Negosentro|Workplace Mastery: Do You Know the Solutions to These 5 Common Time Tracking Problems?|Accurately tracking time is vital for employees and employers. Employees expect to be paid for the time they have worked and employers expect their employees to work during the time they are being paid. To keep both parties happy, time tracking apps and software has become a popular tool in many industries and organizations.
Unfortunately, not all time tracking apps work effectively. This results in problems that need to be solved. Fortunately, some solutions come in the form of installing new scheduling software from Deputy. Other solutions involve learning to use the software so it works properly.
These solutions can help you better manage the five common time tracking problems.
-
Track everything
When employees only track the time they worked, they are likely to make mistakes. If you want to avoid mistakes with time tracking, employees should begin tracking their time when they begin work and stop when they leave for the day. This means that restroom breaks, lunch breaks, everything that employees do during the day should be tracked.
By tracking everything, you can see the actual billable hours and you avoid guesswork, especially when employees forget to restart the apps when they return from breaks.
-
Train employees prior to implementation
All too often, employers will implement time tracking software without training employees on how to use it. This results in excess mistakes and inaccurate tracking. Proper implementation should include setting rules for tracking time and selecting a go-to person who can answer questions. One employee should be responsible for administering the system and approving timesheets. With clear instructions, employees are less likely to make mistakes.
-
Avoid guesswork
If employees have to fill in their timesheets, they will guess. Unless employees are tracking their time from the moment they begin work for the day until the moment they stop, they will make mistakes that require them to make guesses. This can result in employees being underpaid or overpaid. When they are making guesses, they are not working. To prevent guesswork, employees should have clear instructions on how to track their time spent on projects.
-
Prioritize time tracking
If tracking time is not a priority at work, no one will do it consistently. When a business wants to track time and make it a priority, there needs to be someone who reminds people to stay on task. There will be moments when time is wasted, but by reminding employees to stay on task, time tracking will be accurate.
-
Avoid multitasking
When employees are required to multitask, they can struggle with tracking time worked on a certain project. For years, multitasking has been something employers want employees to do. But as brain research shows us more about multitasking, employees should get away from doing it. When we multitask, we do not give any task 100 percent of our attention and concentration. Multitasking makes employees more likely to make mistakes.
If employers want accurate time tracking, they should discourage multitasking. When employees can give their full attention to a project, everyone benefits and time tracking is accurate.
