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5 Reasons to forget about timesheets on paper and switch to digital HR

Go digital right now!

Timesheets are a significant part of any organization. It’s equally important to employees, managers, and owners since they are the key to tracking time, worked hours on each task and project. Paper has been used forever because managers thought it to be the easiest way and the most efficient. But is it? Or is it true that online timesheets will boost your company’s productivity and reduce administrative costs?

The following article will explain why your company should switch from paper and Excel timesheets to online timesheets and how this will benefit your business by offering five critical arguments.

By implementing a digital solution for timesheet keeping, you will:

  1. Reduce the risk of error
  2. Reduce costs and become more productive
  3. Benefit from a lot of advanced features from digital tools
  4. Improve scheduling
  5. Meet compliance demands easily.

Let’s see one by one why this is the case by diving into each of the benefits.

1. Reduce the risk of error

Using paper for timesheets can lead to payroll errors since there may be an issue with the handwriting. Not everyone has good, understandable handwriting. Then, paper timesheets can get misplaced between offices or sent too late to the HR department. The same goes for Excel timesheets; employees may forget to complete their entries daily and then forget how much they actually do work. So they are not reliable.

Let’s say everyone is super careful, and the timesheets are accurate; they get to the HR payroll department, whose staff will enter them into a digital tool. There is also room for possible mistakes, and it takes time to process. A digital version is more reliable and more transparent, plus such an app will give employees reminders to enter their data every day. Pretty smooth, right?

2.Reduce costs and become more productive

Employees spend too much time completing timesheets on paper, plus there is also the case when they need to alter them after handing them over. Remember that this precious time spent on a not-fun task does not bring money to the company; however, you can’t avoid it.

Enhance productivity by tracking time smoothly and efficiently with a digital solution. Forget about spending hours. You will only spend minutes tracking the work hours of your employees. Over time, you will see a difference in company productivity due to switching from paper to online timesheets.

3. Benefit from a lot of advanced features from digital tools

Humans are great, but unfortunately, they cannot do what software can. An online solution will help you manage absences and overtime much easier and faster. In real-time, you can monitor employee performance and detect their weak points and working trends. These trends and patterns will show up in complex reports, crucial for any company in 2021. 

An app will let you track overtime and reveal your employees’ customs, which is excellent for you because you can reduce excess staff and compensate for staff deficiencies. Online solutions will let you personalize who approves timesheets in one or two steps. Modern timekeeping is about online timesheets, and we all know it.

4. Improve vacation scheduling

Looking at paper timesheets won’t allow you to retrieve essential data regarding time and attendance, overtime, or absences. On the other hand, a digital solution will offer an updated version of information at all times.
You will be able to schedule attendance according to your business’s real needs, therefore getting to a higher level of productivity. Attendance monitoring is important in many industries; however vital if we talk about retail, hospitality, or manufacturing. Supervisors will create a better schedule for their team with all accurate data available and focus on making strategic decisions.

5. Meet compliance demands easily

It’s common to hear that many companies do not have a clear overview of how many hours their employees work or even how many employees come into work on a specific day/week. 

Under EU laws, this has to change, because the European Court of Justice has stated that “EU member states must ensure that workers actually benefit from these rights, by setting up an objective, reliable, and accessible system enabling the duration of time worked each day by each worker to be measured.”

It doesn’t say you can’t use paper timesheets, but honestly, you cannot consider paper timesheets a reliable and accessible system for recording time.

Staying compliant is always a demanding task for companies, but you can make it easier by using a digital solution for timesheets.

As you can see, tracking time and attendance manually is not the best way to go. Online timesheets are more efficient, will allow for cost reduction and a spike in productivity.

AraHR is the choice you should consider because we offer an easy-to-use app, multiple automation, data saved in the cloud, and updated information at all times.

Your employees can forget about filling out sheets with the daily or weekly time spent on work. They only need to go online, enter how much time they worked on a task or project, and all accurate data will be available for review and analysis. Book a demo today!

Conclusion

Are you still tracking worked time using a paper-based or Excel system? Are you aware of how many errors can occur with this outdated method? Passing timesheet papers from one office to another is very likely to result in misplacing them. Not everyone’s handwriting is clear, so the HR payroll staff may not understand some timesheets. Inaccurate timesheets will lead to erroneous payroll, and everyone has to suffer, both the employees and the managers/business owners. Time spent agreeing with your managers that you need to switch to a digital time management tool and evaluating solutions, matters, and boost effectiveness over the long run.

You can get rid of all these problems and you should. How? By using online timesheets for your organization. In the following lines, we will convince you this is the path for you.

Let go of papers and find the online solution that works for you and your employees. You will see plenty of improvements, from reduced costs to higher productivity, transparency, and better use of time for strategic matters. You will also gain a full perspective into absence and attendance trends, which will allow for better scheduling and less overtime.

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The 15 Key Time-managing Techniques For Highly Productive People

Time slips away every day. You get to the end of the day and wonder where all the time went. Part of life is learning how to manage the amount of time you have at your disposal each day. Some experiences and distractions steal your time away and sometimes delay you.

Introduction

How do you make the most of your time to make sure you are working efficiently? Time holds quite a considerable relevance to the world in bringing some big results. The objective lies in making every day count for something. How we spend our time is becoming integral to the way of our living. When a person manages it’s time wisely by investing in time management techniques, they are more likely to achieve a much-needed work-life balance.

To most of us, it seems as if there’s never enough time in the day. However, we all have 24 hours in a day to accomplish our tasks, and some people struggle to meet deadlines, whereas others are champions of productivity. Why is it that some people utilize their time more efficiently than others? The Internet is full of tips, tricks, and methods. But they may not always work. 

The answer lies in effective time management techniques. 

Here are the 15 most effective and proven time management techniques to take control of your schedule each day and make the most of the time you have available:

1. Plan your day in advance

Planning is the first, the best, and most proven of all time management techniques:

  • Firstly, plan because it helps to organize your work correctly. 
  • Secondly, because it gives you a detailed insight into all the things you need to do and if you plan your daily, weekly, or monthly tasks, the rest comes easily.


2. Start your day with a clear focus

The first work-related activity of your day should be to determine what you want to achieve that day and what you absolutely must accomplish. Come clear on this purpose before you check your email and start responding to queries and resolve issues. Setting a clear focus for your day might require as little as five minutes but can save you several hours of wasted time and effort.

3. Eat your frogs in the morning

I know this might sound a little weird but bear with us.

Mark Twain famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” He also said, “If your job is to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

When it comes to time management, the lesson here is to get the most intimidating jobs out of the way first so that in the afternoon, you can focus on the fun stuff.

4. Create a morning routine

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? If it’s checking social media, you’re doing it wrong. But if it’s making a bed or exercising, you’re on the right track. Exercising is a great way to boost energy levels. The first thing you do in the morning determines the outcomes you will achieve during the day. A good morning routine will set you in the right mood and motivate you to work.

5. Limit your email in-take

In our experience, as soon as we open up our emails, we end up losing half an hour at least just dealing with the admin. In the same spirit as getting the biggest frogs eaten at the start of the day, it’s also a good idea to put certain tasks first and set specific “timeboxes” to check emails. Perhaps you spend the last five to ten minutes of every hour checking in – just remember not to check them outside your time boxes unless you have a specific reason.

If you want to know more about managing emails, learn about Merlin Mann’s “Inbox Zero” technique. It’s one of the most popular time management strategies for managing your email inbox – you aim at keeping your email inbox empty or close to empty.


6. Find your biological prime time

Your Biological Prime Time is the time of day when you have the highest energy levels, and you’re most likely to be productive. Once you determine your biological prime time, you’ll be able to allocate your most important, priority tasks to this time.

Some people are early birds, whereas others are night owls. We all are different and like to work during different parts of the day or night.

