The more competitive the business environment gets, the more critical it is for companies to have every advantage they can get. This includes being able to take advantage of every tool at their disposal to increase performance and profits.

For those companies that are still using an outdated job clock or manually tracking employee time and attendance, there are several benefits to updating to a modern online timecard system that can help improve business operations at every level. Not to mention the system can help improve productivity and ensure labor law compliance.

Here are 5 of the most important reasons why a clock in clock out system is necessary for any modern business.

Reason #1: Improved Compliance and More Accurate Recordkeeping

Many modern businesses still face a big problem in making sure their records for time and payroll are as accurate as possible. If you’re still entering data manually, then there’s a good chance that your records have errors in them quite often and those errors cost time and money to correct.

What’s worse is that these types of mistakes can inadvertently lead to labor compliance issues, not to mention the problems with employee morale.

A clock in clock out system helps solve most of these issues by automating the collection of data. Automated data collection ensures accuracy for timekeeping, but that same data can be transferred to payroll so that employee pay is always how it should be. This prevents improper payments to employees and the compliance issues that go along with it.

Reason #2: Employees Are More Productive

The more time employees have to spend on things like the clock in process, filling out their timesheets, and making sure they get paid accurately, the less productive they can be when doing their jobs. A big reason for this is because these tasks are often disruptive to the workflow and make it hard to focus on the task at hand.

A clock in clock out system simplifies the clock in process, eliminates the need for filling out timesheets, and guarantees accurate pay so that all employees have to focus on is showing up to work and doing their jobs the way they should be done. Employees can also monitor how they spend their time through the timesheet management solution, allowing them to better plan their workday.

Reason #3: Safety and Security

Another concern that businesses have is the safety of their employee data from both internal and external threats. With manual team time tracking, it’s pretty easy for another employee to clock in for someone and commit time theft. It is also easy to alter employee timesheets for both employees and managers, not to mention that none of the information is guaranteed to be stored securely.

With a clock in clock out system, each employee ID is unique. There is little to no potential for data theft because the information is stored either online or within the software, and everything is logged, even if a manager alters an employee’s timesheet. This means that employee data is safe for both the business and the employee.

Reason #4: Lower Overall Costs

The fact is, manual timekeeping ends up costing money. There’s the potential to overpay employees, either through errors or time theft and inflated labor costs are massively detrimental to any modern business. It is also incredibly costly to fix mistakes and keep records accurate.

A staff clock in system keeps labor costs in line, eliminates the need to fix errors, and gives businesses the tools they need to track productivity to know where their money is going and whether or not employees are doing their jobs effectively.

Reason #5: Employee Accountability

Nearly every business struggles with how to make sure that employees are doing their job while they are at work. It is almost impossible to manually monitor an entire workforce to ensure they are doing what they are supposed to, and employees are more likely to take advantage of oversights.

A clock in clock out system tracks employee hours and attendance in real-time, and features like GPS can ensure that employees are where they should be and doing what they should be doing. Once employees know that they are being held accountable for doing their job, they are more likely to focus on work and meeting deadlines.