6 Problems Solved in Collecting Time and Attendance at Remote Sites

Sharp practices such as employee tardiness, unapproved absence and early departure from workplace (especially, at remote sites) among other things can lead to reduction in a company’s productivity. Hence, the need to keep a track of time and attendance data of the employees.  

Time and Attendance Systems: what does it really do?

Time and attendance system is an important managerial tool that allows employees to clock in and out either through manual or electronic means. This is put in place to monitor employees. Here, you get to have a first-hand knowledge of who is at work, who is absent, who is leaving early and who is working overtime.

Truly, it is such a herculean task for Human Resources managers to know exactly when employees come and leave at remote workplaces. If effective time and attendance method are deployed, problems like these and many more can be solved.

Here are 6 problems solved in collecting time and attendance at remote sites:

Getting data in a timely manner – electronically vs manual paper systems

It is not just about tracking the time and attendance of employees, but using the right system gives managers factual information about the workforce on the site. It is more accurate, easier and faster to gather time and attendance data via electronic means. Unlike the time-consuming manual paper methods, where the time and attendance records can be falsified.

Supervisor time ticket entry for crew

A time ticket or card allows employees to punch in and out when they go to work. The supervisor of a crew makes the time punches for the whole crew with a single entry. Through this, employees will not be able to make falsified entries because the tickets get stamped only with the authorized time stamps. This goes a long way in relieving the need for additional devices on a worksite.

Time zone variances

All thanks to the advent of software and apps, variations in time zones is no longer a problem. Nowadays, it is possible to record time across different time zones accurately either based on the time of the home office or the remote offices. All you need do is get a time software or app installed, set a custom time zone and sit back.

Divisional payrolls

With an effective time and attendance system, you can collect time across several worksites and process payrolls corporately or independently with the same system. All these can still be done in accordance with the rules guiding the payroll divisions.

Delegation of approval process

The time and attendance data are collected at the remote sites. These data are then sent to the home office for evaluation and approval before handing off for payroll processing. Employees receive remunerations. Yes, it is that simple!

Ease of use

Regardless of the location, a good time and attendance system makes the job a lot less stressful. It is relatively easy to use and saves time. It also allows you to integrate the time and attendance data directly into your payroll system. Errors are checked and your calculations are done for you. What more could one ask for?

Having troubles collecting time and attendance data?

Here at On-Time Web™, we have designed a wide range of software that will save you the stress of doing the cumbersome task of accumulating time and attendance data yourself. We pride ourselves in providing our clients with unparalleled, lasting solutions and services to meet their business needs. For further inquiries about our services, visit us at www.on-timeweb.com.

On-Time Web Receives Two SaaS Awards For Time & Expense Management Software

Our team worked devotedly to transform On-Time Web into businesses’ favorite time tracking application, and convert the otherwise dull expense and attendance monitoring into an enjoyable task. The very same team is now proud to announce that its efforts are recognized by a reputed team of B2B experts: On-Time Web got its first FinancesOnline review, and was awarded with two of the most prominent awards assigned to the best time & expense management software!

The expert team submitted On-Time Web to their standardized scoring procedure, and concluded it met all criteria to be distinguished with the 2017 Rising Star Award and 2017 Great User Experience Award. Both of these awards are reserved for the category’s top performers that guarantee the functionality needed to automate core business operations, but which won’t compromise at the same time their ease of use and intuitiveness. Being able to respond even to the highest quality requirements, and to account for all expenses, On-Time Web is now also listed among the platform’s list of accounting solutions recommended by their experts.

What did experts like the most about On-Time Web? As they explain, On-Time Web is just cut for small and promising companies to enterprise corporations looking for rich time & attendance capability, as it rolls time tracking, expense management, and attendance & leave control in the same package, and does so on a fair price. It is also described as a scalable solution that grows in parallel with any business, and makes payroll processes easier and more transparent. Experts also recommend it to mid-market and large, decentralized teams, due the fact it is accessible from all devices, and integrates with an array of third-party systems and applications.

Are you ready to learn how our award-winning software can help your business?  Sign up for your free 14-day trial and simplify time and attendance.

4 Things People Will Tell You Are Important For Time and Attendance That Aren’t

4 Things People Will Tell You Are Important For Time and Attendance That Aren’t

Quite a number of HR Managers or teams run into avoidable troubles when handling and collating time and attendance data for payroll processing. This is due to what they think or were told are important for collecting time and attendance but actually aren’t. As a matter of fact, what most business owners  consider in gathering of time and attendance aren’t all they are cracked up to be.

