The Importance of Tracking Time and Attendance

For industrial businesses that employ contractors on a project basis, there is probably no more important information than knowing who specifically is working in a particular area and when they are working there.

There are many positive benefits that result from implementation of an appropriate time and attendance tracking system. Some of these benefits include:

• Better work site security. If the system is implemented properly, you will be aware of contractors being in the right place at the right time, and more importantly you’ll also know if they’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• You will have more accurate information during an emergency. Imagine a scenario where workers become trapped or, for reasons of moral magnitude (heroism), they are unable to leave their posts. Accurate and easily accessed time and attendance information can greatly assist emergency services and rescue personnel. When combined with HR information, we can also be aware of any medical conditions which may affect the health and safety of trapped workers or visitors.
• You will have awareness of contractors who are habitually absent or late. Occasional lateness or absences can be expected, and there could be many legitimate reasons for the occurrences that are not necessarily the fault of the contractor. When it occurs frequently enough to be classified as habitual, however, it can indicate a problem. Frequent absenteeism or tardiness will slow the completion of a project and could result in penalties or even loss of business.
• More easily verify (or limit) overtime. A good system of time and attendance checking can let you know if overtime is accumulating, and whether it is justified. If you don’t have the budget for overtime or overtime is not necessary at your work site, you can even set up a system to automatically deny entry after allocated hours have been completed (for safety reasons, exit should never be automatically prevented).
• Simplify your payroll process. With a properly configured time and attendance data system, payroll processing becomes virtually effortless, as you can automatically ensure people get paid the right amounts according to their contract conditions.

Knowledge is power, and there is no knowledge more important than knowing what is going on in your own business. Leaving everything up to the honesty of your individual workers can sometimes result in considerable surprises. It also adds extra (and unnecessary) steps to numerous processes that would be more efficiently handled by automation.