. Through the examination of time tracking data, businesses can pinpoint tasks that exceed the agreed duration and act on them.
Staffany Provides Solutions to the Poor Time Clock Systems in Restaurants/Retailers
Choosing the ideal time attendance system for your business can be a challenging task due to the vast number of options available. However, amidst these options, one system that sets itself apart is the attendance system offered by StaffAny. This time clock app is built to simplify clock-in and clock-out procedures, ensuring a seamless experience for staff to record their working hours and for employers to monitor time and attendance.
The user-friendly interface minimizes the learning curve for your staff, so they can easily navigate the attendance process. On the contrary, businesses benefit from a centralized platform that provides real-time reports into attendance patterns and working hours.
StaffAny’s versatility that has GPS features also allows employees to clock in and out at various locations, with the added benefit of streamlined, organized shift hours, allowing for a smooth transition between different work locations. That way, the hassle of managing multiple locations can be reduced, as the scheduling system can seamlessly integrate attendance from multiple locations.
Additionally, StaffAny’s clocking-in system easily connects with your payroll system through their automated timesheet consolidation. This integration eliminates the need for manual data entry, reducing the possibility of human error and ensuring that the payroll process is not only efficient but also free of mistakes. With accurate time and attendance data automatically incorporated into payroll, the risk of mismatches and payroll-related issues is significantly reduced, providing peace of mind for both the company and employees.
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Is your F&B business facing the time tracking problem? Contact us now to get the best possible solution!
