Essential features to look for in employee time tracking software

As the famous jazzman Miles Davis once said, “Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing.” While he wasn’t referring to employee time management, it holds as true for the workplace as it does for the musical arena.

After all, the use of time will have the biggest bearing on your company’s direction.

Having established the importance of time management, it might come as a surprise to discover that 82% of employees don’t have a system to make it happen. And of the small proportion that do, many rely on paper timesheets and Excel spreadsheets.

And if your business doesn’t have a system in place, you’re missing out on the potential of digital time-tracking software. Especially with its recognised benefits such as streamlined time management, improved productivity, and simplified payroll.

Read on as we highlight the kinds of features that you should be looking for when choosing an employee time tracking software for your business.

Time and attendance tracking

From excessive social media use to unproductive meetings and procrastination, there are various time-stealers in the workplace. They can take up great chunks of the day, with little time left for the work that really matters.

However, you can make sure that this isn’t the case with time tracker software that effectively monitors employee work hours and attendance patterns.

A staff time tracker allows you to keep tabs on who’s in, off, or on a break with real-time updates. It’s best to look for software that has an auto alert feature that nudges staff to log their hours, with simplified time tracking like the Blip app by BrightHR.

Plus, it’s a bonus if the time tracker allows for GPS location tracking. So, you can monitor employees working at home and in the office. And with time-tracking responsibility passed on to the staff, you can spend more time doing what you do best.

User-Friendly interface

Given that not everybody is a tech wizard, you’ll want to ensure that your employee time tracking software is as user-friendly as possible. It must have an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface for the everyday benefit of employees and administrators.

Your chosen software should work across various platforms and operating systems, with data syncing for reduced cost and easier management.

Available to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store, Blip ticks the boxes when it comes to usability. Staff can log in via their location, QR code, or flexible clock-in, with the simple click of a button. Notes can also be easily entered for sharing with the manager.

Integration capabilities

Besides keeping track of staff working hours, the best employee time tracker software will also allow for the optimisation of your business processes. It should play nicely with the other tools that you use for HR monitoring and management.

The integration of your staff time tracker and payroll system will be vital to ensure correct payment based on the number of hours worked.

Again, you’re onto a winner, with Blip included in the all-in-one BrightHR software package. You can connect your favourite systems and keep the tools that you love with seamless BrightHR integration.

Reporting and Analytics

Apart from logging the amount of time worked, you’ll also want the employee time tracking software to produce genuinely helpful reports. These reports should be of value in terms of monitoring progress, tracking performance, and ensuring optimum use of your staff resources.

Ideally, they’ll give clear insights into employee attendance, with accurate records of staff hours, breaks and overtime in compliance with Working Time Regulations.

BrightHR’s employee time tracking app allows you to view an employee’s work history, completed shifts, break times, and much more. You can generate reports for specific periods, with easy adjustments of employee start and end times. Downloadable in various formats, these reports can also be shared via your mobile.

Mobile Accessibility

British people have been reported as spending an average of 4 hours and 14 minutes on their smartphones each day. So, it makes sense for mobile accessibility to be a major priority in your choice of apps for employee time tracking. Workers must be able to log in and start up the time tracking system irrespective of time or location. The same level of functionality must also be assured across various mobile devices.

Blip stands out as a smart employee time tracking app that enables staff to log in and out using just their mobiles. With the geolocation feature, you can monitor staff working hours no matter whether they’re based at home or in the office.

Compliance and security

As a conscientious business owner, you’ll appreciate the importance of legal compliance. This means abiding by the Working Time Regulations, limiting the number of hours worked during any one week and respecting the right to time off. The protection of sensitive employee data should also be factored into your choice of employee time tracker software.

Blip can help you stay in line with the law through the easy recording of staff hours, breaks, and overtime.

Customisation and Scalability

The best apps for employee time tracking can be scaled and customised to suit your changing business needs. You can add branded elements to the user interface and produce reports with your distinctive business identity.

Time can be tracked down to the desired level of detail, with the option of adding or removing fields according to your particular focus. It all makes for a seamless on-brand experience.

Allowing you to ditch the paper and manual logs, Blip offers a range of custom features and adaptability no matter how big your business gets. Integrated with BrightHRs HR, recruitment, and payroll functions, it will meet the needs of your growing team.

How BrightHR can help with employee time tracking

From the basic tracking of time to the creation of staff performance reports, you should be confident in the selection of effective time and attendance tracking software.

With all of the key features just a click away, Blip makes for an effortless experience. Go ahead and realise the difference with a free product demo.