Get up super early if you’re most productive in the morning. Or stay up late at night if you prefer to work in the darkness. But don’t force yourself to change your habits just because it is said that we reach productivity at certain hours. Whatever time management strategies work for some people may not work for you.


7. Take regular breaks

We need breaks so that our brain can refresh and then refocus on work.

You can use the Pomodoro technique or go for a short walk. Taking short breaks will give you a significant productivity boost.

Of course, it’s okay to work in a long string when you have a super-powerful flow… sometimes. But doing so in the long term will make you feel tired and will reduce your creativity. Breaks are suitable for your productivity and well-being.

8. Focus and block distractions 

Notifications, messages, e-mails, or colleagues are continually talking to you. It all pulls your attention away from work. The more uninterrupted time you get during the day to work on essential tasks, the more effective you’ll be.

There are many ways to stay focused. You can put your phone away, turn off social media notifications or block distracting websites. But the best way is to concentrate and do what you have to do. It’s worth limiting your presence in social media to the minimum because it takes a lot of your time and doesn’t bring much value into your life.

9. Limit multi-tasking

Many of us multi-task and believe we’re effective when we do so, but evidence suggests that we can’t effectively focus on more than one thing at a time. The truth is that multitasking is damaging our brain. The study conducted at Stanford University has shown that “The low multitaskers did great,”  while “The high multitaskers were doing worse and worse the further they went along because they kept seeing more letters and had difficulty keeping them sorted in their brains.”

The conclusion is clear: do one task at a time to stay focused and engaged in your work.

10. Set goals

Set goals, and you will exactly know which direction you’re heading to. They form your path to success. Goals are the steps on the ladder to the top, and they determine your organization’s main objectives, priorities, and vision.

To take advantage of any time management technique, you need to focus on when you set the goals. Break down bigger visions into weekly or monthly targets to hit.

11. Follow the Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle or the 80/20 rule states that “80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action”. In other words: It’s the little things that account for the majority of the results.

To be more effective at managing your time, focus on the 20% of your tasks that bring 80% of the results. Use this time management technique to work on your most impactful tasks.

12. Use available tools

In today’s highly developed world, tools are an inseparable part of our work. If you want to be able to use time management techniques fully, you should implement the following into your daily work:

  • Time tracking software helps you track your work time and keep a hand on all projects and numbers, including billable time.
  • To-do-list – enable you to schedule and plan your workweek.
  • Communication tools, such as Slack – are crucial for internal and external communication.
  • Apps helpful in creating good habits and saving time – it can be a simple employee self-service.

13. Communicate

Proper communication can save a lot of time. If you don’t convey your plans, intentions, or requirements clearly, people won’t understand their tasks or yours. And that will lead to conflicts and misunderstandings.


14. Reward yourself

Have you finished the task or project you were working on? Good, now take a break and do something for yourself. Drink a cup of coffee, listen to your favorite music, or call your friend. The little rewards are a great way of motivating yourself. It may seem a bit odd, but you will find out it’s worth it when you think about the satisfaction and joy you will feel after completing your work. So go on, listen to your favorite artist, go for a walk, or read a chapter of your favorite book!

15. Review your day

Spend 5-10 minutes reviewing your task list every day before you leave the office. Pat yourself on the back if you achieved what you wanted. If you think your day’s effort fell short, decide what you’ll do differently tomorrow to accomplish what you need to. Plan your next day and leave the office in high spirits.

Frequently asked questions

What is time management?
You have to understand that nobody manages time; time management is all about managing yourself 24 hours in a day, 60 minutes in an hour, 60 seconds in a minute. You cannot store, borrow or save time for later. All we have is now, and you can only control where and how you spend your time and take actions to reduce or eliminate time wasters.

In simple words, time management is the process of organizing and planning the amount of time you want to divide between specific activities. Effective time management is about allocating the right time to the right activity. It’s about working smarter, not harder.

It allows individuals to make the best use of available time by prioritizing tasks according to their importance and the estimated time taken to complete them. On the other hand, failing to manage time can negatively affect both your professional and personal life. 

Time management itself revolves around choices – you decide what you need to do when you need to finish and what tasks you need to tackle to reach your goals.

If you choose to make high-value, goal-oriented tasks a priority, finish them before the deadline, but also leave time for leading a healthy life, you’ll be able to say that you’ve managed your time successfully. But how do you do that?

What are time management techniques?

Time management techniques are a set of rules and principles you need to follow to be more productive and efficient with your time, make better and faster decisions, as well as accomplish more in less time and with less effort.

What are the styles of time-management?

Not all time management techniques are suitable for everybody, as we are individuals working differently and facing different time management issues. Everyone deals with his/ her time management style, and if you don’t know yours exactly, read and learn:

  • Procrastinator

Procrastinators delay every work until the very last moment. Some claim they do that because they work better under pressure, but their results are often dampened by the stress and anxiety this practice brings.

Issues: ineffective scheduling, multitasking

  • Distractor

The heart is in the right place, but this one gets easily distracted. Any random request from a colleague or phone call and the attention flies by the window.

Issues: multitasking, missed deadlines

  • Perfectionist

This one is similar to the procrastinator and distractor, but the inability to finish a task has a noble cause – everything has to be perfect. He/she works overtime and invests all necessary efforts into delivering a high-quality project – but they often don’t know how to quit while ahead, so they may miss deadlines and risk burnout.

Issues: missed deadlines, skipping breaks

  • Underestimator

They always estimate that handling a task will take much less than it actually does – they rarely live up to the optimistic deadlines.

Issues: missed deadlines, ineffective scheduling

  • Time martyr

They fill their schedules with requests from others, leaving aside what’s important to them. They avoid their tasks and jump at the chance to take on anything else, thus gaining validation from others, but neglect the duties that would bring self-validation.

Issues: missed deadlines, ineffective scheduling, skipping breaks

  • Firefighter

They want to do everything now and on their own – they frequently pressure themselves, and they are fulfilled only working on ten tasks at once and feeling “really busy.” Once a task is over, they are the first to ask: “So, what’s next?” – but have no doubt: this practice will lead to burnout, sooner or later.

Issues: missed deadlines, skipping breaks, ineffective scheduling.

All the time management styles mentioned above are related to issues that you can solve. You can perfect all the necessary time management skills only by choosing the right time management techniques.

Conclusion

Knowing ”what to do” is not enough anymore; one should know “how to do”, how to get the seemingly endless tasks done when a day has only 24 hours. Twenty-four hours for work, for family and friends, for yourself to balance your life. It seems that 24 hours are simply not enough to do all that you want, but with the right set of skills, techniques, and tools, you will be more satisfied and relaxed than ever at the end of your day.

Don’t forget that you’re human, and sometimes, even if you use some of these tools, you might slip back into your old ways as old habits die hard. If you find you end up going back into your old patterns, forgive yourself. Reread this article and find out what’s hurting your productivity, plan, and strive for consistency, not perfection.

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What is a Time Clock and Why Do You Need One?

Do you still use a sheet of paper and a pen for monitoring the hours effectively worked by your employees? Or maybe you think it is better to let your employees register their entrances and exits for works and breaks.

Managing the exact time worked by your employees comes hand in hand with the payroll. You can’t have one without the other, you must use a timekeeping method and retain records for your employees. So now, it is time to ask yourself: are your employees reporting their time honestly? Are you calculating it accurately and equally? Can you extract from the employee time data the reports you need to identify the problems and make the right decisions?

Some small business owners don’t embrace the idea of switching towards a time clock. Maybe they don’t think their business is large enough to worth the trouble. Or maybe they are just stuck in the past when employees used to sit in line waiting to punch their cards in an old-school punch card system where hours are still calculated manually.

