Buddy Punch Making Time Card Approval Simpler

Let’s face it, as a business owner you’re always on the lookout for ways to simplify your business operations and improve efficiency.

After all, time is money and when it comes to employees and their time cards, this is certainly the case. While it might not always be intentional, wasted time is a big problem. In fact, according to a study by Planview one of the biggest time wasters at work is inefficient processes at (44%), followed closely by too much paperwork (43%).

Wasted time isn’t always obvious, and many times, it can even happen unintentionally. The good news though, is that there are steps that you can take to help increase efficiency, that aren’t difficult or time-consuming to implement. One such solution involves improving your time card approval system. While it may not seem like a big deal, when you have multiple employees, processing time cards and obtaining approval from everyone can be a tremendously long and drawn out process; but with a deadline always looming, it’s important to keep this process as simple as possible. You’ll also want to take into account that there will always be employees and managers who are late submitting their timecards as well as the inevitable errors or disputes that often arise with handwritten timecards; all of which can lead to frustration, wasted time, and even diminished productivity!

Here’s a look at just some of the problems that can arise with handwritten time cards:

Problems With Handwritten Time Cards:

• Time spent trying to decipher bad handwriting, and errors due to misreading handwriting
• Time spent adding up hours, and mistakes calculating work time, overtime, and vacation time
• Time spent correcting mistakes and errors
• The risk of falsification of time card data
• Buddy punching (clocking in or out for a coworker)

A Better Solution:

Fortunately, though, there’s a better way. Hourly employee time tracking software can help to simplify and streamline the entire time tracking and payroll process. With streamlined efficiency and the option of webcam or smartphone verification, it can also improve accuracy and help to prevent time theft as well.

Let’s take a look at a few benefits that come from using a robust time tracking system now.

• Saves Money and Time
  The more employees you have, the longer the process takes. Simplifying your hours worked software with a solution can help you to save time, and money. It’s a simpler way to process timecards and can results in a much faster approval process as well. Some solutions even offer time card approval features that allow employees to submit their time to their manager or administrator for approval. Time cards can then be approved or rejected and returned with comments. It’s a faster and more efficient way to ensure that everything’s correct by payday.

• Improves Productivity
  When payday nears, it is easy for managers to lose focus on their work and start paying more attention to the process of payroll. While ultimately, it might not be your managers’ job to concern themselves with payroll, when the payroll department has questions or there’s an error that arises your managers and their productivity will be the first on the line.

• Prevents Common Errors
  The more errors, the longer the payroll process will be. This back and forth communication can take longer than it should and if hours aren’t corrected immediately, you could end up paying your employee the wrong amount. With time tracking software, though, there’s no need to enter timecard data by hand, and no need to manually decipher it and enter it into your payroll system. Some programs are even able to sync with your payroll program, allowing the information to be imported directly and helping to prevent common errors from occurring.

You don’t have to be held back by an outdated GPS tracking time card system. With a robust, software solution, you can ensure that your employees’ hours are tracked and processed accurately, every time, eliminating the chance of errors and costly delays, helping your team to get paid on time, and allowing your employees and managers to get back to what you hired them for in the first place.