Time-Tracking Tips: Employee Rostering as an SME

There is not enough time in the day, and that’s what every SME will tell you. A smaller operation like your average SME calls for an agile approach to many facets of the business, with many employees wearing more than one hat when it comes to their day to day responsibilities. Employee rostering can feel like a task that drains your hours, with little traction made each time you sit down to do it. For an under-resourced environment, this just won’t do. If this is sounding all too familiar, then let’s discuss what time-tracking tips you can bring to your place of work to drive positive change.

Get time tracking software

Time tracking software can be useful for a business of any size, particularly SME’s. Track your employee hours to the second, and see the location of where they clock-in and out. This takes trust and guesswork out of the equation, with both the employee and employer having full transparency over the hours worked. Still not convinced? The clock-in and out process is based on fingerprint or facial recognition, which is mobile accessible. It’s important to remember that such time tracking software is not only used to catch out staff for unethical behaviour, but it also ensures that employees are being paid for any incremental hours they work. These software solutions will accurately attribute overtime, loading and penalty rates, keeping you compliant without the hassle of jumping into another spreadsheet. If you have any keen workers who insist on working through their break, despite the legal requirement, then you can stop this behaviour in its tracks. Management will receive a notification if a team member has a break that is less than their allocated time.

photo/ Gerd Altmann

Educate your team on the workplace agreements

The onboarding process will look different for each employee, and there is always information that slips through the cracks. Many time tracking and rostering faux pas could be controlled and eliminated with clearer information communicated to your entire team, and this is something you should work on correcting within your SME. This could materialise in a regular all-team meeting, or you could work on an ’employee bible’ that can be issued to all employees. You will quickly find that staff simply didn’t know they had to be at their workstation by their rostered start time, rather than just in the vicinity. Or that break time was mandatory, rather than a suggestion. Dispel any misinformation and your rostering will immediately improve.

Review and improve your workflow functionality

If your SME relies on verbal communication and a few stray post-it notes, then your time tracking may not be as effective as you believe it to be. In 2019, there is no excuse to not be connected to your employees with so many workflow apps and platforms available at your fingertips. Imagine being able to dive into a project timeline and getting instant insights into the progress and scope of the job, all from the comfort of your home. It also works to streamline communication in one place, with all the relevant parties involved in the decision-making process from start to finish.

There’s a lot to take in, isn’t there? Time tracking can be a hard thing to establish in your SME business, but it is certainly not impossible. The success will be measured by whether or not you have an effective time tracking software solution available, and no business will ever regret this decision. Shape up your procedures this financial year and take control of the time that dictates the success of your business.

Author: Caitlyn Bell