But little do they know! Gone are the days of employees needing to punch a traditional time-clock or fill out a paper timesheet with their hours worked each day. Like many other HR functions, the process of recording how long employees work each day has gone digital. Today’s time and attendance systems give businesses everything they need to track and manage all aspects of their employees’ time. These systems can log when employees start and end their day, show them their weekly schedules, and provide a portal to manage time-off requests. 

The inclusion of time clock software into a company’s standard policies and procedures will improve operations by way of efficient record-keeping and reliable metrics to measure the true costs of labor. The content of this article will address the following:

  • What is an Employee Time Clock?
  • 7 reasons why you need Time Clocks
  • Time Clocks pros and cons
  • 5 of the most common types of Employee Time Clock

What is an Employee Time Clock?

A time clock is a device or software that employees use to record when they clock into and out of work. Generally, employees manually insert a time card into a machine or press a button. The machine automatically records the date and time when employees punch in and out. Employees who use time clocks must be physically present to clock in and out of work.

Many companies today continue to rely on time card punch clocks and the manual recording of employee hours. These methods have proven to be unreliable, time-consuming, and negative to the bottom line.

Due to technology and innovation, the process of recording the hours spent by each employee at the workplace is now digitized. The use of a time clock app and the implementation of technology to its full capacity are an effective method for managing time and attendance records, enforcing company policies, and adhering to labor laws.

An online employee time clock is a system that allows employees to clock in and out of their job from authorized locations, through devices such as a smartphone or a terminal at the worksite. That data is automatically integrated into the payroll system. It is automation at its most flexible, for both the manager and employee, reducing hassle and error when tracking time.

7 reasons why you need a time clock?

Here is a compilation of seven of the most significant benefits of the time clocks software:

  1. Gain accuracy in employee paychecks

An electronic time clock begins time tracking through the app when the employee punches in for his/her shift. Integration with the human resources and accounting departments will generate reports on-time records and payroll, and thus the need for manual time and attendance recordkeeping is eliminated.

By the reduction in staff needed to manage the records and data, the time spent by management to check, approve, or refuse the times-related documents is also reduced. These efficiencies in time will decrease the costs associated with payroll, thus increasing profits. The return on investment in time clock software.

In the absence of time clocks, employees are typically expected to record their hours based on memory. This can occur at the end of each day, week, or pay period. Employees will need to document when they arrived at work, how long each of their breaks and lunches were, as well as when they left at the end of the day. 

They are bound to be mistaken with this type of record-keeping, and leveraging time clocks can take the burden off of the employee. Now, both the manager and employees can appreciate the accuracy of the paychecks.

  1. Increased productivity

When it’s time to process payroll at the end of a pay period, a manual process requires you to collect time cards and re-enter the data into your payroll solution. The time necessary to do this for an entire organization can be extremely tedious. If the responsibilities are on one person, this can take several hours to do. 

Using time clock and attendance software drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to process your payroll. You can go from spending hours processing payroll to a matter of minutes when you make the switch.

Automating time collection through the time clock ensures that everything is in one place. This allows for your data to be automatically sent to your payroll solution for processing and eliminates the need for data to be re-entered manually. The result is accurate processing that can take as little as 20 minutes per pay period. Reducing the time it takes to run payroll while increasing the accuracy of your data, can lead to an increase in productivity. 

  1. A higher level of security

Timecards filled out by employees provide practically no security around the falsification of reported time. Whether intentional or not, employees may record shorter breaks or lunches and receive more pay than they have earned.

The company also runs the risk of “buddy punching,” which occurs when one employee fills out a time card for another employee; either because they were absent or late to work. This sort of thing would never happen with a biometric fingerprint reader on a time clock! 

This innovative feature eliminates “buddy punching” issues and time theft as it increases the reliability of the tracking system. Bioprinting ensures the employees are compensated for actual work performed during actual hours expended.

  1. Increased employee satisfaction and empowerment

Time clock and makes employees happier because the software guarantees timely and accurate pay. 

Also, it gives employees secure access to their data through an employee self-service portal. This makes it easier for employees to access information without having to go through the human resources department.

With effective communication and training, employees can be encouraged to manage their time-related activities. When employees are trained in effective time management in connection with their work schedules, these skills will also extend into productivity. Employees feel empowered when they have access to their information, and that level of empowerment can lead to increased satisfaction.

  1. Time is money

Time is an important resource of any business, whether start-up, growing or established. The investment in time clock software is prudent with measurable returns. Regardless of the growth cycle of a business, all employees need to have an established schedule to cover all required tasks, objectives, and goals.

The real-time data in time tracking and reporting features will aid and support management decisions to either reinforce or change its policies. The more time and energy available at the management level will be an increase in time spent on performing tasks and implementing policies to improve operations.

It is always to the company’s advantage when the time and focus of management and human resource personnel are devoted to strategic priorities and long-term goals, not on tedious, time-consuming tasks.

  1. Compliance

Time clocks can be programmed with organizational rules and regulations based on an employee’s worked time or schedule. They can be used to notify managers if an employee is late, absent, takes too many breaks, or leaves early, not to mention, these alerts are available to the manager as soon as they occur. It is nearly impossible to track all of these occurrences using paper time cards.

Time clock software can be customized for integration into the company’s current systems for points of sale, human resources, accounting, marketing, and supply chain logistics. It is the implementation of policies derived from real-time data, and the flexibility of the policies as the data changes over time, that contribute to the success of a company.

  1. Legality 

When comparing time clocks to time cards that are manually collected and entered, the margin of error is much higher with the latter. Not only will mistakes affect employees’ pay and cause a decrease in morale, but payroll errors can also result in audits and fines with the labor authorities. Time clocks provide a safeguard to legal trouble by keeping meticulous, accurate records of employees’ worked time. 

Time clocks pros and cons

Before deciding if the implementation of a time clock is the correct solution for your business, find out more about the arguments and counterarguments.

Time clocks pros

  • Many businesses use time clocks to monitor employees’ attendance, decrease time theft, and increase timekeeping accuracy.
  • For you, as the manager of a busy small business, monitoring employee attendance can be challenging, especially if they have a varying schedule.
  • Time clocks, especially biometric time clocks, eliminate the time theft instances, as the employees must physically be at the workplace to clock in and out.
  • Time clocks improve the accuracy of the payroll and recordkeeping. When employees use a system to punch in and out, the time clock automatically generates a record. This can make it easier to track regular and overtime hours. 

Time clocks cons

  • Employees might think that you mistrust them. Requiring employees to punch in and out each time they enter and exit can create suspicion, which may lead to a drop in morale. Employees might become more concerned with timeliness than improving their work.
  • Another disadvantage of using time clocks is that they might be inaccurate: employees might forget to punch in and out; they can lose their time cards.
  • Time clocks don’t guarantee employees are at work when they say they are. An employee can still commit time theft with time clocks by punching in and then leaving. Or they can ask a coworker clock in for them if they are running late or skipping a day of work.

The most common types of employee time clocks

If you decide that it’s time to start using a time clock in your business, you can choose a system that perfectly fits your business needs.

There are many types of employee time clocks on the market, but the most common are the following:

  • Punch card time clock

This is perhaps the most common form of a time clock. The employee places a time card into the machine, which triggers the printing mechanism and prints the time and date onto the card. Punch card clocks are suitable for small businesses because of their simplicity. They also can keep a running total of work hours, which aids in payroll management. 

  • Digital time clock

A digital time clock is a modernized version of the punch card clock. Instead of inserting a time card, the employee swipes a card containing a magnetic strip through the machine, which records the date and time. Another version of the digital clock is an electronic touchpad on which the employee keys in a personalized code.

  • Biometric/ fingerprint time clock

Fingerprint clocks prevent potential fraud by reading a worker’s individual fingerprint or biometrics. The employee presses the finger against the scanner, which then “reads” the print. This eliminates the need for punch or key cards, and the employees don’t have to memorize a code. Check the laws in the country where your business is, as using biometric time clocks is something new and disputed. 

