Traditional methods of time tracking are quickly becoming outdated as employers are realizing the issues that arise with the old paper methods of clocking in and out. As our working environments are becoming increasingly digital in the 21st century, more and more businesses are moving away from old punching methods and opting for digital time tracking apps.
If you are tired and frustrated with the method that you are currently using to track employee working hours, you should keep reading to discover all the benefits that mobile time clocking apps can bring to your business. To help you understand the ins and outs of a scheduling and time clock app we have created this guide to tell you what mobile punching apps are, how much they cost, as well as the many advantages they can offer your business.
Mobile punching apps have time tracking features that surpass employee time clocks. Instead of physically clocking in and out with a piece of paper, employees simply need the app downloaded onto their mobile phone. With the touch of a button, they can let you know when they entered and left the workplace with accuracy.
A mobile punching app also provides users with extra features. With a mobile punching app, you are not just getting the employee time tracking service, the app also provides you with multiple other employee management features that will optimize your business. You can activate a geolocation feature that will allow you to know where your employees are, which can help you appropriately delegate workers. The app also has a built-in diary, making scheduling easier.
Just like with any product or service, the price of the app will depend on the product you choose. While some mobile punching apps provide packages at rates that only huge corporations could afford to pay, others are virtually free but offer an extremely limited number of features. Most businesses are looking for a middle ground between the two.
You want an app that helps you manage your employees and also offers you the essential time tracking features that you need at an affordable price. Mobile Punch is the perfect medium for your business. All you need to do is contact our team and they will work with you to find a custom package that suits your needs. This way, you will be able to get the most out of what you can afford. Mobile Punch is the leading mobile time tracking app in Canada!
Talk to a Representative for Pricing
The benefits of a punch clock for your business are:
A mobile punching app can provide a multitude of benefits to your business. From providing statistical feedback to the management team in regards to running the company more efficiently, it also provides benefits to employees as it makes their day-to-day life at work easier.
A mobile time clock for employees provides a real solution to recording their hours. Instead of having to physically record the time they get into work and the time that they leave every day, all they need to do is log it into the app. This reduces the common issue of individuals misrepresenting their working hours by forgetting to clock in or wrongly recording their time.
Moreover, the geolocation feature further improves accuracy as it allows employers to see and know exactly where employees are and when. This is done in a completely secure way that protects the privacy and rights of the employee while also benefiting the employer.
Although in most cases, you can trust your employees to accurately record their working hours and the duration they have been working, there is always room for human error when you are relying on traditional paper systems for time tracking. Thankfully, mobile punching apps prevent human errors and the possible misrepresentation of working hours.
This can save you money in the long term as it ensures that employees cannot exaggerate the hours they have worked. Moreover, the data created when employees clock in and out is stored directly in the cloud and can be sent to your accounting software which will take this information and calculate your payroll.
This helps you avoid any additional human error that could be caused by management who are responsible for transferring the information from one place to another. As everything is done online and is largely automated, there is no room for error, which saves you money!
One of the brilliant features of Mobile Punch is the scheduling feature it offers, which makes team management far easier and streamlined. You can create schedules within the app itself and then that information gets directly passed on to your employees. Employees can therefore log into their account and automatically access their schedule.
This is a blessing for the management team as it means that they do not have to separately send out everyone’s schedule, and can easily organize everyone’s working hours within the app itself. It is also beneficial to employees who can easily access their schedule.
Using a mobile punching app also helps to create a more collaborative working environment as it encourages employees to communicate what works for them and what does not. Within the scheduling feature, employees can accept or decline a shift which gives them more of a say in their working hours and ensure no one gets burnt out or overworked.
Moreover, the app helps employees tailor make a working schedule that works for their needs and well being as they are given all the details of all possible work that is available to them. They can choose tasks that they think they will work well on, which ensures you get the right employees for each job.
Most people just think about the employee time clock benefits when it comes to mobile punching apps, but it can in fact provide your business with some significant legal security, which is not necessarily guaranteed with paper methods. One of the key logistical benefits provided with the app is the legal security it offers.
Provinces have regulations about working hours that you are responsible to adhere to. However, every now and again there is the possibility that you find yourself in a dispute with an employee who believes that their working rights have been violated. Thanks to an entirely digitized system, you have real-time access to all their information, working hours and schedule. It is the perfect resource for employers to use to defend themselves in court. The same security is not guaranteed with paper records due to human error and the fact that physical records can get lost or destroyed.
