HOW TO TRACK OVERTIME OF YOUR EMPLOYEES ACCURATELY?

 

Employees are the most significant part of an organization. Some employees work for just 8 hours(9 to 5), while some work overtime to achieve the targets. But, as the management authority, they must track overtime, and being an employer put some extra effort to motivate their workers. 

Overtime is the extra working hours employees give to the working hours to finish the deadlines or cover-up for employees who are on leave. Especially when different workers take leaves, then the productivity is in the hands of the currently working employees, which leads to extra office hours. 

HOW TO TRACK OVERTIME ACCURATELY?

Tracking time isn't a challenging task now after the introduction of time trackers for the firms. Every other firm has implemented these trackers in their employees' systems to calculate overtime accurately and fairly. Let's have a look at the top 5 time management software to check their working hours and be fair with them:

1. EMPMONITOR: 

It is one of the best time trackers available online for firms to adapt. The software helps its users to calculate the working hours, productivity and manage their workers smoothly. It tracks their overtime and calculates the final payroll for the month. Also, the software keeps an eye on their activities and offers real-time alerts to the management. 

You can also watch: EmpMonitor - Best Employee Monitoring Software l Employee Productivity Monitoring Software

2. TIMELY:

Timely creates a timesheet automatically and checks the duration of each application used. The user gets a detailed analysis of the workers' total productivity hours and offers its clients a 14-day trial period to try the software. Timely is a multi-functional software to manage your remote employees. 

3. HUBSTAFF: 

Whether it's desktop, mobile, or web app, Hubstaff helps you track your employees' activities with its chrome-extension feature. You can now differentiate easily between the working and non-working hours, and finally, you can take strict action against the non-working ones. 

4. TRACKINGTIME: 

You can track breaks, working hours, and overtime of your employees to calculate the payroll for the month. The applications have extensions for both Firefox and Chrome. It is suitable for remote teams and freelancers to track their teams. Now, employers can manage their workers hassle-free. 

5. TIMEULAR: 

The application has a visual reminder, which alerts the users to track the time of their employees. Now, you can easily keep an eye on your workers and check their productivity accordingly. While your employees work remotely, Timeular offers you detailed reports of it. Overall, it is one of the best time trackers for the corporate world. 

BEST TIPS FOR TRACKING OVERTIME OF YOUR EMPLOYEES?

Tracking the overtime of the employees is a significant aspect that employers cannot neglect. So, we are mentioning some of the best tips that will help you track overtime accurately: 

• Workload Management: If your employees are on leave, the management must distribute and manage the workload accordingly that there's no effect on the output. The employer must maintain records of the tasks and projects assigned and handle the work pressure as per the same. 

• Make Notes: The employers must keep records of the productivity given by their employees in their extra working hours. If there's no increment in their productivity levels, their overtime goes in vain, and the management should not entertain it anymore.

• No Nit-Picking: Don't be nitpickers and poke your workers for every break or leave they take. Being an employer, you must understand the reason behind it. It can demotivate your employees, and it will ultimately affect the firm's productivity. 

• Reward Them: Reward your employees with extra payment and respect the overtime they give to your organization. Doing so will highly motivate them, and they can focus on their work more nicely. 

• Maintain The Records: Keep records of their attendance and working hours to know the genuinely overworked employees, as some of them may take advantage of the same and ask for extra payment for the work they didn't even do. 

FINAL VERDICT:

Overall, it is quite necessary to track over time and realize the actual concern for the organization. So, we hope our readers understood how to do it and boost the morale of their employees. 

HOW EMPLOYEE TRACKING IS ESSENTIAL FOR FIRMS?

Firms need to keep a check on their employees regarding their productivity and working methods. Apart from this, tracking their attendance and their productivity hours are also mandatory these days. And if they are working remotely, working hours play a crucial role for the firms. They focus more on the hours than the productivity. So, employee tracking is necessary. It not only monitors their work but also tracks their activities. 

WHY IS EMPLOYEE TRACKING NECESSARY?

The management can easily keep track of running projects and the time taken by your workers to finish them. Mostly every firm has a routine of working 8 hours/day, excluding a one-hour lunch break. But, ever since the remote work, the employees took this for granted and did not deliver satisfying productivity. Moreover, it led to a decline in the firm's output, so this is why tracking your employees is quite mandatory. Overall, employers must ensure complete productivity and a smooth workflow in the organization. 

But, the question arises, 

HOW TO TRACK THEM?