  • Time station software

Time station software allows employees to log in and out on a personal computer. Depending on the type of software, the company can require employees to use one specific computer or their individual workstations for time entry. An advantage of the business is that it can download the time information into payroll software programs for easy recordkeeping.

  • Hand punch time clock

Hand punch clocks work much like fingerprint clocks, except that the user places the palm of his hand onto a scanner instead of a finger. The process is quick and efficient, taking one second or less. Like the fingerprint clock, these clocks are effective in preventing “buddy scanning” in which one employee logs in or out for another.

WRAP UP

Employees must be recognized as a part of the solutions to the typical problems of time management and an integral part of the improvement of the experience of the customer or client.  To assume that time clock software is simply the electronic method of “punching the clock” is severely underestimating the technology. The proper application of this technology can be a tool used to increase company output, employee accountability, and profit. Managers and supervisors are relieved of the daily administrative tasks of time-tracking records when these responsibilities are shifted onto the employees.

Time clock software can be extended to improved employer/employee relations. When employees become aware of the company’s attention to compliance, mobile access, real-time accrual of personal, sick and vacation time and transparency, positive results in morale are the byproduct of the importance a company places upon its governance and workforce.

The Importance of Employee Time Clock Software

Employee time cards track worked hours instead of the classic punch cards. Each employee enters the time when start and finish working. The process repeats every day, and collected data goes to payroll. However, the method is prone to errors and confusion. The HR team has to verify the correctness of data, compute worked hours for employees switching between projects, make sure employees working from home can register worked hours, and manage the entire flow. So why not use software to track time?

What is Employee Time Clock Software?

Employee time clock software is a program designed for tacking time. It allows employees to clock in and out as they would do with a regular time card. In addition, employee time clock software replaces the HR team regarding computed worked hours, generating payroll reports, and managing public holidays.

The main benefit of using employee time clock software is the automatization of HR processes regarding time tracking. You save time and money, make sure you are compliant with labor legislation and have accurate data at your fingerprints. Furthermore, you release the HR team of repetitive and time-consuming tasks, leaving them more time and energy for complex analysis and predictions.

The Key Features of Employee Time Clock Software

To successfully implement an employee time clock solution, you must know what you need and what the software offers. Make a list of your company’s requirements, such as the number of employees the app has to manage, technical limitations, budget, mobility, etc. Then, check out as many employee time clock solutions as you can find and see which one fits your needs. Most programs offer a free trial version. Here are the most important features an employee time clock software must have:

Accurate Time Tracking Tools

Employee time clock software provides easy ways for clocking in and clocking out. Employees can monitor their worked time, fix errors, and even manage their time off. The program reminds employees to clock in where their shifts start or end. Everyone will use the same clock, resulting in fewer time zone-based errors.

Accurate time tracking should be your primary goal. Not only because you avoid payroll errors but also because you can manage overtime and make sure everyone is treated equally, provide transparency and build employee trust, and improve communication and the quality of work relations.

Online Clock In and Clock Out

Aim to make remote work as straightforward as possible. A remote workforce requires transparency and self-management solutions. Employee time clock software should provide mobile solutions available from any location and using any device. Employees should clock in and clock out using a mobile phone or a tablet, from whatever location they are. As a result, you’ll have accurate real-time data that help you improve turnover, reduce labor costs, and predict human resources needs. At the same time, online time tracking enhances the employee experience, increases their responsibility, and raises their performance levels.

Cloud-based solutions that run in a browser are a must. They eliminate the stress of storing data, maintaining on-premises software, and periodically updating hardware.

Exact Calculation of Worked Hours

Forget about spending your time computing worked hours and checking and re-checking the results before sending them to payroll. Employee time clock software does it for you. As the employees can enter both worked hours and breaks and split their time between multiple projects, you need a program to compute worked hours accurately and consider overtime and time off.

Employee time clock software supports multiple work schedules and time-off policies, assuring everyone is satisfied and in control of their time. Timesheets are always up to date, and you can have an overall perspective of the staff or focus on one employee at a time.

Automatic Notifications System

When an employee forgets to clock in or clock out, the app automatically sends a notification to remind them to log their time. Furthermore, employee time clock software also notifies the managers or persons in charge. You’ll have a general perspective over the real-time presence, but also the possibility to manage your workforce better and predict absenteeism and time-off trends.

Notifications keep everyone in the loop, up-to-date, and informed. As a result, you’ll have better communication between departments and inside teams, better task planning, and better work relationships.

Automatically Adds National or Public Holidays

National or public holidays can be a challenge when in charge of an international workforce. In many countries, public holidays change from one year to another, forcing you to update spreadsheets and calculations. However, employee time clock software adds national or public holidays automatically.

Employees will know exactly how much time off they are entitled to, which days don’t count as leave and their annual leave balance. The worked hours balance will be accurate and precise, making it easy for you to manage payroll and keep a count of who worked on holidays or did overtime.

Conclusion

Employee time clock software is the solution for tracking time and managing absence. They help you prevent absenteeism and leave clashes and offer a better understanding of your workforce. Regardless, they aren’t a better solution for you only. They improve the employee experience and boost their confidence, support self-management, and reduce the risk of incorrect paychecks. Employees are the principal beneficiaries of using employee time clock software. You grant them access to their data, and in return, they’ll be more responsible, productive, and self-sufficient. They’ll plan better their time off and be a more reliable member of the team. So when you consider switching to digital HR solutions such as employee time clock software, remember that you do it to improve the work conditions for your staff.

The Benefits of Employee Time Tracking

Time tracking represents the methods companies use to record employees working hours. In the beginning, supervisors dealt with time tracking by or requiring employees to punch cards physically. The system worked in favor of the employer, and collected data was used for payroll reference.

However, modern time tracking systems have evolved a lot. Instead of physical cards or paper sheets, modern companies use online time tracking software designed to register accurate data and protect the welfare of employees. Time tracking systems ensure employees receive the time off they are entitled to and that companies are compliant with labor legislation. At the same time, they assure correct payment for working overtime or during holidays.

Time tracking is essential for companies of any size. It’s the easiest and safest way to optimize human resources, task planning, and budget. Efficient time tracking can save a lot of money for your business. Furthermore, it has a beneficial impact on employees’ morale and increases their accountability and performance. Check out the following benefits of digital time tracking, and you’ll never go back to analogous systems.

Access to Accurate Data

Time tracking software provides secure access to data. It supports different accounts types to grant customized access rights to each person. For example, the HR team member may have full access to employees’ data, while employees may have access only to their records. Team leaders and managers may receive access to their teams’ and departments’ data. Everyone will have the information they need in a safe and accessible manner.

Furthermore, time tracking systems can store large amounts of data in a well-organized manner. That’s no place for mistakes or data loss. They provide tools for reporting, notifying, monitoring, searching, and filtering, too. You’ll have a complete perspective of your workforce, accurate data, and all the tools you need to be efficient and productive.

Improved HR Analysis

Access to accurate and complete data guarantees you improved HR analysis and a better HR strategy. By analyzing working hours and time off, you’ll understand where you need to hire more people, which tasks cost your company more money, what departments are more efficient, and what skills your need your employees to improve. You’ll be able to follow the entire history and see how their performance evolved. At the same time, you’ll be able to improve your hiring strategy and adjust the perfect candidate profile to each department’s requirements.

Increase Responsibility in Employees

Time tracking software allows employees to check their working hour balance and know exactly how much overtime they did. Moreover, because time tracking software provides employee self-service, employees can record their working hours by themselves, increasing their accountability and making them a part of the team. As a result, employees will be more focused, responsible, and adaptable. They’ll notice their working patterns and learn to manage their time better.
Note: Do you need to motivate your employees to track time? We have a guide on how to deal with this.