Check out the 4 things people will tell you are important for time and attendance that aren’t:

Biometrics

Taking the biometrics of employees isn’t such a bad idea. However, there could be setbacks to this method. It has been found to be somewhat unreliable due to environmental conditions and the ever-changing landscape of our fingerprint. The truth of the matter is, the accuracy of data taken through biometrics are not always 100% effective – and here are some reasons why:

•  Environmental conditions – numerous harsh environments can lead to operational failures of the biometric devices. Some of these conditions include dust, high humidity and hot/cold temperature. Fingerprints can be impossible to read in these types of environments.
•  Fingerprint changes – Fingerprints can change with age. Also, the incidence of cuts, scratches and skin diseases often occur. Occurrences like these call for a constant calibration where employees do fingerprint change and a base scan is re-entered into the system. There have even been cases where some people don’t have a finger print to scan.
•  Skin conditions – some biometric devices are not compatible with certain skin types such as oily or dry skin.

If you are considering the biometric system as the most dependable way to record time and attendance, you might want to give it a second thought.

On-premise system

The use of on-premise software used to be a common approach for collecting and processing time and attendance data in the past. This system is no longer suitable for businesses that have branches at remote locations. Furthermore, business computing has been moving to the cloud-based system for years and for that reason, on-premise solutions is no more necessary. Since the solution is intended to protect your data and not store critical confidential data, the cloud-based system is the best option.

Payroll software specific

Most of the accounting or payroll software that you get to see around today provide just a single solution of importing time and attendance entries in your payroll system. In an effort to solve this issue, we have designed On-Time web™ that allows you to create customized data maps to export data for stress-free incorporation with a wide range of payroll software. We have made the job a lot less stressful for you!

The high cost of running the package

The advancement of technology and the ability to successfully execute burdensome tasks with computer programs have led to a significant cut in prices of many things. It is important to look for applications that have a strong track record of dependability and support, you can still get all of these at reasonable rates. Just because a program is efficient, doesn’t necessarily mean it is expensive. The ever-dynamic On-Time Web™ is one of the most affordable solutions in the market. Training and support are included in a low monthly plan. All of these you’d get in a single package.

Do not wait to be told what to do

Whether it is payroll integrations or tracking of time and attendance, we offer solutions and services that will do the job beyond your expectation. With On-Time Web™, you can never get it wrong. Contact us to learn more about our services.

On Time Web 2017 Introduction

4 Difficult Issues in Payroll Processing

Many companies today delve into business with full force without even taking cognizance of the brass tacks of Human Resources management. Some of these companies soon run out of luck and are seen rushing out of business at a time when the “smart” ones are busy making waves and leveraging their chances with payroll processing and efficient HR management.

The “smart companies” and what they use

Do you fall in the category of those who still use manual systems to process payroll? Well, you have to understand that avoiding pitfalls in payroll is just as paramount as your company’s existence. Overlooking the fact that manual payroll processing systems are archaic, these systems have shown incompetence due to a number of payroll difficulties that they fail to alleviate.

Now let’s take a look at the top 4 difficulties experienced when processing payroll:

• Setting up Employees Correctly

Setting up your workforce aright with detail to staff duties and functions is very important to your payroll. Your business, as well as any other company out there, have the option of hiring workers either as a contract staff, freelancer or as a permanent employee. You get things wrongly once you start classifying everyone working for you as your employee.

Wrong classification of workers pose serious problems as businesses are ever-answerable when it comes to paying their employees’ taxes and any other fine.

• Calculating the Proper Deductions

One of the most challenging part of payroll is taking the time and stress to calculate and process deductions from employee remuneration. This issue is commonly eminent across businesses and HR departments because federal, state and local law requirements should be followed down to the last detail, especially when making deductions from employee salary.

Many companies find this issue so difficult that they resort to payroll automation services like On-time Web.

• Utilizing Direct Deposit

After necessary tax funds have been processed and deducted from both employee and company earnings, your decision about deposit matters a lot. There are several complex rules and policies guiding each form and timing of deposit as they all depend on your business’ tax obligations.

Although using direct deposits (electronic paychecks) has its requirements, payroll automation is considered to be cost-effective and efficient when it comes to unravelling errors or solving related difficulties.

• Calculating Time ticket entries

The process of entering employee time ticket requires serious attention down to the very last detail. Any incorrect entry of time ticket through manual payroll system could single-handedly taint the overall record. Trying to locate the mistake would not only amount to waste of your precious time and resources, the headache that comes with is definitely going to be unbearable.