Overall, a mobile punching app removes many of the additional steps involved in organizing and record keeping that are present in traditional methods of time tracking. It is the ultimate 21st century solution to an age old necessity!
Maintaining accurate employee records has always been one of the most essential administrative duties and a requirement for businesses in order to ensure the legalities of a working environment are met and upheld.
This required task is usually the responsibility of the human resources department. In comparison with how it’s been done in the past where updates of employee records had to be done manually, we now have access to technological advances that makes it far easier by using tools like time tracking apps. In this article, we talk you through the importance of keeping accurate records in the workplace as well as introduce you to the easiest way to do this.
There is a big difference between record keeping and good record keeping. Good record keeping involves a cohesive system that allows data and employee records to be constantly updated. You also need to be able to accurately and frequently analyze employee records as this will highlight strengths and weaknesses in your team’s work history. This information can be used to make improvements and maximize profit.
How technology can help record keeping
Record retention is a non optional aspect of record keeping that you need to make sure you get right. Record retention refers to how long data can be stored before it needs to be discarded. Depending on your field of business, employee records will have different retention schedules and rates, but it is integral that you know what this schedule is. Otherwise you could get you in trouble if you have kept information and records for too long.
Just as it is integral to routinely get rid of records, it is equally important to routinely update your records. Some records need updating more often than others. For example, clocking in and out records obviously need to be recorded every day, whilst records concerning wages or performance reviews will be reviewed less frequently.
One characteristic of good record keeping that many companies underestimate is the importance of responsible record disposal. Once you have established a record retention schedule, you will get into the habit of discarding records. However, this needs to be done in a safe and secure manner which does not risk any kind of data or information leak of employee files.
How can I save money with mobile time tracking?
The importance of record keeping should not be overlooked. Not only does it protect the company and its employees if any legal disputes arise, it can also help maximize the efficiency of your business. Below we explain the importance of keeping records up-to-date and confidential.
Legal disputes between employees and employers are unfortunately always a possibility, which is why, as a business owner, you want to ensure that if you have to go to court, you have all the evidence and documentation you need to defend yourself.
If you have kept thorough records and have extensive employee files, you will be able to prove you paid them what they were owed if the dispute is about being underpaid, or you can prove that they always clocked in late and that your reasons for a dismissal are valid. Whatever the dispute may be, up to date and well kept employee records will help you avoid any nasty lawsuits.
Accurate employee records inform you on how well your company is doing and whether or not employee competency is at the expected level. Keeping a record of your training schedule and which employees have had which training will help you understand the skill set of each individual employee. Once this information has been assessed, you can develop a strategy for your employee working schedule to maximize your business efficiency and save time on tasks.
A healthy working environment and business relationship sees bosses advocate for the success of their employees. If this means employees choose to move onto bigger and better things, so be it. However, sometimes it can be hard for bosses to remember all the great things certain employees have done, especially if they have a big workforce.
Thankfully, if the employment records have been kept properly, you will be able to look back on a single employee’s career within your company, analyse their performance and identify their strengths to make references far easier to write.
Now that you know why records need to be kept and the importance of human resource records, it also helps to know what employee records you should keep. Here is a list of some of the most common employee records and documents that companies are expected to maintain:
The record maintaining system needs to start from the very beginning. That means keeping a record of all job applications, even for people who weren’t hired. Although this may seem like a waste of time and space, you need to keep these documents in case of any employment discrimination accusations.
There are a couple of reasons as to why you need to keep an accurate record of working hours. It informs the finance department of how much each employee needs to be paid depending on how long they have worked and it allows management to assess employee dedication and identify trends in lateness.
The days of manually clocking in and out of the workplace are long gone. There are now mobile apps that allow employees to record their hours and clock in and out with a simple click on their mobile phone.
It is important to have regular performance appraisals for your employees as it will allow you to track their progress and identify any possible issues. It is critical that you keep a record of these appraisals as if there is a problem with an employee and you eventually have to terminate their employment, you will have a record and documentation of everything that the company did to facilitate their success and to justify your decision.
For legal reasons it is also important to keep an up-to-date record of all your employees’ personal information to make sure you are meeting the appropriate standards of care as an employer. However, this personal information is sensitive in nature and needs to be properly stored in order to avoid any data breaches.