Better Transparency and Communication

When everyone has access to data, they communicate better and, as a consequence, plan their activities better. Transparency is essential for employees’ satisfaction. It gives them a sense of acknowledgment and trust. Besides, when everybody knows who’s at work and who’s not, they have a better perspective over the team’s capacity and can invest their time and energy where it counts.

Editor tip:
You might be interested in the techniques to develop your team faster.

Efficient Time Management

Time tracking apps can do more than record working hours. They offer tools for time management, such as time recording systems and timekeeping. With modern tools powered by the cloud, your employees will clock in and out from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. They will also receive notifications to remind them of the time. Time management is crucial for remote teams and people working from home. But when you have easy-to-use, integrated software, self-management becomes errorless and fun.

Online Access for a Remote Workforce

Online time tracking software runs in a browser and can be used from any device. It allows remote teams to track working hours and overtime, communicate their work schedules, and contribute to the company’s culture. Web-based HR apps securely store data in the cloud, have automated backups, and don’t require maintenance.

They release the HR team of repetitive, time-consuming tasks. But their main benefit is empowering employees by granting them the freedom to be independent, design their work schedule, and balance work and personal life.

Simplified Payroll

Time tracking deals with as many working schedules as you want. Each employee can have a different plan, work in a different time zone, or have different public holidays. Time tracking can handle all of these without errors and automatically send monthly reports for payroll.

Moreover, time tracking apps keep count of overtime and send notifications to people in charge when an employee reaches limitations. It makes sure the company is compliant with the labor legislation and employees follow its policies.

Automated Real-Time Reports

You know exactly who’s at work and who’s absent with time tracking. You have accurate real-time data but also detailed histories for each employee. Therefore, you can generate the time reports you need in seconds. In addition, time tracking systems can be configured to automatically send predefined reports such as a monthly report to payroll, a quarterly report to management, and so on.

Fluid Procedures for Leave Management

Most time tracking systems also include time off management tools. Employees can use them to request time off and check their leave balances. Their leave requests are automatically registered and sent for approval. The procedures are easy and less time-consuming than sending emails or submitting paper leave requests.

Time tracking software can handle multiple types of time off and leave policies. They also allow you to delegate leave approval to team leaders and managers, which increases responsiveness and helps task planning.

Absence Trends Spotting Made Easy

When you have access to the entire history of your workforce, it’s much easier to spot absenteeism and take action. You can focus your attention on a department or team. Time tracking software provides tools for filtering employee data and browsing, HR metrics, and data export tools. You have everything you need to compute complex analysis and make informed decisions. Then, you can use the information to reduce unplanned overtime, leave clashes, or overworking employees.

Conclusion

Time tracking impacts your business at multiple levels. All departments depend on time management, from employees’ satisfaction to budget planning. Data collection is essential and requires the highest grade of accuracy. Invest in time tracking software that protects your data and provides secure access from any device and location. You need software that molds your workforce and helps it become more responsible and productive. Take the first step towards a digital, remote office right now!

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10 Effective Ways to Motivate Employees in 2021

Many employers fear lack of motivation because it directly impacts productivity, client satisfaction, and innovation. For years, trends in added perks have included gym memberships, teambuilding, parking spots, lunch tickets, holiday parties, and other social benefits. As the pandemic transformed remote work into everyday practice, none of these is working anymore. HR departments from all around the world struggle to find effective ways to motivate employees. And it seems money and social gathering aren’t the correct answer.

To motivate employees, you have to build genuine connections and treat them as individuals. You need to be flexible and provide a wide range of benefits, many of them unrelated to income. The main factors that stimulate employees in 2021 seem to be a balanced lifestyle, healthy relationships with co-workers and managers, and growth at a personal and professional level. Here are the top 10 methods to motivate employees and win their loyalty in 2021.

1.    Provide the right tools

Any job has its tools. You can’t ask for the same performance as other companies when you don’t provide the same instruments. Although it is possible to complete a task without proper tools, employees will feel frustrated, overworked, and misunderstood. The set of devices may include adequate working space, safety gear, state-of-the-art technology, access to information, or the latest cloud HR software. You may also have to provide an internet connection for a remote workforce, office supplies and furniture, collaborative software, or even transportation for people and documents.

2.    Add flexibility to the company’s policies

HR experts advise that the one-fits-all policy doesn’t apply anymore. People celebrate individuality and authenticity more than ever, and it reflects on their work performance and enthusiasm. Happy employees are more responsible and productive, treat clients better, and are more creative. A rigid company culture won’t fit your workforce. Although it was like this for many years, it must change. Include particularities of different cultures and groups. For example, you may adjust the leave policy to include public holidays that meet religious and cultural diversity. Or you may adjust working hours to fit families with small children. Celebrating diversity increases work satisfaction and loyalty towards the company.

3.    Empower employees by using employee self-service

It’s time for decentralization. Employees must have access to their work-related documents, time-off balances, and evaluations. Employee self-service allows employees to clock in, request leave, check their leave balance, update emergency contacts and personal data, access payroll information, and more. Furthermore, web-based HR software runs in a browser and is very easy to use. Employees will be able to request a sick day without leaving their house. Participation and delegation of authority are critical factors in boosting motivation and responsibility.

4.    Improve communication

The strict company hierarchy is in the past. As Gallup found out, the manager influences 70% of the team’s engagement and needs to act more like a coach than a boss. Employees often overlook communication when working in the same space. But with remote work, any flaw in communication became visible and impactful. You need straightforward protocols and HR processes to make sure you create fluid workflows between employees and managers. Dedicated HR software is a start because it allows you to delegate tasks, opens new communication channels, and increases transparency. For example, you can use an employee tracking app that sends notifications to people in charge and helps you prevent absenteeism. Or use leave tracking apps that sync with your favorite collaborative tool and let everyone see who’s off and for how long.

5.    Avoid leave clashes

One of the reasons for employees changing jobs is an inaccurate leave policy. Employees need time off to relax and recharge their energy levels. A tired employee is a useless employee. Yet many companies don’t understand the importance of absence management and make mistakes such as:

  • Unevenly leave distribution among employees
  • Inequitable leave approval
  • Unclear leave balances
  • Unsynchronized task and leave planning.

You need to gather leave data and use them to predict leave clashes and low workforce presence. Also, you need to grant employees access to their leave balances and provide easy ways for requesting leave. Responsiveness and equitability are critical and encourage people to plan their vacation based on task planning.

6.    Protect employees from burnout

Efficient leave management isn’t the only way to make sure employees are healthy and rested. A study published by FlexJobs and Mental Health America (MHA) reveals that 75% of workers have experienced burnout over the last year. Yes, the pandemic was a crucial factor, but it’s not the only one. Studies from around the world show that burnout needs to be considered. Overloaded employees can’t do their job correctly, take extra sick leave, and are easy to convince to accept a different position.

7.    Promote transparency and equity

The company’s culture must reflect the principles of a healthy community. Employees of all cultures, seniority, and income have to feel included, protected, and acknowledged. It’s easy to accomplish transparency and equity when you use dedicated HR software. Everyone has access to their work-related data. HR apps include public holidays and time zones from around the world. Furthermore, you can custom them to match your company’s policy, assign roles, and streamline HR processes. Technology is your best option for making people feel heard and acknowledged.

8.    Upskill your team

Employers want skilled employees, but not many of them want to invest in training and courses. Lack of mentorship and training opportunities makes employees fall behind their peers. As a result, they upskill on their own and look for new companies to work for. Provide employees with the opportunity to grow inside the company and encourage them to enlarge their skills. Upskilling your team increases retention and work satisfaction and makes people more loyal.

9.    Engage in conversation

To motivate employees, you have to know them first. Don’t settle with the professional aspects of their careers. Get to know them on a personal level too. Encourage people to do the same and organize social events for special occasions, welcoming new employees or celebrating the company’s milestones. These casual conversations facilitate communication and bring to your attention common issues among employees. For example, you may notice that many employees commute to work and would appreciate remote work. Or you may notice people that need to take better care of their health.

