Keeping careful track of the hours your employees work is beneficial to both the company and its employees. It ensures that everyone gets paid what they’re supposed to, when they’re supposed to– and helps to avoid any disputes over time or payment.
When picturing an “attendance solutions system”, you might envision an old-fashioned time clock at which employees literally “punch in”, marking a card with the time and date that they arrive to work and leave from it. But attendance solutions technology has made significant progress over the past several years, and virtually every company stands to benefit from these advancements.
What is an attendance solutions system?
An attendance solutions system is a term that can apply to basically any way that a company keeps track of employees’ time worked and attendance.
The 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act in the United States introduced new requirements for employers. Under the FSLA, employers don’t have to use any particular timekeeping system or software, but they do have to carefully track employee information to ensure fair payment.
Some of the information employers are required to track includes: hours worked each day, hours worked each week, hourly pay rate, straight-time and overtime earnings, tax deductions, total wages, and the dates of each payment and pay period.
Even if you only have a few employees, keeping all of this information straight could easily become a headache– thus, attendance solution systems were developed to make it a lot easier.
What kinds of attendance solutions systems are available?
Of course, many companies still use old-fashioned time clocks that use cards. These are an old standard for a reason; they’re reliable and rugged, suitable for use in just about every environment. They don’t require electricity or Wi-Fi to work properly, and some models even come with a lifetime typewheel warranty.
Over the years, various improvements have been made on the original time clock– most notably, digitalization. There are numerous time clocks that still utilize time cards but do so with a digital display and various upgrades, like automatic Daylight Saving Time adjustments.
One of the most significant advancements is the introduction of BioTouch time clocks. These ensure an even higher level of timekeeping accuracy by requiring employees’ fingerprints to clock in.
This added security measure prevents “buddy punching”, which is when a coworker punches someone’s time card when they’re not really present or working yet. This practice might seem harmless, but it actually negatively affects company revenue and technically constitutes payroll fraud.
You can also find biometric time clocks that operate via facial recognition instead of fingerprints. There are plenty of ways to ensure that all of your employees’ worked hours are being tracked accurately, so that everyone gets paid the amount that they’re owed and the company finances can stay in excellent shape.
Are physical time clocks the only option available?
With more and more employees working remotely today, a physical time clock might not be the best option for your workforce. Thankfully, there are plenty of timekeeping solutions available online or through special software, which can allow you to track your employees’ hours no matter where you, or they, are located.
How can I find the best attendance solutions system for my company?
At Central Business Equipment, we offer a wide variety of options for basically every type of company, in any industry. If you’ve got questions about which system is best suited for your business, feel free to give us a call at 501-833-8150, send us a message, or just stop on by. We’d love to work with you to find the perfect solution.