Get an Employee Time Clock App and Solve 6 Obstacles to Business Growth

TimeWorksExpress employee time clock app
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Liz Strikwerda

Content strategist and corporate blogger (2000+ posts). Her work has been featured on G2's Learning Hub, Human Resources Today, Better Buys and over 500 business websites. She plays bluegrass mandolin and enjoys sailing her catamaran and hiking in the red rock wilderness of southern Utah. Connect with me on LinkedIn

On the fence about whether to get an employee time clock app? You’re not alone. Despite irrefutable benefits, many small businesses don’t use one.

What’s stopping you?

Perhaps you think you don’t have enough employees. Maybe you are afraid your team will be insulted if you make them use one.

Are you so busy you can’t think about one more thing? Worried that adopting a new system will be more hassle than it’s worth?

My goal is to convince you that an affordable time clock app will solve rather than create problems.

I’m talking about a simple, turnkey app. One that does timekeeping, scheduling and Paid Time Off (PTO).

The Fastest and Cheapest Way to Improve Efficiency

Will it really help you run your business more efficiently? When it comes to ROI, no business management app comes close.

Why?

Improved labor management is a big deal. Labor is your biggest expense.

Let’s look at the problems an employee time clock app will solve.

1. We Have Too Much Vacation Request Confusion

Confusion surrounding time off is a common problem. Without a formal system, you are at risk for double booking. Or forgetting someone’s request.

A time clock app with PTO tracking is the answer.

Your team members request time off in the app. You can see all the requested dates together, side by side.

It puts everyone on a level playing field if you have a first-come-first-served time off policy. It removes any actual or perceived inequity.

You’ll never have to remember which requests you have approved. It shows the dates the requests were submitted. Transparency solves a lot of problems.

2. I Use Guesswork in Client Billing

A time clock app can track and allocate your employees’ time by project, team, client, etc. If you’re in field service or construction, you can view billable time at a glance. Bill clients based on accurate employee hours per project or job site.  

3. Preparing Payroll Takes Too Long

Whether you pay your employees weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, payroll is relentless. It seems to roll around quicker each pay period.

If you dread it, it’s probably because you track it with spreadsheets.

Tracking and entering employee time in spreadsheets doesn’t make sense anymore. Using a simple employee time clock app is a game changer.

4. My Operating Expenses Keep Rising

Most operating expenses are fixed. Leasing office space, for instance. Administrative costs, however, are variable.

Inefficiency costs you big time. When it comes to employee timekeeping and payroll, a time clock app can improve efficiency dramatically. Improved efficiency saves money in several ways.

Let’s break it down.

What’s your time worth? If you don’t handle your payroll, what’s your payroll manager’s time worth?

Consider this;

There are dozens of employee time clock apps that cost less than $8/employee per month. Even at $8 per user—which is on the high end for basic apps—a business with 10 employees would spend $80 per month.

How many hours do you (or your payroll manager) spend each month preparing payroll? This includes gathering timesheets, correcting errors like missed punches, and calculating PTO. Plus figuring withholdings and submitting payroll taxes.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), payroll and timekeeping clerks make a median hourly wage of $21 (2017 data).

Regardless of who does what, let’s suppose, in total, your team spends 15 hours a month on payroll. Let’s value this time at $21/hr (the BLS’ median wage for a payroll manager). That totals $315 in labor. $235 more than an app that costs $80 a month! The savings in admin time alone is a compelling argument for an employee timekeeping app.

And what about the opportunity cost? If you could reclaim those hours, what could you do? Find new clients? Research your competitors? Rethink your business model? Clean your office? Go to the gym?

5. Late Timecards Are Driving Me Crazy

Time to ditch paper timecards. You don’t need the hassle. Employees forget to fill them out. You have to track them down. They are vulnerable to math errors.

A web-based time clock app replaces timecards. You can see each employee’s online timecard in the app.

Approve them with a click. Import them into payroll. Make it home for dinner.

6. I Worry That I’m Overpaying For Labor

There is at least a 2%-3% error rate in manual data entry and calculation. When an app does the calculating, you protect your payroll from human error. It also prevents timecard padding. Do you have a problem with employees adding extra minutes here and there?

Look for an employee time clock app with schedule lockout. Once you create a shift schedule, the web clock won’t allow employees to punch in early or punch out late.

Automated employee time tracking reduces unnecessary payroll bloat due to errors or time theft.

WorkforceHub Time & Attendance is your employee time clock app for:

  • Tracking your employees’ time and attendance
  • Approving timecards and preparing for payroll
  • Creating and posting your employees’ weekly schedules
  • Tracking PTO and allowing employees to check their balances
  • Managing employee time off requests
  • Controlling labor costs with clock lockout tools

WorkforceHub is powered by SwipeClock, a pioneer in automated employee timekeeping. SwipeClock has been providing affordable, easy-to-use labor management solutions since 1999.

By Liz Strikwerda

Simplify HR management today.

Simplify HR management today.

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