Time and attendance tracking is one of any business’s most vital day-to-day operations. It may seem trivial, but managing hours is crucial for all members of an organization.

With the right time and attendance management system features, staying on top of your team’s details is much easier. An all-inclusive system can handle standard scheduling capabilities and more advanced functions like reporting.

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Time and attendance systems are crucial components of business management. In tracking employees’ work hours, organizations accurately depict labor costs and administer benefits to their staff. Adequate time and attendance management system features can integrate with products that automate payroll, evaluate performance and streamline workflows.

We’ll look at the following features:

• Time Management
• Attendance Management
• Absence and Leave Management
• Employee Management
• Scheduling
• Employee Communication
• Document Management
• Integrations
• Business Intelligence and Reporting

Top Requirements

Our checklist details the top time and attendance system features and requirements.

1. Time Management

One of the core practices of maintaining a business is time management. Using software to track employee attendance allows organizations to allocate time on projects, manage overtime, and measure productivity. Using data-driven insights, software with time-tracking capabilities enables employers to assign tasks effectively and create project budgets.

Example of GPS tracking in a time and attendance solution. Source

• Time Tracker
• Project Time Tracking
• Overtime Tracking
• Rounding Rules and Exceptions
• GPS Tracking

2. Attendance Management

Attendance management features handle automated attendance tracking, such as clocking in and out.

Some vendors offer a biometric time clock, which takes personalized attendance into the future. Biometrics use your fingerprints, eye pattern or voice to clock in and out and access other features.

Employers can ensure employees can only access the necessary information by utilizing biometric time clocks. Biometrics stop “buddy punching” by requiring a pattern only the employee must use to clock in.

An attendance management report. Source

Attendance management features support flexible workplace structures through enhancements, such as automated timesheets. These intuitive solutions increase efficiency, eliminate buddy punching and analyze attendance patterns.

• Screenshot
• Clock In/Out
• Biometrics
• Attendance Tracking

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3. Absence and Leave Management

Absence and leave management features give employees the tools to manage their own time off requests, including tracking planned absences because of appointments, vacations and holidays. Many leave management applications can stand alone or integrate with pre-existing HR solutions.

The absence and leave management features allow employees to manage their own time off requests, including tracking planned absences due to appointments, vacations, and holidays. Through an interactive dashboard, staff can view personal leave information and team calendars and submit or approve requests. This accessibility equips companies to plan around these absences, comply with ordinances and fine-tune attendance policies.

• Time Off Requests
• PTO Requests
• Dashboard
• Leave Application
• Online Leave Management
• Vacation Tracking
• Leave Tracking
• Holidays Calendar

4. Employee Management

Employee management aims to increase engagement, which reduces absenteeism and helps retain top talent. Offset high turnover and reinforce employer-to-employee relationships through employment management features. Databases provide a centralized hub to manage talent, performance and workflows.

• Employee Database
• Mobile Access
• Self-Service
• Employee Roster
• Notes

5. Scheduling

Scheduling streamlines the schedule creation process with collaborative features, providing automated tools that considers shift preferences and other parameters. The software serves as a centralized location for employees to view schedules, make requests and notify others of any changes. Some programs even provide remote access, two-way calendars and reporting components to boost compliance.

Example of scheduling using Buddy Punch software. Source

• Schedule Creation
• Staff Schedules
• Employee Groups
• Schedule Alerts

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6. Employee Communication

A comprehensive time and attendance management system has tools that keep employees informed and in contact with coworkers and management. These features may include something as simple as built-in instant messaging with alerts or more advanced communication functions.

• Instant Messaging
• Performance Management
• Alerts

7. Document Management

Document management makes sharing information and communicating across departments easy. Users can set up notifications to alert team members of any important information associated with time or attendance.

This category of features also includes working with time and attendance data to offer insight into current practices. Managers can define employee positions within the system and the permissions that accompany those roles. Clearly defined permissions serve as a security measure for files.

• Import/Export Data
• Data Sharing
• Workflow Alerts
• Roles and Rights

8. Integrations

Time and attendance systems can integrate with other human resource solutions, such as human capital management, accounting and payroll software as well as non-HR tools, like enterprise resource planning software. All HR data is available in a single system, providing a comprehensive, all-in-one place for employee management functions.

• ERP Integration
• HCM Integration
• Accounting Software Integration
• Payroll Software Integration
• Data API

9. Business Intelligence and Reporting

Including business intelligence in time and attendance solutions provides a platform for evaluating company performance in relation to time. These tools can compile data on employee attendance, analyze the findings and create a report. Reports present data insights in a visually informative medium, and you can then share reports throughout an organization.

Example of a mobile and desktop time tracking dashboards. Source

The analysis offered by business intelligence features aids in future decision-making and changes made to attendance policies.

• Performance Management
• Financial Reporting
• Activity Reporting
• Attendance Reporting
• Time Off Summary
• Leave Reports

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Conclusion

Time and attendance software streamlines functions performed by the vast majority of businesses, such as tracking hours and leave. Although the features of these systems seem simple, the responsibility can become overwhelming as an organization grows. With fast-paced companies, it is best to automate these procedures to ensure time is accurate.

Some software solutions offer advanced integration and business intelligence features. Integration with other programs connects time and attendance data with additional metrics, presenting a full view of an organization.

Whether your business requires a tool strictly for absence tracking or a system with advanced analytical features, time and attendance systems can help. Evaluate our free time and attendance system requirements template to identify which features will benefit your organization.

What does your business need from time and attendance software? Let us know in the comments!