Time tracking system is a tricky tool to understand. On one hand, from the perspective of a business, it makes perfect sense to invest in it. On the other, from the employees’ perspective, it may make things challenging.
There is no lie in the fact that a time tracker can often be misused and people who are not at fault often pay the price for it. However, this very particular tool can turn out to be truly beneficial for employers and employees alike.
This software has redefined the productivity and workforce landscape by offering the features of automation. It also offers accurate and exact time on how your employees are spending their time during office hours.
Time tracking can also motivate employees to stay focused as they will have a set target and their work progress both in front of them. If your goal is achievable and reasonable, your employees would automatically work harder to reach the objective in a given time period.
There are several pros and a few cons that time tracking brings with it and both are mentioned below. Read on to know if this digital tool is truly worth it or not.
Pros of time tracking system
- Improved accountability
When employees are being monitored, it instigates a sense of accountability within themselves. When there’s a project that includes multiple-layered, it is essential for the leaders to understand the workload on each employee, the time taken, and the days the employees are working on it. With the help of a time tracking system, employees themselves can understand how much they are contributing to the project and gain insight into how they can improve their work. It increases their awareness and consequently, their accountability.
- Increased productivity
Productivity plays a key role in the success of an organization. In order to maintain productivity, it is also necessary to keep track of where and how you are spending your time. Once an employee is aware of their distractions and the sites they are wasting their time on, once they learn and avoid multitasking, it can help them allocate their time in a much wiser manner. When you are tracking time, you also learn about the activities that are taking up your time. This tool is great to keep a track of it and prioritize your work accordingly.
- Replace manual timesheets
Gone are the days when the timesheets had to be filled manually. In today’s time, a time tracker can also be a work hours tracker that can help you record the specific and exact data. This tool is truly cost-effective when it comes to saving time on the hands of employees and the administrative staff. Filling, combining, and analyzing timesheets traditionally was a challenge. With the help of the software, time tracking is certainly seamless. The software can easily record the clock-in and clock-out time as well as overtime of employees, thanks to the timesheet management feature.
Cons of time tracking system
- Reduces employee morale
It is true that tracking and monitoring of time can often turn into micromanaging and make employees feel a little uncomfortable. It can make them feel like they are always being watched which can hamper with their morale and thus, be a hindrance to their productivity. It is really important for managers and leaders to be clear with the objectives of installing a time tracking system. Your employees need to know that the system is not in place to spy on them but to get a clear idea of what they are accomplishing, to ensure there is transparency in the hierarchy, and even to reduce micromanaging the work.
- Can be a little expensive
Many are under an impression that investing in time-tracking software is an expensive undertaking. While it might be true that complex systems can often get a little heavy on the pockets, there are always ways to tackle the situation. You can start by automating time tracking for payroll or for operation metrics for just a few departments. It is no hard and fast rule to employ a system for the entire company. There are scalable solutions that help you expand as you grow.
Conclusion
After going through the pros and cons, it can be deduced that time tracking software would perhaps be an advantageous investment. While it would a little challenging to get employees on board, it is not impossible as time tracking software only helps in increasing the productivity and accountability of employees.
For more articles, visit OD Blog.