10. Take an interest in employee wellbeing

Over the years, the levels of work-related stress have increased and led to a crucial crossing point: burnout or wellbeing. A Gallup study shows that fewer and fewer employees consider their lives thriving. Yet employee engagement continues to have a good trajectory meaning that overloaded and exhausted employees continue to produce. In the short term, it’s possible to sustain this trend. But in the long-term, burnout will lead to increased health costs, absenteeism, decreased productivity, low-quality products, and increased mental health illnesses. To boost morale and motivate employees, you need to carefully monitor their wellbeing, provide healthy boundaries, and sustain work-life integration.

A day off may be enough to treat the first signs of burnout. A conversation may be enough to treat the first signs of depression. People need more moral support than financial support. Motivate employees by making sure managers have realistic expectations and don’t overload their teams.

Conclusion

Lack of motivation may push employees to look for a better job. Furthermore, lack of motivation is contagious, and once one or two employees leave the team, more and more will follow. It’s up to you to provide the support and understanding employees need. Sometimes, all it takes is dedicated HR software and a good internet connection. AraHR is a good start for this.

Lately, employees request coaching and mentoring instead of financial benefits. Thus your company can boost morale and motivate employees without additional costs. To have healthy and productive employees, employers have to invest empathy, compassion, and a genuine interest in employees’ wellbeing.

Your employees forget to clock in and out? Let’s fix it!

Are you having issues with employees forgetting to clock in and out, and you ran out of ideas on preventing these problems?
There are so many consequences generated by inaccurate time recording, both for you, as an employer, and for your employees. If they forget intentionally or unintentionally to clock in and out, this constitutes time theft, therefore affecting the activity and efficiency of the organization as a whole.
On the other hand, incorrect time recording may also affect the employees because it can lead to inaccurate payroll. So it’s obvious everyone has to suffer. Make sure to avoid that with some simple actions.
First, you should know the legal framework to be compliant with it and treat the employees correctly.
Then, create a system of procedures meant to inform your employees of what rules have to be respected when it comes to clocking in and out, responsible for enforcing those rules, and what happens when they don’t follow them regularly.
In the article we have prepared for you, you will see what steps you need to take to ensure an efficient procedure in your company for recording work hours. Check it out!

One of the most sensitive subjects companies encounter is employees not clocking in and out correctly. The act of not clocking in can have some negative consequences, both on employees and the organization. It can generate unfair or inaccurate payment for once, and then, time theft will hurt your organization’s success and reputation.

In most cases, employees may unintentionally forget to clock in and out, but some do it on purpose. So what can be done? We have compiled a short guide for preventing your employees from forgetting about this crucial task.

But before offering our tips and tricks, let’s see what exactly is“time theft” and how it can be recognized.

“Forgetting” to clock in and out is ultimately playing the system and the employer, and it can take one of the following forms:

  • Clocking in and out incorrectly, to receive payment for hours they did not work
  • Buddy punching, which is the case when one employee punches the timecard for another one
  • Prolonging breaks
  • Covering up late check-ins/early check-outs.

Regardless of the reason this happens, it is essential to reduce the level of inaccurate recording of worked hours.

You should also have a legal perspective in mind, meaning you should know the legal framework when it comes to clocking in and out.

For example, in the USA, the law implies that the responsibility for accurate time logging belongs to the employer. So, even the timecard used to record time, or the timesheet, is flawed and did not record correctly the hours worked by the employee, the federal law requires that the employee receives payment for all worked hours.

In the European Union, as a general rule, every state member can impose their own rules regarding time recording, as long as those laws don’t contravene European Regulation.

As a crucial moment, we should mention a ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union from 2019, May 14th, when they established that the state members must require employers to put in place a system enabling the worked hours to be measured.

Here is our advice on succeeding in this journey to obtain accurate time recording:

  1. Set up a clear policy for clocking in and out

The best place for this is the Employee Handbook. Start designing a policy for recording worked hours and include all relevant rules: explain where, when, and how employees should clock in/out. Plus, you should expressly state what happens when the employees don’t follow these rules.

It would be helpful to use an app that sends notifications with reminders for forgetful employees and in this case, make sure to mention the existence of this reminder in the policy.

Other aspects you should highlight are the elements regarding lunchtime, overtime, and unpaid breaks. This way, you can avoid the situations when employees work in times considered breaks or do overtime that is not necessary for the company.

Since we all like samples that we can copy-paste, we have a surprise for you. We have a dedicated guide on the best practices for an Employee Handbook. On the same page, we have a template that you can use. Below you can see an extract of the relevant sections: 

4.5 Work hours.[Company Name] is open from [X a.m. To X p.m. Day of Week – Day of Week], except for Holidays (See below, section Holidays). The standard workweek is [40] hours (see below section Overtime). For calculating employee benefits, the workweek begins on [Sunday (starting at 12:01 a.m.) Through Saturday (ending at 12:00 a.m.)], unless a supervisor makes other arrangements with the employee. 
4.6 Lunchtime. Employees benefit from a [55-minute] break for lunch. Lunch breaks generally are taken between the hours of [11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.] 4.7 Break periods.[Company Name] allows breaks during the following times: [times here]. If employees have unexpected personal business to take care of, they must [notify their direct supervisor to discuss time away from work and make provisions as necessary]. (Or:) [Company Name does not allow breaks except during the lunch period.]

5.2 Timekeeping. (The following is for employees using a time clock) Non-exempt employees are responsible for recording their time worked correctly. Time worked is time actually spent performing assigned duties. [Employees are responsible for recording time spent on individual jobs.] [Company Name] does not pay for time spent on personal business or extended breaks. Time records are reviewed weekly. Time record changes must be approved [by a supervisor/manager]. [The appropriate person] can handle questions about timekeeping. 
5.3 Overtime. Overtime compensation is paid to non-exempt employees in accordance with federal and state wage and hour restrictions. Overtime is payable for all hours worked over [40] per week at a rate of one and one-half times the non-exempt employee’s regular hourly rate. Time off on personal time, holidays, or any leave of absence will not be considered hours worked when calculating overtime. In addition, vacation time does not constitute hours worked. All overtime work performed by an hourly employee must receive authorization. Overtime worked without authorization from the [supervisor] may result in disciplinary action.

The last rules you need to design are the rules that kick in if your employees forget to clock in and out constantly. In case of repeated errors, the procedure could be the following:

  • An informal meeting to talk about the issue
  • A written warning or more than one
  • Probation
  • Suspension for a short period of time
  • Finally, termination, if the employee shows no desire to make an effort and the errors in time recording continue.
  1. Communicate the policy and make sure to enforce it consistently

Having a written policy is, of course, essential, but only the first step in your process.

You should communicate with your employees in person or empower your managers to do this. They should inform the staff about the clock in/out rules and motivate them to respect the procedure. It’s all about transparency and making your employees part of a greater mission. Understanding the policy will make them more likely to follow it and fulfill its mission, vision, and goals.

Another crucial part is to enforce the policy equally, regardless of the employee: it may be a performant one or the least performant, it may be the newly hired or the one who’s been over ten years in the company. Don’t play favorites.

  1. Choose the clock in/out app suitable for your team

Finding the proper method used for clocking in and out should also be a priority.

Paper timesheets should remain in the past because they are very prone to error and inefficient. There are always adjustments to be made by managers, and it takes too much of your time.

The key is to find a user-friendly app, which requires complex research in this area.

Using an adequate clocking app makes it easier to record time, and also it makes payroll simpler.

AraHR is a simple yet robust employee timesheet and time tracking app for small and medium businesses that help you save time and money.

Thanks to our time-tracking app, you can gain a complete perspective on the productive and the less productive workers and examine how many hours each of your employees work.

