518-373-4111
As more and more companies adopt a hybrid work environment to meet their employees’ needs, handling time and attendance can become a bit more complicated. Our human capital management partner, isolved, offers a look at considerations employers should be aware of when managing time and attendance for a hybrid workforce.
Hybrid work models come with many benefits when executed properly – employees can collaborate in person and still enjoy the perks of working from home (no commute, more flexibility with their schedules, proximity to family and pets, etc.), while employers can reap benefits that range from a boost in employee engagement to an improvement in talent acquisition and retention.
If your organization is pursuing a hybrid work model, there are certain steps to take in order for human resources (HR) leaders to benefit from the advantages. This requires getting the basics of time and attendance right so both the employee and employer can be confident working in this environment. It’s also likely a reason why a quarter of HR leaders say they are investing in time and attendance technology this year.
Evaluating Time and Attendance Tech
If your organization is looking for new timekeeping and scheduling solutions that support a hybrid environment, the following questions should be considered when shopping for new tech:
- Can Manual Processes Be Eliminated?
- Is Data Accuracy Improved?
- Are Self-Service Tools Available for Employees?
- Is the Employee Journey Connected?
This article will address each of these questions and provide some insight into how the right time and attendance technology can make a difference.
Can Manual Time and Attendance Processes be Eliminated?
Manual time and attendance processes need to be left in the past – especially if your organization is using a hybrid work model. Technology that automates processes can boost productivity for your HR team. For instance, solutions that consider labor needs and forecast the future make it simple for your team to build out employee schedules and monitor attendance. Modern technology also makes schedules available from a central location that every employee has access to – regardless of where they are working.
When it comes to processing timecards, your HR team doesn’t need to waste time collecting timesheets from a disbursed workforce. Plus, illegible handwriting or inaccurate data entry can lead to payroll mistakes that later need to be corrected. This is inefficient, hinders productivity, and isn’t a good experience for anyone involved.
For example, parking management company Preferred Parking made the switch to modern time and attendance technology and was able to save 21 hours a week on payroll processes due to automation.
HR leaders say the top payroll challenge for their teams is manual time and attendance processes. They also rated time and attendance as second when it comes to HR areas that would benefit the most from automation (following recruiting).
Is Time and Attendance Data Accuracy Improved?
Traditional time tracking requires employees to pencil in their hours or punch a card, but this doesn’t support a hybrid working environment or salaried workers. It can also lead to an increased likelihood of time theft via inaccurate data submission or buddy punching.
With a modern time and attendance solution, employees can track their hours digitally through a system that integrates with other HR responsibilities. Accuracy is improved when time information is stored in one place because the need for duplicate data entry is eliminated. Attendance rules can be defined to ensure employees are staying on schedule, and some solutions also offer geofencing, which can be used to create map boundaries for approved places where employees can clock in and out. This provides assurance that employees are working in authorized locations.
Are Time and Attendance Self-Service Tools Available for Employees?
Equipping employees with tools to track their hours independently – regardless of where they work – can lead to an overall better employee experience (EX).
It doesn’t matter if an employee is working in an office, at home or in the field if your organization’s time and attendance technology is cloud-based and supports clocking in and out from any computer or mobile device. However, there are more benefits than just enabling your dispersed workforce to track their own hours. When the right set of self-service tools are available, other common HR tasks can also be streamlined, including requesting time off, checking paid time off (PTO) balances, requesting schedule changes and more. This means employees won’t need to reach out to your HR team every time they want to take a vacation or give away a shift. This not only frees up valuable time for your team to focus on strategic initiatives, but also improves EX because everyone is empowered to manage these small – but important – tasks on their own.
Is the Employee Journey Connected?
Technology that intelligently connects to the rest of the employee journey may be the most important factor when shopping for a new time and attendance solution.
When time and attendance data seamlessly connects to payroll, benefits and compliance, manual processes can be eliminated and data accuracy improves (two of our recommended considerations). This is why intelligently connected human capital management (HCM) tech should be considered during the buying process – not only can these platforms solve time and attendance needs for remote workers, but they can also advance the digital maturity of your HR department.
Ready for the Future
Whether your organization is moving to a hybrid model or just wants to stay prepared for the future (and the possibility of future disruptions), having technology that can support a modern workforce, streamline processes and create seamless experiences is essential. It is important to remember, however, that investments in technology don’t always advance your department’s digital maturity – which is why it is important to think about the questions presented in this article when shopping for new time and attendance tech that can stand the test of time.
GTM’s Time and Attendance Solution
GTM clients and their employees get the best-in-class payroll and HR platform, isolved. It intelligently connects and manages the employee journey across talent management, HR & payroll, time and attendance, benefits, workforce management, and engagement management functions, helping employers recruit and retain their workforce, hybrid or otherwise. Learn more about our time and attendance solution and then request a free quote see how easy it is to switch to GTM.
