The importance of clocking in and out

Is the importance of clocking in and out as big as it once was?

With more and more businesses accepting and embracing flexible or work from home conditions, do we really still need to care when someone clocks on?

In this article, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of clocking in and out.

Clocking in at work – is it needed?

It seems simple enough, clock in clock out, so why all the fuss?

Well, the subject is a complex one, with arguments on both sides.

Employees say it’s a way for employers to track them unfairly, whereas employers say it’s a tool to help reduce admin time. So, what’s the truth?

Here at Citadel, we believe the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Not clocking in and out has repercussions for a business. Everything from payroll, to holiday, TOIL, flexible working and more is all calculated by the number of hours an employee works.

Employees may argue that it doesn’t matter how many hours they work, as long as the job is done – but that only counts for the people who work in offices without a production line or output based career.

For the millions of UK workers in factories, building sites, cleaning offices, cafes, restaurants and more – the amount an employer’s works DOES matter. And therefore, clocking in and out does too.

Benefits of implementing a clocking in and out system

1. Ensuring employees are working

It’s more than the cost of tardiness (although that soon adds up!) it’s the safety of knowing who’s in and out.

As well as the assurance that the output planned, matches the labour costs.

Two or three minutes each start or stop time might seem silly, but it could be the result of two or three missed products, or one job halved.

This fault in time management can cost businesses, especially when working to tight deadlines, or working for a client that see’s standards slip.

2. Monitoring rest breaks for compliance

Working Time Rules states that employees are entitled to take rest breaks.

Adult workers must take a continuous 20-minute rest break if they work for longer than six hours. Failure to provide this is a breach of working time rules and can result in hefty fines or repercussions for a business.

By monitoring breaks, you can ensure that employees are following the rules and keep track of anyone who isn’t.

This is especially important for business with drivers or people working in high-risk situations on a factory floor.

It can also help you if you deduct pay for lunch etc. Finding employees who are not clocking out for lunch can actively save you money.

3. Transparency for employees

Yes, some of your workers might feel aggrieved that they are being tracked. But many will welcome the change.

Remind them that not only will their pay now be transparent, but they can see a host of other information on demand, such as holiday requests, and more.

Thanks to payroll now being run directly from a clocking system, there is also much less likely to be payroll errors, meaning employees are receiving a better service all round.

4. Management have more time to manage

Managers can spend hours monitoring lateness, holiday, absence and more.

All of this time away from their team has a significant effect on morale, production and more.

Utilising a time and attendance system to take care of the day-to-day admin tasks will free up your management to spend time with workers.

This change in culture could have a positive impact, promoting more loyalty to the company and better working as a result.

Why choose Citadel by Chronologic

We’ve hopefully successfully convinced you of the importance of clocking in and out. But now you need to choose which system to do this with.

Call us biased, but we believe that Citadel by Chronologic is the best option for you.

Not only does it offer affordable employee time clock systems, it has no contract – meaning you can start and stop when you need.

Citadel by Chronologic costs just £2.50 per employee per month and offers clocking, reporting, holiday management and more as standard.

Find out more about our clocking systems here.

Any questions, or if you’d like to request a free online demo to see how clocking in with Citadel could work for you, call 01761 410015, email us or click the chat icon.