Control Overtime With Employee Time Clock Software

It takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to run a business, no matter what the size. To some extent, all businesses have to deal with employees, customer satisfaction, and expenses.  Of these, businesses are always looking for easy ways to cut expenses. In a strong economy it is easy to overlook the small inefficiencies because the bottom line is healthy. In a weak economy, businesses need to look carefully at all of their processes and procedures to see where to trim the inefficiencies and make every dollar count. Some business costs are generally fixed, like rent. Others may fluctuate from month to month, like the utility bill. For many businesses, the greatest drain on company expenses is payroll. And the greatest drain on payroll is the working of unauthorized overtime. Employee time clock software is the perfect solution for eliminating unnecessary employee overtime.

There are many choices when looking for the best employee time clock software for your business. Not all time clock software programs are created equal, so you will want to focus your attention on those features that help you solve particular problems. If your problem is keeping track of used vacation time, then you will want to try out those time and attendance software programs that allow you to keep track of how much employee vacation time has been accrued, used, and is still remaining. If your problem is excessive employee overtime, then you will want to limit your search to those time clock programs that will help you control unauthorized overtime.

Control Employee Overtime With Clock In Restrictions
There are two basic methods for controlling employee overtime caused from clocking in too early. The first method prevents employees from using the time clock until their scheduled shift start time. You should be able to prevent employees from starting early, or allow them to start their shift within a specified grace period. For example, an employee may not be scheduled to start work until 8:00 AM, but you allow them to clock in early if it is within 5 minutes of their scheduled start time. The other method is to allow employees to clock in early as a courtesy, but not record their actual start time until their shift is scheduled to start. This is a good solution for eliminating long lines at the computer time clock while employees wait for their shift to start before clocking in.

Control Employee Overtime With Clock Out Restrictions
The same methods for controlling employee overtime apply to clocking out late. You should be able to prevent employees from clocking out beyond their scheduled shift, or limit punch out times to within a specified grace period. For example, an employee may be scheduled to stop work at 5:00 PM, but you allow them to clock out within 5 minutes of their scheduled end time. The other method is to allow employees to clock out late as a courtesy, but record their actual stop time as their shift end time. Failing to record time worked outside of a scheduled shift may be a violation of state and federal labor laws, so make sure you check up on those rules before implementing certain restrictions.

Other Employee Overtime Control Measures
Advanced time clock software programs may offer additional overtime control features. Employee time clock software that allows you to set rules for automatically clocking out employees after their shift ends is helpful for overcoming missed or forgotten clock outs. Shift violation overrides are another useful feature. This allows a manager to clock a worker in before their scheduled shift, or allow them to stay late to finish a project as authorized overtime.

It does not take much to institute some effective overtime control measures with the right employee time clock software.