There are a few tips for preventing employees from forgetting to clock in and out. The key is to follow all of them without skipping. Everything should be clearly stated in the Employee Handbook and communicated to the employees. Plus, having an app that has reminders and notifications will also help in achieving this goal.

You might also be interested to learn more about “How to get employees to track time and submit timesheets on time?”

Seven Key Benefits of Choosing a Digital Employee Document Management System

Companies have more and more HR documents to store. Personnel files, internal regulations and procedures, GDPR documents, NDA documents, the employee handbook for each employee category, and presentations for the company’s benefits and training programs are just some of them. Not only that you have to keep these documents safe for long periods, but you also have to present them on demand and update them periodically or when the regulations change. And there is no place for mistakes, lost files, or expired documents.

Based on how many employees your company has, employee document management can require an entire HR team. But not if you choose a digital employee document management system. Use technology to your advantage. Release the HR team of repetitive tasks, reduce the risk of human mistakes, reduce employee document management costs, and cultivate sustainability and an eco-friendly work environment. Check out the benefits that will convince you to switch to digital employee document management right now.

1. Centralized data, easy to update and access 24/7

Digital employee document management keeps all files in a single place and provides smart tools for accessing them. For example, you’ll have tools for browsing and searching for a specific file, sharing files with other people, and updating documents when needed.  If you choose a web-based management system, you’ll be able to access documents from anywhere using just a browser. Imagine how easy it will be to update your company’s business plan, check performance files, or add a new item to your company’s assets lists.

2. Cloud storage space for personnel files

Cloud-based employee document management systems don’t need installation, updates, or maintenance. Furthermore, they provide cloud storage space for all your documents. You’ll be able to upload all personnel files without worrying about having enough space. Digital systems also offer better security and data encryption, making sure your data is safe all the time. With digital employee document management, you’ll be able to archive employee records and store them for as long as you need. Digital archives and personnel files reduce costs and help you take a step forward towards a paperless office.

3. Transparency and confidentiality

A digital employee document management system provides more than a safe storage space. You can give access rights to employees and allow them to see their personnel files, read the company’s policy, or download work certificates and records. Empower employees with access to their documents and release the HR team of endless requests each time they want training proof or a certificate attesting work experience. Transparency makes people more responsible and increases levels of loyalty and performance.

However, digital employee document management respects data confidentiality. It allows you to grant employees access only to their data and respect the privacy of others. You can give different levels of access to team leaders and managers. With just a few clicks, you can restrict or enable access.

4. Automatic notifications for expiring documents

Labor regulations change faster than ever. You need to keep up and update your company’s documents without delay. But how can you keep track of expiring documents for all employees? And how can you communicate the changes? Instead of hiring an entire team to do just that, you could use a digital employee document management system. It provides secure access to sensitive data. It sends you automatic notifications when documents are about to expire. Furthermore, all employees will have instant access to the changes you’ve made.

5. Daily backups

Sometimes you need more than access to current documents. That’s why an excellent digital employee document management does automatic backups. And because it stores everything in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about space. You’ll have a complete perspective of the company’s records without moving a finger.

6. Improved collaboration and better employee experience

One of the major benefits of implementing digital employee document management is an improved communication flow. Each time an employee requests a document, the HR department has to assign the new task to a team member, follow its development, and send emails to the employee to inform about the progress of the request. That’s not the case anymore when you use digital employee document management.

Employees have direct access to the documents they might need. They can read or download them with just a few clicks. The system provides the latest version of the documents and keeps everything in order. You not only get rid of paper files but you also get rid of email communication and time-consuming tasks. Besides, employees benefit from a better experience and an improved collaboration with the HR department.

7. Increased productivity

It may seem unusual that an HR system can increase productivity, but digital employee document management can do it. You’ll have a unique repository where all the documents are safely kept. People will have access to data they need and tools for finding documents fast and efficiently. Moreover, they can access the repository from anywhere, allowing them to solve problems on the field and reducing communication time. It saves a lot of time for everybody and provides accurate data when and where you need it, hence increased productivity.

The HR department will also be more efficient and cohesive. Digital employee document management systems can be linked with other HR systems such as leave management and payroll. It becomes easier to get to know your employees, follow their career paths, grow the company’s culture, and have an overview of your workforce. And when you understand people and workflows, you can make better decisions and increase their performance and work satisfaction levels.

It’s time to reduce costs and waste, improve your efficiency, and save time. Digital employee document management systems are easy to adopt within small and medium businesses. Such cloud solutions provide secure access, up-to-date documents, a comprehensive archive system, and helpful notifications. Your HR department will enjoy access to work-related documents, while the environment will thank you for using less paper and stationery.

The Impact of HR Automation – How HR Software Can Reshape HR Processes?

No matter how many words or sophisticated phrases you use, you simply cannot emphasize human resources’ importance in both small and large businesses. Whether it’s job postings, candidate screenings, onboarding, company benefits, performance tracking, training and motivating the workforce, offboarding, or ensuring that local labor laws are complied with, HR departments are responsible for completing a plethora of tasks. 

Automation is invading every aspect of our lives, and HR makes no exception. Soon everything that can be automated will be automated. Today, HR management professionals are increasingly relying on a combination of enterprise Human Capital Management (HCM) software with HR automation to make their departments more efficient and save money and time. HR staff needs to adapt to the coming changes or get left behind in the dust.

HR automation is not the future; it’s the present. After reading this article you will know what HR automations means, why it is important and how to digitize the repetitive people processes in your business.

You Ask, We Answer

What Means HR Automation?

HR automation enhances the HR department’s efficiency by automating recurring HR tasks, freeing employees from tedious manual activities, and allowing them to focus the attention on more strategic roles of HR like talent forecast, decision-making, pipeline succession, and strategizing. 

HR automation handles many critical administrative tasks that, when processed manually, are energy-consuming and can take hours on end. Without sacrificing quality, it significantly reduces the time it takes to complete HR processes.

Why Should Your Company Care About HR Automation?

First of all, because automation means the future, and you don’t want to live in the past, surrounded by people on the verge of burnout, buried under mountains of papers and folders, taking care of your most precious resource: people.

When companies implement HR automation, the impact is almost immediate, and soon they begin to see improvements in profit and productivity. When HR employees can get more done with automation, they also become more motivated, accomplish their goals faster, and have better morale. Companies also get more work in return for the same amount of money. 

Increased precision also helps to simplify jobs. With HR automated processes, checking and managing people can be completed with a quick search. When the information is readily accessible to all people who might need it, the approval workflow is smooth and greatly simplified.

HR automation eliminates errors. Tasks like verifying timesheets, calculating payrolls, and checking leaves, can be easily done by a machine. But having them done by humans might pave the way for errors. Once set up, automation does it perfectly, without any errors, unlike the human counterpart. Error rates significantly decrease with automation.

With HR automation, you can reduce costs with office supplies, printing, and physical storage while offering convenient access to online files at any time and from anywhere.

An essential benefit of HR automation is security. When HR management personnel automate human resources, they can back up the company’s data to online servers. Data security helps prevent losing years of data in the event of a fire, a theft, or an equipment failure. Automation also helps prevent unnecessary expenses, legal troubles, and tax problems caused by human resource mistakes. 

What Are The Most Popular HR Processes You Should Automate?

Chances are, if you already use some degree of HR automation, you can take it a step further. According to research by KPMG, the vast majority of HR services can be partially or fully automated. You can benefit from using HR automation tools across the entire HR spectrum, including the following areas:

1. Employee Onboarding

Employee onboarding is one of the more tedious tasks taken on by the HR department regularly. Onboarding may involve significant paperwork, signing contracts, completing benefits paperwork, and other necessary duties. Automation can decrease the processing time for all of the different documents required in the onboarding process to a few hours rather than a week. From job posting to collecting resumes to interviewing and giving network access to new employees – all of these processes can be systemized and processed dynamically according to the desired workflow. Hiring, powered by HR automation, can accelerate the onboarding process while decreasing the associated costs.