You can track your employees by installing tracking software in their systems that run in the computer's background and record all their activities performed during the time. Various softwares are available online to keep a check on your remote staff and differentiate between the working and non-working employees. Let's have a brief look at some of them: 

#1 EMPMONITOR: It is one of the best employee management software that helps the management keep an eye on its workers. Apart from this, they get a detailed analysis of the work done by them. Some of the features include: 

• It offers Advanced Access Control to its employees
• The software has a stealth mode feature
• EmpMonitor provides detailed productivity reports
• It captures real-time screenshots
• The software helps to create the payroll for the month and more

You can also watch: EmpMonitor-Best Employee Monitoring Solution For Business

#2 DESK TIME: It is a simple time-tracking and productivity monitoring software. The software helps the management to find productive and unproductive employees in their firm. Some of the features are:

• Project Management
• Productivity Analysis
• Pomodoro Timer
• Invoicing
• Shift Scheduling

#3 TIMECAMP: Timecamp helps its users to collaborate, monitor billable work hours, and track the project status for 100% productivity. Also, some of the characteristics are: 

• Attendance Tracker
• Time Tracker
• Output Analysis
• Real-time Alerts
• Auto Invoicing

WHAT BENEFITS DO WE GET?

Firms avail themselves numerous benefits when they opt for installing employee tracking software in the employees' systems. Let's have a look at some of them:

#1 NO INSIDER THREATS: 

Data is the most crucial and confidential part of a firm. But the risk of insider threats never ends. Such tracking software keeps your data safe and makes sure no unauthorized person can access the details in there. Else, it will alert the management authorities and will catch them red-handed. 

#2 NO PAPER-WORK:

Once the software enables, there is no need for the management to handle paper-work. The software keeps all the records in the cloud storage, and they can access them anytime. Overall, it saves a lot of time and effort. Everything gets computerized, and the data is completely secured. 

#3 TASK MANAGEMENT: 

You can easily track, manage and provide a solution for the issues they face, and it helps the management handle the remote work quite smoothly. As a result, there is no effect on the firm's productivity.

#4 ONBOARDING SOFTWARE: 

Apart from keeping an eye on the workers, such software also helps them manage the onboarding process. In this, the freshers get recruited, and with the help of onboarding software, the management explains the company's protocols to the new joiners. 

#5 BREAK POLICY: 

When the employees work remotely, it becomes challenging for the employers to check the total duration of the breaks the employees take. The employee management software calculates the number of intervals and takes strict actions against the workers who are not working accurately. 

WRAPPING UP: 

We hope our readers understood the actual reason behind employee tracking and how it is essential for the firm to maintain 100% productivity even if they work remotely. 

How To Motivate Your Team While They Work Remotely

 

After the COVID pandemic, there are still some firms where employees are working remotely. Working from home for almost a year can be demotivating and disheartening for them, which ultimately affects productivity. Sitting continuously in your private space and performing your job with your family around is stressful and hectic at the same time. Hence, the management must motivate their workers and boost their strength to manage their work even if they work remotely. 

But, how to motivate your team?

Motivating employees is a challenging yet powerful task for the management, and they can handle the same in numerous ways. Let's discuss a few of them:

#1 APPRECIATION IS THE KEY:

Every employee expects some appreciation for the work done by their TL's and bosses. Praising them for their work can inspire and motivate them to perform their task more energetically and enthusiastically. As a reward, the management can feature them on their pages and recommend them to platforms like LinkedIn. 

#2 PROMOTE THEIR TALENTS:

Being a leader or an employee, the best way to motivate your employees is to promote their talents while working remotely. You can also try to improve their skills by suggesting some professional tips through online meetings. Overall, it will help you to trust your employees and build a healthy relationship with your co-workers. 

#3 AVOID VOICE CALLS:

Discussing work-related issues over audio calls can be a bit boring and tiresome. Instead, they can't schedule video call conferences to keep their workers engaged and help you connect effectively and efficiently. Also, some employees pretend to be in the meeting but are mentally absent. For such employees, this tip can be an evergreen solution for such issues. 

#4 TRACK PRODUCTIVITY NOT THE HOURS:

The management should track the productivity and not the hours while they work remotely. They should check whether the tasks you assign to them finish on time or not. Not only this, but they should also calculate the number of hours they took in completing each task. Through this, the employees get some relaxation that the managers value their hard-work.

#5 ON-TIME PAYMENTS: 

The expenses of every individual rise day-by-day, and so the employers must pay their employees on time. Many firms deduct the payments due to fewer productivity hours, even if there is 100% productivity. Overall, if you initiate on-time payments, it will leave a positive impact on your staff. Also, it will help you motivate your team efficiently. 

