In the U.S., there are about 127.16 million employees working full-time in 2021. One way to ensure your business keeps growing is by tracking employee attendance. This, in turn, can increase both workplace harmony and efficiency.
Ensuring employee attendance can be troublesome without proper tracking methods. So, today, we’re going to talk about how you can track attendance effectively.
Let’s jump right into it!
1. Biometric Systems
Biometric attendance systems are by far the most accurate. Here are the top ways to track attendance using biometrics:
Fingerprint Recognition
All you need is a fingerprint scanner and an employee’s unique fingerprint. This method makes it quick and easy to track attendance.
Iris Scanners
This is a newer technology but it is becoming more and more popular for attendance tracking. It can also track attendance even if an employee is wearing gloves.
Facial Recognition
Facial recognition uses unique characteristics of an individual’s face to identify them. It is very accurate and can even track attendance if an employee is wearing a disguise.
Hand Scanners
This is where employees place their hands on a scanner. It then reads the vein patterns and matches them to their records.
Biometrics are more secure since it’s much harder to forge someone’s biometric data. They’re also more efficient since there’s no need to keep track of paper time sheets or punch cards.
2. Time Clock Systems
This is the most basic way to track employee attendance. But they can be unreliable if employees forget to punch in or out.
Time clocks are either physical devices or they can be software systems. This is an easy way to see who is working when, and how much time they are putting in.
3. Cloud-Based Attendance Systems
Cloud-based time and attendance system is another effective way to track attendance. Here are the top ways to track employee attendance using a cloud-based system:
Set Up Specific Check-in and Check-Out Times
Being specific about time will ensure that employees clock in and out at the same time every day. You can monitor when each employee begins and ends their shifts.
Set Up Alerts
Alerts can be sent via text, email, or even push notifications. You can also set up an automatic call system to remind employees of their schedules.
Use a Report Generator
Reports can be run on a weekly, monthly, or even daily basis. It’s a great way to get a quick overview of attendance and spot any emerging patterns.
Cloud-based systems are easy to access and manage. You can check this site for more info on using cloud-based systems.
4. Paper Time Cards
This method allows managers to physically see when an employee arrives and leaves. Employers can simply put a sign-in sheet on a table or wall and have employees write down their names.
Additionally, paper time cards can be used to track employee overtime and break times. However, paper time cards can be easily lost or misplaced. Which can cause errors in tracking attendance.
Give Importance to Employee Attendance Tracking
If you don’t track employee attendance, you may be losing money. They may be taking advantage of you by working fewer hours than they are actually working. Additionally, you may be inadvertently paying employees for time they didn’t work.
Each of the methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. So you’ll need to decide which one is right for your company. Whichever you choose, make sure you have a clear policy in place so that employees know what is expected of them.
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