Trees, although we tend to forget it, are the lungs of our planet and they keep us all alive. The world’s forests are the backbone of millions of ecosystems and they play a key role in keeping us and all species healthy. In gratitude, certain practices must be incorporated in order to protect our forest habitats.
It is estimated today that more than 1/3 of the tree species on earth are at risk of extinction with a marked decrease in the green population in all four corners of the world. Forest biodiversity is severely threatened, largely due to intrusive human practices.
We have seen for decades a palpable change on our land and the consequences of our thoughtless actions can no longer be ignored. Deforestation and forest degradation are among the alarming practices that testify to the suffering of our planet. This massive destruction has a considerable impact on biodiversity, which is decreasing at an appalling rate.
This deforestation leads to the destruction of an entire ecosystem by removing the natural habitat of various species which in turn find themselves endangered due to unfavorable conditions caused by humans. It is estimated that approximately every second, the planet loses an area equivalent to a football field of forest; annually, this amounts to approximately the area of Greece.
Most employees prefer Punch Mobile to paper timesheets
Forests are home to about 80% of the life on earth, not counting species that are not yet known. They are essential for the perpetuation of life as they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, thus helping combat global warming.
Forests provide us with the raw material to build our homes and represent a space for rest, disconnection, walking and pleasure. Deforestation causes the disappearance of ecosystems that are essential to life and threatens the sustainability of humans. It is now time to join forces to find solutions that aim at finding a balance between the sustainable use of these forests and the conservation of forest biodiversity.
Forests play a vital role in our lives by :
At Mobile Punch, we are committed to the world’s forests and believe that we must act together to transform the way we consume and produce. We believe that it is our role to preserve forests and to participate in the restoration of forest biodiversity.
Mobile Punch provides companies with a digital application for managing timesheets and calculating working hours so that they can reduce or even eliminate their need for paper. Our digital solution allows you to avoid transcription errors, time theft or delays.
It is used by more than 28,000 users worldwide to improve their productivity and save time and money. It is both an accessible and ecological solution that reduces excessive paper consumption in order to participate in the preservation of the world’s forests.
Mobile Punch has grown to become the most popular application in Canada and works on all Android and iPhone mobile devices. The process of managing and tracking time has never been easier, and all employees can access the app through their cell phones even without an Internet connection.
Our mobile punch application is available for all businesses that want to modernize their operations and say goodbye to unnecessary paperwork. Our electronic calendars allow you to create employee schedules in minutes for a simplified and ecological management. Mobile Punch is committed to the forest by offering a solution that eliminates the need for paper for administrative tasks.
To date, more than 10.5 million timesheets and more than 5 million health forms and work orders have been completed using Mobile-Punch. We are very proud to have helped save thousands of trees.
Join the movement with Mobile Punch
Time theft is becoming increasingly common in businesses. Time stealing is a problem for many modern firms, especially for those that rely largely on remote employees who work from home without supervision. Workplace time theft is a prevalent and costly issue that occurs when an employee is paid for time they did not work.
Employee time theft is a problem that many firms face and that can go unnoticed. Many bosses are unaware that their workers have been stealing time for years. Your organization can suffer huge losses due to time theft if it does not reliably track time. Although no one enjoys disciplinary action meetings, as long as time theft occurs, your paper timesheets are not representative of your productivity.
Time clock fraud, time stealing, and timesheet fraud are all terms used to describe time
theft in the workplace. Time theft occurs when an employee is paid for work they did not do. Fortunately, modern time clock software exists to prevent time theft in the workplace.
Employee time theft can take numerous forms, which makes it difficult to quantify. It could happen in one of the following ways: Long breaks, early starts, late endings, on-the-job personal activities, timesheet rounding, and so forth. These types of time theft may seem inoffensive, but at the end of the business year, it can amount to a substantial amount. Plus, if one person is doing it, other employees may be inflating their hours worked as well.
Employers have had a difficult time detecting and preventing time fraud in the context of the pandemic. Remote working is often brandished as the new work paradigm, but it comes with new problems. Remote employees can take extended smoke breaks or lunch breaks on the dime of their employers if there are no strategies put in place to control clock theft.
Here are various ways time clock theft can take place:
Falsification of a time card happens when one employee gives false information regarding their hours worked or causes others to do so. This is most common with manual timekeeping systems.
Buddy punching occurs when an employee clocks in or out for a coworker. Time theft buddy punching is estimated to cost over $370 million in payroll expenditures each year, according to a 2018 study (source). Committing time theft is fraudulent and should call for disciplinary action.