#6 NO OVERBURDEN:

Do not assign a bunch of tasks to your workers which they cannot finish. Being a manager, you should be aware of your worker's potential and specializations. So, it will be convenient if you set tasks based on their proficiency. Hence, setting challenging tasks will be very effective and maintain a smooth flow in the remote work.

#7 INTRODUCE ONLINE CHATTING:

The management can install chatting applications like Telegram or Whatsapp for their workers to interact with each other. They can also use this medium for discussing projects or clearing their doubts. Having such online chats will help them to stay motivated, energized, and connected with their colleagues.  

#8 IMPLEMENT BREAK POLICY: 

The HR management should implement break policies for your employees to have refreshments in between. Sitting continuously for hours is quite demotivating and challenging. So, setting permissions for a 10-minute break in the first half and a 10-minute break in the second half is quite refreshing. Also, they must allow their staff to take a 1-hour lunch break for taking some rest. 

IS THERE ANY OTHER ALTERNATIVE TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM?

You can install efficient tools to monitor your employees working remotely and can motivate them throughout the day. It offers numerous features to its users, such as:

• It allows you to track their total productivity
• The user gets a detailed report of every individual
• The employee management software captures automatic screenshots from the employees' systems
• It protects the firm from insider threats 
• The software works as a time-tracker and analyses the working hours of every employee

You can also watch: How To Manage Employee Attendance Using EmpMonitor?

WRAPPING UP: 

So, in these ways, you can motivate your team efficiently while they work remotely. Just try to keep your workers happy to ensure a smooth workflow and balance the firm's productivity.

 The Top 3 Smart Tips To Boost Work Efficiency In 2021

Have you ever looked up at your watch at the end of the office hours and wondered, you did not get enough work done? Working from home with maximum comfort but couldn't achieve the daily/weekly/monthly targets? Many employees struggle to discover are still yet to find effective ways to improve work efficiency. 

In today's competitive world, there is a constant rush to be ahead and successful. And the prime thing that will help you with it is how efficiently you manage your work. Therefore, employers aim at increasing employee productivity. Are you wondering how productivity and efficiency are co-related? The answer is simple when the employees are highly motivated and productive, they perform better, which adds to overall productivity.

The question is about maintaining efficiency. The managers should be sure that their employees invest all their time into being productive and completing all the tasks right on time and deadline.

Maintaining Efficiency 

Too much leisure time can be harmful and can prove to be a complete waste of time. To maintain the ethical work behavior of employees, and keep track of efficiency, make sure the workload is properly maintained and completed on time. 

The employees should be motivated to work smart, not harder! Give them essential training and resources that can help try out different strategies. It will maintain proper workplace efficiency.

The Key Elements To Consider

There are various elements to be considered while talking about- how to increase work efficiency?

• Job Satisfaction

• Leadership Qualities

• Training Sessions

• Work Culture

• Work Environment

• Work Process

The training process requires a lot of time, as we are all aware of it. But an employer needs to sure that there are some improvements daily in the workforce. Because work efficiency and work culture are on the same side as they both are long-term strategies. 

There are generally two types of workplace efficiency-

• Individual efficiency

• Group efficiency

As a manager, you need to plan strategies that can contribute to an individual's growth and the entire team's productivity. It is the teamwork that counts! The time they take to complete an assignment together.

Here Are Some Work Culture Tips To Increase Efficiency

Individual Time Management

We are all aware of digital distractions like social media notifications. But getting distracted during office hours is a big no! There might be times when one gets frustrated during work and decides to scroll their social media. A manager/employer can strictly ban such sites and provide the employees with enough leisure time to adhere to the break policies. Make sure the employees do not feel overburdened with work.

The next concern is the passing of information. Using employee monitoring software can be beneficial at work, but some applications can be a threat. If the employees log into their social media accounts, the password might get saved, and this can cause trouble later.

No worries. You can install safe-to-use employee monitoring tools that provide you a detailed report about such applications and their usage. They can get categorized as unproductive apps, and you will get to know where the employees are spending their maximum time.

Some of the most popular monitoring software are:

• EmpMonitor

• Time Doctor

• Hubstaff

• Bamboo HR

The features:

• Records the total screentime and provides detailed reports

• Records keystrokes

• Takes regular screenshots

• Records all the online activities like browsing history, downloads, texts, e-mails, etc

• Detects Insider threats and inactivity

• Easy to find out the over workers and under workers

• Saves all the data on cloud-based storage

Building Team And Collaborating

Every company believes in proper teamwork. But sometimes the work gets delayed because of the same reason. The employees sometimes fail to address their fellow mates if they are stuck with some task. 

How can we fix this? 

The solution is pretty simple- ask the employees to attend and complete their crucial tasks in the first half. They will get enough time to work on other projects and help/guide their colleagues.

