Tracking employee time is as important as getting employees jazzed about it. Usually, from their point of view it is nothing more than a minor administrative nuisance or a complete waste of time.
Sometimes companies go crazy with the ideas to make implementation of employee time tracking software less painful, and percept the idea of tracking time as less of a chore. For example, this ad agency had the worst timesheet offenders pose for motivational posters that offered pithy wisdom about why it’s beneficial to get timesheets done in a timely manner.
Regardless of the approach you go for, the issue needs to be addressed – what can companies do to turn employee time tracking software into a tool that help to increase employees’ and company’s success?
Where’s the root of the problem?
The common reason why employees go against time tracking is because they don’t understand why you want to use it, what it will bring to the company and employees themselves.
Implementing a new software without explaining the reason for it, is like making two people with different types of thinking work together. Neither of them understands what the other is doing or talking about, and why it‘s important.
For the importance of employee time tracking software to be understood, make sure to remove the communication barrier and make things clear.
At the end of the day, people want to work for a successful company
The cornerstone of company’s success is its human resources. If employees are not successful, the company won’t be either. And the biggest driver for employee success is engagement.
To make goals meaningful and motivating for employees, they must be tied up to larger goals. Simply saying, if employees do not understand their role in the company strategy and success, they are very likely to become disengaged.
So all you need is to explain how the tracking data is going to be used to increase employee and company success in the short and long run.
Set a common goal and work your way to it
Even after understanding the necessity of time tracking there still might be employees slacking on the effort. But here’s the reality of it: time tracking can be useful for seeing which projects are the best use of employees’ time, which teams perform well and on what types of projects.
So, it’s not about punishing and dismissing employees, it’s about finding a purpose-driven way for employees to be successful.
Don’t Be Big Brother
Now that you got your employees working toward a common goal, you have to monitor the progress. With employee time tracking software, you will ba able to quickly understand who is just entering their time and who does it correctly.
Not to mention, you can give your employees a bit of power by having them hold each other accountable with different approval levels. As employees are much more likely to ‘own’ their work when they help create or have a voice in what they’re doing.
So, what should be done?
Employee time tracking software is meant to help your company run more efficiently, and, as a result, become make you and your employees more successful. So, make sure to remove the communications barriers. Talk to your employees, receive feedback and take into account everything they say.