2. Leave requests 

There are many reasons why a team member may file a leave request – whether it be for a family event, medical procedure, educational, or something else. Calculating and approving every request manually is both tedious and time-consuming. HR staff must check the leave balance, get a manager’s approval, and record the leave for payroll calculation.

With an absence management software, all these tasks are automated, without leave requests stuck in someone’s inbox, lost in a sea of emails.

3. Employee personal data

In a small company, managing the personal information of employees isn’t too difficult. But when a company adds employees, tracking and keeping all of the employees’ personal information up-to-date can be a nightmare for HR personnel. Dynamic systems reduce the chances of data loss and manual entry errors.

4. Timesheets

Validating and tracking timesheets manually is inefficient, to say the least. It’s time to say goodbye to this method and start looking for an efficient and reliable way to keep track of the working hours and calculate their value. With an automated timesheet app, data collection and validation of the information are more accurate and faster. Dynamic time tracking apps also helps to save HR personnel from manually updating an employee’s records.

5. Time-off Management

If you haven’t automated this complex process of time-off management, well… it’s time to do it. Listed below are just a few of the challenges of manual time management:

  • HR staff spend way too much time gathering data from different systems
  • Maintaining a clean and up-to-date record of each employee is nerve-wracking
  • It is the opposite of working efficiently
  • Manual payroll calculations for each employee is time-consuming and error-ridden 
  • Inaccuracies can result in compliance problems leading to more significant legal issues.

With a smart automation tool, the managers clearly assess teams’ vacation calendar, each employee profile, and even birthdays. This tool takes over the burden of employees’ attendance tracking from the shoulders of HR staff

6. Performance management

Performance management is a dynamic tool every HR manager should have. It tracks, analyzes, and measures an employee’s performance and aligns it with the business goals. Many HR managers simply do not have the time to update the performance records of employees. An automated performance management software streamlines the process, keeps it bias-free, ensures accurate decision making, and makes it memorable for both employers and employees.

7. Reports

Each HR professional met at least once in their activity with the situation when an anxious boss wants ”yesterday” a report with all kinds of workforce-related data. HR automation takes the stress out of this kind of problem with a powerful reporting tool that opens a world of critical insights that help supervisors and analysts to make better hiring, performance, promotion, or planning decisions. 

8. Employee offboarding

Offboarding is not a fun process for either the employee or the employer. In some cases, it can feel awkward and forced. Nonetheless, when an employee is terminated, files must be collected and processed. Former employees must return company equipment, while the managers must take the necessary steps to remove the former employee from the payroll and benefits. Use automation to process every single one of these tasks quickly, reliably, and consistently to make the offboarding process more manageable and prevent any potential legal issues from taking place.

How Do You Know When It’s Time For HR Automation?

By not automating your HR processes, you could be hurting productivity and falling behind competitors. Manual data input wastes time and productivity and leads to errors. According to CareerBuilder research, HR managers who do not fully automate say they lose an average of 14 hours a week manually completing tasks that could be automated; 28% of them say they waste 20 hours or more, and 1 in 10 (11%) spend 30 hours or more.

Automation systems can improve any number of HR processes. And it isn’t just HR processes that can benefit. Other business processes like expense reporting, maintenance requests, or transportation management benefit from electronic forms and workflows.

Bottom Line

HR automation is not the future; it’s the present. 

Before spending more money and resources hiring additional employees to manage HR tasks, consider starting to automate your HR processes with dynamic HRIS software.

Automation is crucial for businesses when they notice that error rates are increasing: automation eliminates human error, the processes are intuitive and interconnected, and the updates are instant.

Companies with unsustainable operations costs may also benefit from the savings that automation can offer: you don’t need to hire or train the HR staff. Each employee happily takes over part of the HR burden, and they will feel empowered and trustworthy. 

Inadequate reporting should also prompt HR management to implement an HR automation strategy: any business owner relies on accurate reports to plan the company’s future.

Finally, when a business is growing and expanding, automation can do the work involved with tracking hundreds of employees much more manageable.

Best HR Templates for all Your Business Needs

Best HR templates

As an HR manager or administrator to efficiently run your company, you will deal with many employee requests and unforeseen circumstances. Many times, you want to use one document that does the job and can reuse it repeatedly. You may be looking to make some edits to a form and adjust it to fit your company’s needs. Other times is one of your employees searching for a specific way to record time more efficiently. This is why we have made a selection of the best 10 HR templates that you can use for free in multiple formats: Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, or Google Spreadsheet.

In the last months, we have updated our database of HR templates, made specifically to help HR departments work within small and medium companies. 

Here are 10 of our most requested templates that we would like to share with you also. 

1. Timesheet templates 

You will find a series of timesheet templates that can fit distinct types of needs, different pay periods, and formats. If you are looking for a simple free weekly template or one with multiple Excel or online calculations on Google Sheets, you can get it directly from the website. 

Download the timesheet template.

2. Organizational Chart 

Structuring your employees in a digital org chart is not always very intuitive. On our dedicated page, you can find how to build one and download an org chart template that you can customize according to your business. Moreover, if you’re creating a business plan and reflecting on your hiring strategy, the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Sheets versions will be handy.  

https://arahr.com/org-chart/

Download for free the org chart template.

3. The attendance sheets 

Tracking who is in the office and who is out is an essential aspect. Employee absences count for 1/3 of the employee’s payroll, and if they are not recorded, they can harm the company’s bottom line. We offer a solution that you can start using for free today. 

Download the attendance sheet.

4. The invoice templates 

Regardless of selling goods or services, you will need to provide a document with your selling details. You can use this template to make a statement regarding the number of hours you have dedicated to carrying out a development project or doing creative design work for a client. 

Download the invoice template. 

5. Timecard calculator 

Although not a simple template, this digital calculator takes a lot of the work from the workers’ shoulders, with multiple automatic calculations for periods.

Check out the online time card calculator.

6. The employee’s handbook 

The employee handbook is a booklet that includes your company’s mission, culture, practices, policies, and expectations. Practically this is the document you offer to a new hire to learn what is expected of them in terms of work-etiquette and discipline. 

Download template.

Bonus, 1943 Disney employee handbook ⤵️

The Ropes at Disney: 1943 Walt Disney Employee Handbook

7. 2021 Calendar

Suppose you are looking for things to plan for next year. A printable 2021 PDF calendar template is always handy. You can get it in other formats, also in monthly versions with or without holidays.

Download template.

8. Exit interview

Okay, it happens when an employee goes to a different company or makes a career transition. If you want to develop a more resilient company culture, exit interviews are a robust and reliable way to do so. 

If you are keen to develop a culture where the workforce that likes the company they work for and enjoy what they are doing professionally, a fantastic way to identify how you can strengthen the current situation is by running exits. The one that we have prepared addresses key work-related questions that, for sure, will highlight where the organization can be perfect when it comes to the workforce.  

Download the exit interview template.

9. Expense report

What happens when one of your employees goes to another country for professional travel, and there is a company policy to get reimbursed for travel costs? You can report the expenses using the template. And note how much money must be refunded every time you use it. And to avoid errors, the cost per each payment and total is being presented in the template.  

Download template.

10. The onboarding checklist 

As the company grows, new hires will have to be onboarded. They will have to go through a process that is consistent and delivers the results expected. In the onboarding checklist, we provide you with the steps that you will have to reflect and act upon within a few days before the employee will officially start working until the end of the first month. In this way, the new employee is successfully deployed and productive. 

Download template

What do you think about these templates? We hope that they will help with the workforce management and solve the unique needs you might have in your business. And don’t forget, AraHR works to digitize the requirements of using Excel templates for Word documents through a modern HRIS that is very flexible and highly operational.