The employees also need to learn to organize their tasks and projects in a systematic way that they can complete them all.

Performance Management

An employer would need a detailed report of every day and check up on the employee productivity regularly. It will help you to track productive and unproductive hours, the browsing and download history, etc.

You can take the desired action against an employee with all the proofs if he/she breaks the company's privacy policies.

 Working Constantly Is Not Being Efficient At Work!

Staying efficient is nowhere related to staying busy. Learn to divide the task between the urgent tasks and the tasks that can be finished later.

Actual productivity is finishing a task in less time and effort. Being buried under the pile of work will only exhaust you and stop you from being efficient.

If you want to check out how to track the details of each employee, then have a look at this video: 

Final Words

Improving work efficiency at work is possible by establishing compelling goals and learn how to manage office time and working habits. Workplace efficiency is a prime element for every organization, either big or small. I hope this article was informative enough and provided you with all the necessary details.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE TOP 8 FEATURES OF EMPLOYEE TIME TRACKING SYSTEM

 

Almost every other firm has been in the league of installing the best time-tracking software in their employees' systems. But many of them are still unaware of the top characteristics of it. The employee time tracking system not only tracks the time or the working hour but is also beneficial to its users in numerous other ways. 

So, what are you waiting for?

Let's have a look at some of the top 8 features of time-trackers that can be profitable enough for employers while using them:

FEATURES OF TIME TRACKING SYSTEM

1. ATTENDANCE TRACKER: 

The software is very much advantageous in tracking the working days of an employee. Now, there's no need to manage long and heavy registers for their attendance. It also calculates the number of EL or CL is taken for the month and makes it easier for the management to control the said month's payroll.

2. TIME TRACKER: 

The employee management software does detailed tracking when it comes to checking the working hours of the staff. The managers get the complete report of every individual's working hours and the time taken to finish an assigned task/project. It helps them to distinguish between working and non-working employees in the firm.

3. CHECKS WORK-EFFICIENCY:

The employee time tracking system works best when it checks and maintains the work efficiency of them. Some employees hesitate in asking doubts from their TL, and this results in less productivity. Moreover, the software figures out the issues your staff is dealing with, and you can help them anytime. 

4. PRODUCTIVITY CALCULATOR:

Productivity is the final output of the hard work, energy, and time spent in the firm. This productivity tracking software checks and calculates the total productivity of the firm. If the output is less, it figures out the reason for less productivity for the management to know and differentiate between the productive and non-productive workers. 

5. EASY INTERFACE:

The dashboard has an easy-to-use interface for their users to run the software hassle-free. Due to its less complicated dashboard, the software saves the time and effort of the users. Not only this, but you get a detailed record of the employee's working logs to make the management's workload easy. 

6. EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING: 

The software works really well for the new joiners. Explaining all the company's protocols can be a hectic task for employers, so they opt for employee onboarding software to explain the rules, leave policies, organizational requirements, etc., for the new employees to understand it better. 

7. MULTIPLE PLATFORM: 

The best part about the time tracker is, it works on every platform, like Windows, Mac, or Linux. Because of its multiple platform access, you can track your employees' activities from everywhere. So, if your software is compatible with every device, you can keep on to them very easily. 

8. INSIDER THREATS: 

The risk of insider threats reduces to zero once you install this software on every system. The software monitors their activities in a detailed manner to avoid insider threats at any and every cost. So, your data is 100% safe and secure in the hands of your staff. 

After discussing the features in detail, let's check the pros and cons of these employee time trackers:

PROS: 

• Increased Productivity: The productivity increases once you install the time tracking software in the worker's systems. They are very well aware of it and work with double strength to give more output.

• Full Transparency: There becomes 100% transparency when you install the software. You can keep an eye whenever you want to and check their work status. It gives you a detailed report of their activities. 

CONS: 

• Lack Of Trust: The employees may take the monitoring protocol a bit negatively. Some workers may found it an invasion of their privacy. But the management must make it very clear that they are monitoring it for the firm's betterment. 

• Expensive Choice: Monitoring your workers through employee management software is a bit expensive choice, especially for small-scale industries. But, there are numerous alternatives, and they can select the most affordable software to keep an eye on their staff. 

WRAPPING UP:

In this way, the employee time tracking system can benefit the management to check up on their employees. So, we hope that our readers understood the top-most benefits they can avail from it. 

 The Workforce Monitoring Policy In Various Countries And Their Assent.

The employee monitoring laws differ from country to country as they all have different sets of rules and regulations for operating workforce and labor. A privacy policy is a legal text for notifying the users about the usage of their personal information. The text mentioned in the policy should be transparent and easy-to-understand. There should not be any hidden clauses and texts. 

