Why Employee Timesheets are Important for Managing Employee Time

The future of attendance tracking lies in an automated working time recording application for employees. It addresses virtually any problem that can be traced back to a manual process.

Manual time recording using time sheet templates often leads to a number of problems. It is incredibly cumbersome for the HR department, prone to human error and leads to a chaotic distribution of payroll. But perhaps the most unfortunate part of manual time sheets is the fact that most workers in the U.S. are guilty of time theft - either by late/early punching in or by having a colleague take advantage of the punching.

The biggest problems with traditional timekeeping methods

The introduction of a working time recording system for employees or an application is long overdue for many companies.

• According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), absenteeism is a major problem for companies in the USA. According to one report, three percent of the workforce is absent on a given day. The problem is exacerbated by inefficient time tracking.
• Absenteeism and time theft contribute to massive financial losses. Absences cost companies between 20.9 and 22.1 percent of the wage bill. Time theft is another serious problem that costs companies millions of dollars every year.
• As if that weren't enough, the daunting task of managing employees' time tracking on paper and spending much of their time processing and documenting the data is counterproductive for HR. This often leads to errors and a massive waste of resources.
• In a business world that is constantly moving towards sustainability, traditional paper-based time sheet processing cannot really make the cut.

Why time recording applications for employees are not created immediately

Although an application for employee time tracking can make a big difference for a company, not all of these solutions are the same. Certain employee time tracking applications have a much higher level of usability, personalization and integration potential with other enterprise solutions.

Most attendance tracking software is developed for the purpose of processing time sheets. It has only a few functions that offer little flexibility for specialized companies or firms. These solutions are not easily integrated with other relevant platforms, nor can they handle the data load as the process scales.

The choice of a good time sheet application should be based on a few basic requirements specific to your company:

Reputation of the provider

The seller's reputation and the customer reviews via the time tracking app should be your top priority. Reading user opinions about a vendor or their product is an authentic way to see through the market hype.

Usability

A software, no matter in which field, should always be easy to use and tailored to the technical skills of the target audience. For example, an HR application with a simple drag-and-drop interface is an ideal solution for HR employees who are not technically proficient and want to get used to such applications quickly.

Customer service

Even an app for an employee's time sheet that is up to date could encounter technical problems that are beyond control. Rapid technical support from the software vendor for such unforeseen circumstances is a crucial advantage.

Automation

Even if your employee time tracking application looks great, offers fantastic support, and is available at a reasonable price, you can still overcome the usual obstacles if it doesn't have the intelligence of automation. Automation is a boon to tedious processes like time tracking. You can define workflow paths, create pre-filled fields, customize forms, and more to reduce the manual effort that usually slows down activities in HR and other departments.

Log details

Progress for any company is to make decisions based on measurable data. Cloud-based HR automation tools provide good insight into process reports and their performance metrics, allowing departments to make quantitative decisions about each individual employee without much confusion.

Features to look for in an employee timesheet app

An ideal application for employee time tracking can work seamlessly with other HR software, payroll solutions, accounting tools and more. In addition to simple, easy-to-use operation, time and attendance solutions require some specific features to achieve better results while minimizing the risks of compliance.

Any employee time sheet application must provide:

• Online time sheets for employees
• Dynamic HR workflows
• Multi-channel accessibility
• Role-based dashboards
• API and biometric integration
• Self-service functions and
• Visually rich reporting functionalities

The top 5 working time recording applications in the industry

Time sheet management applications can be categorized in a variety of ways, from free and simple suites to expensive and accurate programs. There are many applications for time tracking on the market, which makes it difficult to choose the right tool. To make the process easier, we have created a list of the best timesheet applications for employees on the market.

IceHrm

IceHrm is a web-based Human Resource Management tool that is quite popular with remote teams. It helps employees in different time zones and enables organizations to bring order to their goals and tasks. With the help of IceHrm Time sheets module employees can update their own time sheets and send those for approval to supervisors. The attendance module will keep track of employee punch-in and punch-out times.

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Read More... Basic Usage of IceHrm Timesheets

TimeCamp

It is a standalone time tracking application that tracks billable hours, automates billing, and creates custom reports. Its main features include time notes, graphical time recording devices, integrated timer and absence time recording.

Kissflow HR Cloud

Kissflow HR Cloud is a customizable HR tool that helps companies manage all facets of their HR operations, from recruitment to time tracking to offboarding. It allows users to manage their employees, documents, projects and customers from a single interface.

Timely

It is a fully automated time tracking system that collects information about all hours worked and stores them all in a secure private timeline. It integrates seamlessly with a range of project and task management tools to monitor all work-related activities.

Toggl

Toggl is a user-friendly time tracking tool that provides a comprehensive overview of the time spent. This tool supports both online and offline. It enables organizations to track their employees' time and retrieve all relevant information in the form of visually appealing reports.

Decide on the right time recording software

A cloud-based application is the future of the time sheet management process. It offers great versatility in terms of tracking, automation and measurement. When it comes to cost, companies only have to pay for what they use and the application can scale as your business grows.

An automated time tracking application for employees must also have good interface flexibility and be able to customize its functionality. You can either choose a standalone time tracking application or opt for automated HR suites such as IceHrm, which has a pre-built time tracking module that you can use to benefit your business.

IceHrm  offers the easiest way for companies to plan, organize and track their human capital. This HR solution is packed with collaboration, time tracking and workforce management features that take your HR processes to the next level.

With IceHrm you don't have to design your timesheets from scratch, just make a few adjustments to your timesheet approval process and you're ready to go.