Member Article

The benefits of time-tracking for HR

The recruitment has never been harder. It is caused by the low unemployment in the Western Europe and thus, the necessity to adjust to the candidate-driven market.

Finding the most efficient employees becomes James Bond’s scale mission.

Moreover, the responsibilities of HR team are so diverse that not every super agent would be the best fit. Thus, doing without tech solutions in staffing and managing is unimaginable.

The performance management changed so much that ignoring technological solutions might be a fatal mistake. It can be expected that in the nearest future almost 30% of job roles will be done by robots. Sharon Olivier pointed out that HR Departments need to search for the adequate response to the digital revolution if they want to be a success at the stages of hiring and onboarding.

Making decisions on whom to hire will still be made by humans. Not to feel challenged by the digital era, the HR will require the best analytical tools.

What steps must be taken today so that we could deal with the challenges of AI-dominance tomorrow? It can be assumed that time-tracking software would be the optimal strategy because among the solutions that might be ‘life-saving’ for the HR, time tracking software belongs to basic workplace management tools.

Undeniable that time is too valuable as a resource, so using it unproductively might be too costly. Harvard Business Review states losses of billions of dollars due to insufficient time tracking. We are prone to wasting time if there is no system of allocating it. And in the long run, the effective time tracking is the only reliable way to estimate the employees’ productivity level.

A brief look at the numerous time-trackers shows that selection ranges from the sophisticated Hubstaff to simple and elegant TMetric, and in most cases implementing the time-tracking software gives access to the following feature set:

• automatic time tracking of the candidate/employee’s work;
• synchronization with any device;
• generating reports on the candidate;
• information on apps usage;
• integration with team management programs;
• assigning employees to projects;
• estimation of employees’ activity in percent;
• summary on the completed projects.

As an HR, I might find it more than useful as it will surely guarantee speeding up the working process and improving the quality of operations, which is one step to boosting overall productivity. I would state with certainty that the maximized timeline visibility is equally beneficial for both the employers and employees.

The additional advantages include the instant access to the attendance system; reports on leave of each individual; facilitation of onboarding and appraising the new employees; accurate and reliable calculating the holiday paid off leaves/sick leaves; complying with internal company policy and employment/labor law.

Due to applying time-trackers, attendance, individual time management and productivity are presented in a measurable way, which greatly simplifies the monitoring and assessment procedures.

One of the issues that seems crucial is expanding the boundaries of connectivity. With time-tracking software, I do not have to differentiate between local or remote candidates.

Now the “time is money” motto is equally meaningful for all the employees regardless of their physical presence in the office. A timer in the time tracking program switches on that magic button that will help work faster and get done much more in one day. Streamlining the process will facilitate work of the company irrespective of its size.

In conclusion

Being accountable for optimizing the working routine, HR Management is a prerequisite for the success of any enterprise.

Time tracking nowadays seems the only data-driven approach that will ensure the employees’ peak productivity.

Tracking time is powerful in terms of recruiting and managing staff. Applying time-tracking software results in getting rid of demotivating time drag. Now I am able to focus on understanding the employees’ individual needs, constructing the positive working environment, identifying the areas that require my additional attention, and improving accountability.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alla Chernets .