Solving Employee Attendance Issues through Payroll Automation

A smart HR manager that intend to champion all the complexities payroll processing should opt for a single best, cost-effective solution – Payroll automation. Payroll integration is included among the spectrum services we offer here at On-time Web. Our team of experts specialize in providing clients with bespoke payroll software and services that are integrated custom features for business needs. Visit our website today www.on-timeweb.com

Solving The Top 6 Problems With Timesheets

Finishing and submitting time sheets seem like a simple task to do. Yet, most employees timesheet management pose a perennial challenge for businesses offering technical and professional services whether they are due daily, weekly or monthly.

Timesheets are very important aspect of the delivery process for professional services organizations for two major reasons:

• They help businesses determine whether resources are being allocated appropriately and are yielding positive returns,
• They enable organizations to provide a comprehensive invoice and report to show clients that they are getting the resources they paid for.

If timesheets are important to any business, shouldn’t the time management procedures be of utmost importance to how you manage your business? 

Honestly, nobody likes timesheets! Nevertheless, the inevitable effects of poor timesheet management includes

• Late time sheets that impact cash flow with clients and customers.
• Inaccurate time sheets which will affect due payments to your employees.
• Missing timesheets which might hinder opportunities to invoice customers because your employees haven’t recorded their billable time.

To avoid these problems, timesheet compliance is imperative. When using paper timesheets, there is no way to avoid late entries, employee/manager errors, late/missing time sheets, data entry errors, and input errors. It should, but for many professional services firms, it isn’t. So how can time management processes be improved?

First let’s look at some problems organizations face with the timesheet management process:

LATE AND MISSING TIMESHEETS

For many years, most companies have used paper time sheets, which resulted in a multitude of difficulties including missing sheets and storage issues. The biggest issue comes down to accuracy, as there are mostly discrepancies between time-worked and time-reported.

There are employees who turn in late timesheets and this can be a challenging problem for employers. Sadly, it is the obligation of the employer to pay employees on the agreed payday regardless of whether a timesheet has been submitted. There is no law that allows an employer to withhold payment until the timesheet has been submitted.

A practical way to manage this issue is to have a defined policy and procedures on the reporting hours worked and the deadlines.  Educating your employees on the expectancy for completing the timesheets on time is key to ensuring that you are abiding with wage payment requirements.

You can treat this policy as a disciplinary measure if it continues even after expectations have been communicated. Withholding the paycheck to gain compliance may subject the firm to potential claims for unpaid wages.

As a last resort, you can upgrade your timekeeping to an automated time tracking system that calculates employee’s hours and overtime. This method would eliminate any lateness because it is the simplest alternative to strenuous time card calculations, and attendance records would be instantly available to you.

ILLEGIBLE AND INACCURATE TIMESHEETS

It is easier to prevent fraud than to detect it and stop it, particularly in a firm as large as on-time web. We always recommend that accurate measures should be adopted to prevent illegible or inaccurate records from occurring in the first place.

The employer should delegate responsibility for submitting time sheets in a clear format for easy referencing and tracking. Where electronic timesheets are used, procedures should also include the following:

• Users of electronic timesheet systems should be required to change their password on a regular basis.
• The user should be logged out automatically when the user’s session has been inactive for a specified period of time.
• Users should be prevented from logging in to the system after three incorrect attempts.

CALCULATION AND MANUAL ENTRY ERROR

As technology advances at a blazing speed, the ability to automate the timekeeping process has become easier to implement, simpler to learn, and increasingly inexpensive. On top of these improvements, the best of breed systems are delivering higher and higher returns on investments due to added functionality.

A calculation error occurs when an employee does not receive the correct dollar amount in a paycheck. The amount could be either more or less than what should have been received and is the result of calculation or manual entry error.

If there is a case of an error in the amount of pay, the employee should immediately bring the discrepancy to the attention of his / her employer so that appropriate corrections can be made as quickly as possible.

Once a pay error is discovered, the department  must assess the reason why the error occurred and take the appropriate action as outlined below. The first step is to confirm that the information entered onto the paperwork or in an electronic submission was correct. If it was correct, the pay error correction process is used to report calculation errors to the Payroll.

Calculation errors such as Underpayments, Overpayments and Stop Payment each has its own requirements for address.

What’s more?

