A company’s human resource (HR) department is by far one of the most important, yet often overlooked, departments of running an organization. Yes, employees are indeed a business’ most valuable asset. However, it must be noted that HR is responsible for maintaining overall Employee satisfaction and ensuring retention.

“CEOs are beginning to understand they can no longer consider HR as a back-office function. They are realizing that in order to better impact their bottom line, they must invest in their people,” notes the VP of Human Resources at Sunspire Health, Charece Newell in an article published in Forbes.

The HR department’s ability to keep employees productive, happy, safe, trained, and organized is hinged on how well they’re able to keep an eye on all these different moving pieces – and that’s hard. So, could a platform that automates these critical tasks be the answer?

In this day and age, most HR departments understand the value of technology for their jobs. However, according to one study, only 14% of employees are satisfied with their HR analytics technologies.

Clearly, there is a lot of room for improvement, especially when it comes to employee time and attendance. Considered one of the most tedious and time-consuming tasks under their review, a good reporting system can give HR departments accurate data and insight that can positively impact not just their own efficiency, but the company’s overall operations.

To that end, here are 6 reasons that underscore why your company needs automated employee tracking:

1. It can uncover patterns that lead to actionable insights

Automated employee tracking can give HR teams a big picture overview of how productive and efficient an employee is. Depending on the kind of data gathered, HR personnel can then map out clear, actionable steps towards addressing it.

For example, if you notice that an employee regularly clocks in late every morning, it could be a sign that they are unmotivated and disengaged. This opens an opportunity for HR to reach out and address this concern. On the flip side, if a particular colleague is consistently staying late in the office, it might be a sign of overwork that may lead to burnout. Checking in with their direct superior to monitor their workload could be a much appreciated move.

2. It can help make the analysis of data easier

HR departments track and monitor a lot of data. Ensuring that employee time data—arguably one of the most confusing to scrutinize, collate, organize, and evaluate—can be automated and presented in a simplified format means there is no need for HR teams to worry about manually completing this process.

This saves significant HR personnel brainpower for more strategic and creative tasks.

3. It can help facilitate better policy compliance among employees

Easy access to up-to-date data allows the HR department to ensure continuous compliance among all employees, especially regarding hours, paid time off, workforce management, and reporting.

With automated employee tracking, HR departments can have a quick snapshot of an employee’s hours. This can serve as an accurate representation of how they use as well as manage time in the office. Should an employee contest their hours, HR departments will always have reliable, easily accessible data they can review.

4. It allows your business to comply with labor rules and regulations

Did you know that the Department of Labor actually requires employers to keep track of employee hours worked for at least 3 years? In addition to this, the government may actually conduct an audit of your business, which could result in lawsuits for the company if they are unable to present the necessary documentation.

Business compliance to government rules and regulations can become significantly easier with the right tracking tools in place. Not only does it ensure easy compliance, but it also helps protect a company’s future against possible violations and litigation.

5. It can empower better decision making in the workplace

Insight gathered from automated employee tracking platforms can assist with efficient management of labor resources.

Armed with more in-depth insight into attendance patterns and time management, it’s easier for HR departments to assist supervisors and executive teams with key decision making tasks intended to optimize operations—such as promotions.

6. It can help boost productivity in the office

One of the more common reasons businesses avoid automating time tracking in the workplace is the misconception that it tends to make employees feel stifled and micromanaged. While this can be true, it’s all in how HR departments approach implementation.

The goal is to make sure that you don’t choke the creativity and motivation out of your team. Automating time tracking may have a lot of benefits, especially for HR departments, but this shouldn’t come at the expense of employee engagement and quality of work.

That said, it helps to make employees aware of the numerous benefits automated time tracking can have for them as well. Focusing on the platform’s features for streamlining daily tasks can give them more ownership for their output and boost productivity. It can also empower transparency in the workplace, making it easier to raise issues or concerns, and even challenges concerning specific projects. It also clearly shows which employees are consistently performing above and beyond their targets, which is something HR departments can incentivize for added engagement and motivation in the workplace.

Bottom line…

Automated time tracking is a way to reliably gather and record important employee data. How HR departments can make the most out of that information to improve efficiencies in the workplace and enhance operations is up to them. Take your cue from the points listed above. They’re meant to give you and your HR team a clear idea on how you can improve internal systems with the right tools and achieve your department’s goals easily.

The SmallBizRising Blog is designed to be an educational content hub pulling information, best practices and practical advice for the small business owner and features topics including accounting, marketing, technology and more.  Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with new content as it is posted.  The blog was created by The Neat Company and receives contributed content from a group of contributing companies that provide technology, services and solutions to small businesses.

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