As more companies try to improve productivity and ensure an efficient workforce, the need for an employee time tracking app is steadily on the rise. In the past, it might have been acceptable for you and your company to monitor work hours manually. However, as more teams begin to go remote and work from home, the importance of automatically tracking time cannot be overlooked anymore.
Accurate monitoring of employee time input can be the huge difference between company growth and decline. A survey by Mckinsey & Company shows that without proper tracking of projects, companies find it difficult to get a good estimate of the budget needed to complete future projects. These businesses end up running 45% above their initial funds. Keeping track of projects provide data that can be used to make accurate estimations for future endeavors. This in turn will save money and time. It’ll boost productivity by letting the team know areas to improve.
It can be difficult to track time manually while trying to multitask on the job. Considering that timesheets help you to bill clients and pay employees, imagine how much you’d lose for each second or minute that you forget to log. In time, this can accumulate into hours of unbilled time.
While there are many apps out there to help you track hours automatically, you need to know what to look out for. You don’t want to employ the use of a time tracking app that ends up reducing employee productivity. In trying to decide which app to go for, it’s important to consider what’s best for your employees. After all, a happy workforce is a productive workforce. You must choose an app that considers employee monitoring ethics.
Even if you want to go for free time tracking apps, it’s crucial to look out for these features.
Factors to Consider Before Making a Purchase
- Online or Offline?
Before purchasing an employee-tracking app, you need to consider factors such as connectivity. There are times when Internet connectivity can be a huge issue. These things happen and your employees shouldn’t have to pay for them. Having a time tracking app that works both online and offline is a huge plus in ensuring that poor network connections do not affect productivity. It’ll sync data when the employee is working offline and upload the data once a good connection is established.
The right app should also be able to send smart notifications or alerts to remind you whenever the user forgets to turn on time tracking. This ensures that they don’t start working for some minutes or hours before realizing, “Oh no! I forgot to turn on the tracker!” This way, your employee can focus on the job without fear of losing time.
- Distracting Screenshots?
There are time tracking apps that notify you each time they take a screenshot. This might seem like a cool feature at first, but it’s not. It can be distracting and will end up creating a hindrance to workflow. Getting distracted every minute by the sound of an app taking a screenshot while working can reduce productivity. This is equivalent to having a boss always hawking over you while you work. Employees don’t do so well when they have the feeling that they’re being constantly watched. You need an app that will silently take screenshots or video recordings in the background without distracting the worker.
In addition, the video recording feature should be something an employee can turn on and off when they choose to. You want your workers to be part of the company and not feel like outsiders being monitored by big brother!
- Are you a Spy?
No, you’re not! You’re looking for ways to boost employee productivity. You’re not out to spy on their private lives, and your workers need to know this. Get an app that puts this into consideration by taking screenshots that blur out sensitive information such as passwords and private messages. Workers should also have the ability to delete recorded time and screenshots that they don’t feel comfortable with sharing.
An ethical tracking app will protect employee privacy by intentionally reducing media quality to hide private employee data, while at the same time giving you a good idea of what your employee has been up to. Don’t be the employer who doesn’t respect the feelings of his/her workforce. They’re also humans with lives that should be respected.
- Productivity Analysis? Check!
It’s not all about the employee. You also need ways to improve company performance and boost profits. After all, the purpose of running a business is to make profits for yourself, shareholders, and employees. A good tracking app should provide you with detailed reports and timesheets analysis. This allows you to keep track of the activity level of everyone on the team, find the best performing employees, and help the least performing ones.
- Payroll and Billing Processes Made Easy
According to a report by Harvard Business Review, the United States loses as much as $7.4 billion each day because of poor time tracking and inadequate filling of timesheets. Workers and employers often fail to accurately log time or bill client hours. You and your employees have a lot of tasks to focus on without having to worry about keeping track of time manually. You need an app that’ll automate this process.
Now, you might wonder, “Is there a task monitoring app that features all these?” Well, Traqq is a popular employee tracking software that allows you to enjoy automated invoicing. Just enter the payment details and rates of your employees into the app and it’ll handle the rest. This allows you to pay your employees without stress. In addition to this, it also gives you access to data encryption, ensuring company data is not accessed by third parties without permission.
By focusing on ethical monitoring, Traqq helps you get the best out of your employees. There is a reason why the tool is popular among users. It’s not just a tracking tool, it is a friend.
