Workplaces have long used time clocks to track hourly employee attendance and time spent on the job. Attendance clocks have traditionally been mechanical punches which punch time slots on an employee time card. As computers have entered the workplace, many facilities have begun to use digital time sheet software, which requires employees to clock in and out using a computer and employee ID rather than a mechanical time clock and punch card.
As workplace technology has continued to evolve, a new kind of attendance management has been developed which automates many of the manual steps required by mechanical and computer time sheets. Online time clock software operates from a web based interface, allowing employees to clock in from a web browser or any IP-enabled device. Web based time clocks can dramatically reduce time and attendance data errors while significantly cutting back on time spent on data management in payroll and human resources.â¨
Online Time Clock Software Gathers More Accurate Attendance Data
Web based attendance software enables employees to clock in from their desktop computers, IP phones, handheld or wall-mounted IP devices. Employees can clock in directly from the locations where they will begin working. This means an employee will not clock in until they have reached their desk or workplace station, allowing employers to keep more accurate tabs on actual employee work hours.
Preventing Buddy Punching and Time Theft
Web based attendance software can easily be enabled to work with ID badge readers or biometric scanners. Requiring employees to punch in using their unique ID badges, fingerprints or handprints makes it impossible for employees to engage in buddy punching or other time theft activities.
Integrating Time and Attendance Data into Payroll and HR Records
Online time clocks automatically uploads all employee time and attendance data to a master database which is accessible to authorized personnel. Human resources can quickly ascertain how much leave time an employee has left, what his or her attendance rate is and can be alerted when an employee qualifies for new benefits. Likewise, payroll can quickly access employee attendance data, eliminating time consuming manual data entry and the errors which may occur during manual data entry.