Employees are entitled to rest periods, as they are a legal requirement. There is, however, room for abuse. Lunch breaks are frequently extended by 15 minutes here and there, while smoke breaks are taken whenever employees please. At the end of the business year, some employees could have received a week’s worth of salary in leisure time at work.
You may come across employees that have no qualms about engaging in personal activities while on the clock. They operate their side business while on the clock or tend to excessively socialize with coworkers. An employee that commits this type of time theft may run errands while on the job or play games on work computers.
On-the-clock phone calls are unavoidable, but when this occurs regularly, it is considered time stealing. Smartphones are the gadget of our century, and just as they are essential, they can be a real nuisance in the workplace. According to a study by Udemy, 62 % of those polled spend at least an hour of their workday gazing at their mobile devices (source).
Here are 6 ways to prevent time theft in the workplace:
Integrating a time clock software to your organization is one of the simplest and most effective ways of stopping time theft. With time monitoring software, you can track the worked hours of your employees and collect insightful data. Mobile-Punch is a time tracking app suitable for remote teams. It tracks the total time employees spend at work or on a job on the road.
Mobile Punch’s integrated timesheet calculator is a key tool for any company that wants to optimize how they keep track of hours worked. Calculating work hours has never been easier than with Mobile-Punch! Whether it’s for in-house employees, internal or external overtime, or subcontractors who need to calculate their work hours, Mobile-Punch allows thousands of companies to save time and money.
Our app is the most widely used time management solution in Canada for companies with mobile teams. The application is also very popular in several other countries since it offers personalized functions, adapted to the different types of businesses and needs of each.
Investing in employee morale is the most effective approach to deter time theft. Employees are more engaged and productive when there is a high level of morale in the workplace. Something as simple as Pizza Thursday can make your place of work more convivial and create a link of proximity between management and workers.
Another thing to consider is if employees are receiving an amount that is worth their labor. Time clock theft is often the result of employees reasoning that they are taking their due given their meager wage. Business owners can reduce time theft considerably by demonstrating that they value the work of their employees.
Assumptions in the place of work are often the source of time theft. If an employee sees another coworker round their hours worked on the paper timesheet, they’ll certainly do the same for themselves. The modality of how a business tracks time must be communicated and standardized as not to create loopholes for some to exploit.
Include these regulations in your employee handbook right away, and hold workers accountable when they deviate from the rules. All hourly and salaried employees must read and sign a paper declaring that they have read and comprehended the handbook’s policies. The employee handbook will also dictate to management the disciplinary action that must be executed if someone commits time theft.
This may not be the most joyous way to spend time at work, but disciplinary action must be taken on employees who do not abide by the employee handbook’s policies in regards to time tracking. When clear proofs report time theft, an example must be made of what happens when someone conscientiously tries to inflate their worked hours. Of course, there should be different degrees of severity depending on the scenario.
Communication is key to any business that desires to flourish. Regular meetings can create the perfect platform for team building and let employees be informed about their obligations and expectations. This means that if anyone commits time clock fraud, the whole group can be notified to reinforce the fact that it’s an act of deviance that affects employee bonuses or work relations.
Regular meetings are great to set an environment of accountability in the place of work. This is done by praising innovative ideas and discussing why certain practices are counter-productive. These regular meetings then become a place to learn from mistakes and to reward good working initiatives.
Employers should recognize that everyone needs a break now and then. Your team will work more efficiently and successfully if they take breaks and rest without stressing about the time ticking. Time can easily be managed at work, especially with Mobile-Punch, but respect can go a long way to prevent employee time theft.
If you catch an employee inflating their worked hours, have a chat with them to see if they would like more hours or if they are facing financial difficulty. Instead of seeing you as business owners, try making your employees see you as their ally. That will deter many from doing things behind your back, and employees will prove to be more loyal.
Mobile-Punch is the modern way of time tracking worked hours. Since the application can be accessed on mobile devices, remote workers can be held accountable for their day of work. Additionally, when clocking in a job, it is possible to have the geolocation of the worker in question. Therefore, you will know whether they began their day of work at your client’s place or while stuck in traffic.
Determine the sources of time theft and take steps to prevent it with Mobile-Punch.
Mobile-Punch saves thousands of companies time and money. Call us to find out how we could do the same for yours!
We are located at:
5955, rue Saint-Laurent
Lévis, Quebec
G6V 3P5
