Two key factors to the success and efficiency of a business are time management and attendance. It is essential to ensure productivity and profitability. It is therefore important to have a system for managing time and attendance.
What is time management?
Time management refers to the ability to take control of the tasks in your day and those of your employees.
What potential benefits can time management bring?
Time management has many benefits.
- Work delivered on time and of better quality
- There is less procrastination and more accountability
- Improved understanding and allocation of budgets
- Better work/life balance
- Improved organization and a decrease in stress.
What can poor time management lead to?
Poor or ineffective time management could lead to teamhood.
- Inefficient workflows and poor work quality
- Work/life imbalance
- Missed deadlines
- Strained workplace relationships
- Profitability decline
What is attendance management?
Attendance management software allows you to keep track of employees’ hours. It includes when they start, leave, take breaks, and ask for time off.
What benefits could attendance management bring?
Attendance management can have many benefits, including:
- Accuracy in attendance and time management
- It is possible to identify attendance trends
- Maintaining a fully-staffed workforce
- Payroll processing is faster, and there are fewer errors.
What can poor attendance management lead to?
Bad attendance management can lead to:
- Productivity of employees is reduced
- Productivity and profitability of companies are reduced
- Missed deadlines
- Management and employees are more frustrated
Different types of attendance tracking systems
There are many attendance systems available. You will need to consider many factors such as your budget, the number of employees, and the goals of attendance management. These are the top ways to simplify attendance:
Digital Timecards
These attendance systems are electronic versions of the traditional old-time clock. The employee inserts a timecard into a machine which triggers the printing mechanism. The card then prints the date and time. A digital timecard is a card that the employee swipes through the machine. It records the date as well as the time. An electronic touchpad is another version of the digital clock that allows employees to enter a personal code.
Badges and Key Fobs
Each employee must scan a reader within a specified distance when issued badges or key fobs. This means that employees must always have a badge/key fob with them. However, this can also help with attendance tracking and building security.
Biometric Systems
These systems use facial recognition, fingerprints, or eye scanning to ensure that your employees can be identified and tracked during work hours. These systems are more expensive and might not be feasible for smaller businesses or owners of smaller businesses.
Web-based Systems (Time and Attendance software)
Although more companies are moving to hybrid workers with remote workers, these options might not be the best fit for your company. Web-based time and attendance tracking software that allows employees to sign in from their computer, laptop, or mobile device can be very useful for keeping track of employee attendance and time management.
Software features that you should look out for in attendance software include:
- Clocking in/out
- Management leave
- Reporting and Payroll
Some companies may be interested in biometrics, calendars and mobile support.
Time Tracking Systems
Employees can log their time on projects and tasks using Time tracking. Tracking time can help you track your workforce’s productivity and efficiency. It can also plan budgets, bill clients, and manage payroll.
Let’s first look at the most common time management methods before getting into Time tracking systems.
Time Management Techniques
These are tried-and-true time management methods that employees can use to manage their time and allow a company to track employee hours.
Pomodoro Technique
Francesco Cirillo, a former student at the university, developed the Pomodoro Technique in the late 1980s. Cirillo struggled to concentrate on his studies and complete his assignments. He felt overwhelmed and asked himself only to dedicate 10 minutes to study. He was inspired by the challenge and found a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (Pomodoro in Italian). The Pomodoro technique was born.
The Pomodoro Technique allows you to enter a state where you can focus your work in short bursts. You can time-box your tasks into 25-minute work periods with five-minute breaks. This allows employees to break large tasks down into 25-minute chunks, reduce distractions, and be more mindful of their time management.
Kanban Technique
Since the 1950s, the Japanese term “Kanban” (which means “visual board” or “sign”) has been used to describe a process definition. Toyota developed it as a scheduling system to allow for just-in-time manufacturing.
Kanban harnesses the power and visualization of visualization to allow people to see all the work they need in one place. Kanban boards are a tool that allows you to organize your tasks in columns. This shows where you are in the execution process. The to-do, in-process and done columns are the simplest Kanban boards. Kanban is efficient because it allows you to focus on the most important task and complete it before moving on to the next.
Eat the Frog
Mark Twain once stated, “If you have to eat a Frog, it is best to do so first thing in the AM.” If you have to eat two frogs at once, it is best to eat one of the largest.
You can use the Eisenhower Box technique to understand your tasks better. To do this, divide your task list into four categories.
- Things you need to do even though they are not your thing
- Things you need to do and things you want to do.
- Things you’d like to do but don’t have to.
- Things you don’t want to do and don’t need to do.
The frog represents what you do not want to do but must do. The frog is to do it; otherwise, the frog can eat you, and you will procrastinate throughout the day.
You will feel more motivated and accomplished once you have completed the first task.
Getting Things Done
GTD is a method that allows you to organize your thoughts and keep them from getting too cluttered. You will know exactly what you should be doing at any given moment if you organize your GTD system.
These steps include:
- Take any ideas and plans that arise during the day and put them on your to-do lists
- Take what you have captured and process it. Then, break down the tasks into manageable steps.
- You can organize everything by adding dates and prioritizing.
- Daily tasks and larger projects are reviewed and updated.
- Focus on your top priorities and refer back to your lists to stay on track.
Time Blocking
Time blocking allows you to break up your workday into smaller blocks to allow more time for deep work. To organize your tasks and plan your week, incorporate a daily review into your schedule. There are many types of time-blocking:
- Task batching is the process of combining similar tasks and attaching them with time blocks so they can all be completed at once.
- Day-teaching: Devoting your entire day to a task or project
- Timeboxing: Setting a time limit for a task
Find the best time tracking tool for your organization
Software that tracks time makes it easy for employees to track their time. It can also make it easier for managers and human resource departments to manage their time better. These software programs allow employees to report their time via their computer or mobile device electronically. They can also include text, social media, or other communication platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Many of these systems can be used both on-premises and cloud-based. While the on-premises systems are kept on your company’s servers, cloud-based systems can be accessed online by your time-and-attendance provider.