Employee surveillance has become the new normal for many organizations these days as there have been escalating Insider frauds and cyber thefts. It is necessary to have monitoring software to keep a close check on user activities during their work hours.

The legal laws for employee surveillance in different countries, there are some strict rules to track the computer systems regularly. 

So let us explore the workforce monitoring policy of 10 countries. Although it is legal to monitor employees in many nations, there are several disputes and clashes regarding the breach of the right to privacy. But every country has a different approach towards maintaining the privacy laws of an individual.

NOTE: The information rendered in this article is only for education purposes, and it should not be considered statutory guidance. One should ask your juridical team about the employee monitoring regulations before practicing any litigations.

This article will cover the workplace monitoring rules of these countries:

• USA

• Canada

• Australia

• UAE

• India

• EU

• UK

• Russia

• Germany

• Argentina

Let Us Have A Look At Each Of The Above Countries Privacy Laws, One By One.

Workplace Monitoring in the USA

If you ever think about is employee monitoring legal in the US? The answer is Yes! But the privacy policies are not regulated by federal laws as it depends on every state and the industry that implements them. Employers have all the rights to check up on the employee's online activities during their work hours. As per the federal laws in the USA, users are monitored without being aware of it. But in some states, employers need to notify their workforce that they are under surveillance.

Employee Monitoring Rules in Canada

It is legal in Canada, but the surveillance must adhere to the Canadian Privacy Statutes. As per the PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), employers cannot access any private data of the users. The employees have all rights to be informed about any monitoring software installed in their systems.

Employee Surveillance in Australia

As per the Australian Workforce Surveillance Act, employee monitoring is allowed but not in stealth mode. If the employer decides to track the workforce secretly, he requires covert surveillance authority from the court. According to the surveillance act, employers need a 14 days notification to their workforce before implementing employee monitoring tools.

Workforce Monitoring in the UAE

Before deploying any monitoring software or policies, the organizations need consent from their subordinates. One of the specific situations is when the employees work from their personal computers/laptops that may contain private and sensitive data. The right to privacy should be strictly maintained, as per the federal laws of the UAE.

Employee Surveillance Policy in India

As per the Indian employment and labor act, the organization is allowed to monitor the staffer's activities and work performance by practicing the privacy policies that work for employees. Private data like medical reports, biometrics, and financial records can not get leaked at any cost. Section 43 A states- an employee is liable for fair compensation if the employer fails to maintain the privacy policies of the company.

Workforce Monitoring Rules in EU

Many organizations in the EU follow General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as there are no other employee monitoring rules or policies to comply with lawfully. It states that employers need to give legitimate reasons before checking and monitor the user data. Also, they need to do the PIA (Privacy impact assessment) before using monitoring software in their firm. 

Employee Performance Tracking in the UK

Employee surveillance is very much legal in the UK, but it must not be taken for granted to access any personal information without the user's consent. According to the Human rights act, every individual has the right to privacy. Computer monitoring sometimes feels intrusive and creepy to the employees, but the UK has a fool-proof law to satisfy both the employers and employees.

Employee Monitoring Laws in Russia

Like all the other countries, Russia has a strict workplace monitoring policy against the breach of privacy, and a person needs to fulfill the following conditions before tracking employees computer system and data-

• Employees should be well aware of the surveillance process 

• Monitoring can be done only with a user consent

• Employers can monitor the user data only after the employees have agreed with the monitoring policies

There are many monitoring software available in the market, but choosing one of the many options available is one hectic task that requires smart decision-making skills for an investment. I have listed some of the best employee surveillance software that is trusted and used by most industries.

• EmpMonitor

• Time Doctor

• Hubstaff

• Inter Guard

• Bamboo HR

The features of the above-mentioned tools are as follows-

1. It helps track all the online activities during working hours like downloads, browsing history, e-mails, texts, etc.

2. Records keystrokes regularly

3. Stores all the data in a cloud-based system

4. Works in stealth mode

5. Maintains user logs and attendance

6. Maintains regular screenshots

7. Easy to detect the overall performance of each employee to find out the over-performer and under-performer

8. Ease of remote monitoring

9. Track the real-time monitoring if every employee

10. Easy to use dashboard with employee information

You can also check out this video for further information: EmpMonitor- Best Employee Productivity Management Solution For Your Business

Wrapping Up:

It is very evident from this article that the workplace monitoring policy of every country is similar and has minor differences. Some of the rules are stricter than others. Before setting privacy policies for an organization, make sure to follow the laws of the respective country. It can be helpful and effective in achieving the desired productivity goals and help in the overall growth of a firm.