6 Tips for Remembering to Clock in and Out
While you’d think that it would be in your employees’ interests to remember to clock in, and out, to ensure that they get paid for the time that they worked –the fact is that people are forgetful, and sometimes, workers just forget.
Of course, someone may neglect to sign in –to disguise the fact that they arrived late, or perhaps stayed too long during their lunch break. For employers, it’s important to encourage workers to punch in – on time, every time, to save yourself from the expense of paying out for time that wasn’t worked. The American Payroll Association (APA) estimates that the average employee takes anywhere from 50 minutes to 4.5 hours per work week by arriving up late, leaving early, and taking extended breaks –and it’s important to ensure that your workers are showing up on time – and only getting paid for the hours that they work.
While it can be difficult at times to get your entire team on board with consistent timekeeping, the good news is that there are things that admins, managers, and supervisors can do to remind team members to clock in. Here’s a look at six ways that you can help them to remember.
1.Offer Incentives
Sometimes, your team just needs a little bit of incentive. Offering a reward to staff members who remember to consistently clock in – and out, at the end of every quarter can encourage and motivate your team to make more of an effort.
2.Encourage Your Employees to Set Email Reminders
You could encourage your employees to set up reminders. This could be a notification on their mobile device or even a listing on their calendar that it will pop up on their personal computer screen and remind them when they’re supposed to be logging in. Since most of your employees will have their phones on them when they walk through the door –or will most likely check their emails first thing, this can be a great way to ensure that they get the memo to clock in at the start of the workday.
3.Create a Buddy System
Why leave time management up to personal responsibility? Use the buddy system! Encouraging employees to look out for each others work hours can help to ensure that everyone gets clocked in on time. Consider having everyone team up –to remind each other to track their work time.
4.Make It Easy for Them
Consider making the clock in process as effortless as possible. Implementing an online time tracking system with a digital access point on their computers will make it easy for them to clock in –and difficult for them to forget. A modern time tracking solution with biometrics and GPS tracking can also prevent workers from overestimating the amount of time that they’ve worked during their shifts –something that 43 percent of hourly workers have admitted to doing, according to a study by time card software consultancy Software Advice.
5.Emphasize the Benefits
Don’t forget to explain the benefits of clocking in and out to your employees. Efficiency, improved payroll accuracy, and access to current time records are just a few of the benefits that come from accurate timekeeping.
6.Consider Disciplinary Action
Finally, make sure you have a disciplinary process in place for workers who consistently neglect to clock in and out. While you are required to pay your workers for time that they have worked, there are other actions that you can take to help them remember to clock in, in the future. For example, consider having a verbal warning, followed by a written warning, then suspension, and in extreme cases – eventual termination for time theft.
Finally, while it may be tempting to start docking pay for workers who fail to clock in –you’ll want to avoid doing so. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) puts the responsibility of timekeeping on employers –and requires that you pay your employees for the hours that they have worked. If you’re facing an issue with your employees forgetting to clock in and out, you’ll want to consider implementing a disciplinary process, and make sure that your team is clear on the importance of accurate timekeeping –and aware of the consequences of failing to do so.