Make Timesheets Fun

Make your timesheet submissions fun. Here are some ideas:

• Award the first person to submit their timesheet each day.
• Create a leaderboard of best timesheet submitters throughout the month. You could give point values for different accomplishments, such as first submitted, submitted without errors, Hold a drawing for gift cards for everyone who submits timesheets on time. Reward the top performer at the end of the month or quarter.
• Hold a drawing for gift cards for everyone who submits timesheets on time.
• Make it team-based by rewarding units. Track performance throughout the year and hold an annual recognition party.

Set goals for the company or for teams and celebrate when the goals are reached—then set new goals. We hope this guide was helpful. Please visit our website on-timeweb.com to know more about our services.

Everything you need to know about SaaS Software

There is an increasing demand for SaaS software in the market today. Ranging from small businesses who can’t afford to get on demand software manually to big enterprises that need work to be done precisely, SaaS is the best choice to rent. This article explains all those things that you need to know about SaaS software.

1. What is SaaS software?

SaaS refers to Software as a Service, sometimes referred to as on-demand software. It relates to providing on-demand software to companies and businesses that is essential for their day-to-day transactions. The license, however, works on a subscription model and requires periodic renewals. Some of the most common SaaS services include accounting, collaboration, payroll processing software and time and attendance management software.

2. How does SaaS software work?

Companies who want to use SaaS services in their businesses need to contact the service provider. Companies are asked to pay rent and are allowed to use the software through the subscription period.  However, SaaS users need to install MSP on their computers. MSP or Managed Service Providers are that software that runs only on those devices which are owned by service providers. After the end of the subscription period, the companies can either renew it or go for an alternative.

3. SaaS software vs. Traditional software:

Traditional software came up with the hassle of installing the software, which led to additional costs. However, upgrading it or updating it depended upon the user. It also meant that by purchasing the software users are provided only with usage license and not the ownership. However, SaaS has managed to change this scenario. It works on a subscription basis, and users have to rent the services for use. They usually run on the server of the service provider and hence, they allow the companies to specialize the software as per their needs. SaaS software makes the work simple and easy to businesses.

4. Advantages of using SaaS software:

• Lower costs: The cost is split amongst many companies that use the SaaS software and thus the cost an individual business has to incur is generally less than traditional software purchased. It allows smaller businesses, that can’t purchase traditional software due to enormous licensing costs, to have software and improve their efficiency.
• Saves time: SaaS software is pre-installed and also configured. This helps eliminate most of the time spent on configuration and installation.
• Upgrades: Traditional services require users to pay for getting their software upgraded to the latest level. However, SaaS service providers upgrade the services to the latest level automatically, and these costs are distributed among a large number of users.
• Easy to use: SaaS software may offer customization according to business needs. This helps the business to get past the complicated procedures and stick to the simple procedures and options that they require.

5. What is Time and Attendance SaaS software?

Time and attendance software uses automation to track employee presence. The access to this software is provided to Payroll and HR departments. This software provides summary sheets at the end of particular periods depending upon the software. SaaS providers charge the businesses on the number of employees tracked, making them an especially good fit for small to medium-sized businesses.

6. Advantages of using Time and Attendance SaaS software:

• Cost effective: As SaaS service providers don’t charge installation fees they are the best choice to make. Unlike licensed software, which is costly, SaaS works on a subscription basis. Hence users can track the attendance of employees at a lower cost.
• Less technological help: SaaS software requires no setup and no special hardware. It doesn’t need capital expenses to spend on compatible computers. They are also incredibly easy to operate. Thus there is less IT strain by using SaaS software.
• Secure way to store your data: This offers a recorded proof to show to your employees about their presence. The licensed software provides an online storage to store your data, which is stored in data centers of service providers. With increasing cyber fraud, SaaS offers the best advantages.
• On subscription basis: All SaaS software including time and attendance software work on a subscription basis. Hence the commitment you need to invest in this software is less. This ensures that if you don’t like a service provider, you can switch to another at minimum cost.

7. Employee experiences:

SaaS software for time and attendance creates a positive impact on employees and increases their efficiency. Knowing that powerful software is keeping a check on them is essential to keep hard-working employees motivated. It also prevents time sheet fraud, which is of primary concern to businesses. It encourages employees to work as a team and makes administration of employee time easier, which helps payroll and HR departments. It also contributes to achieving mobility in time and attendance management, and the software makes it easy to read the summary of data.

SaaS service providers are competing among themselves to make their brand the best on the market. SaaS gives the users a wide range of options from which to choose the service provider. It is a next step forward in the software world.