The Top Time and Attendance Systems - 2023

Buying any new software takes a lot of time and energy, and we know that implementing the software and training your employees can also take quite a bit of time. This may also be true if you are transitioning from one platform to another, and need to re-train your staff or your management team. However, there are many benefits to using a time and attendance platform. We’ve listed some of these below. ‍

• ‍Increased accuracy and efficiency: Time and Attendance software can help improve overall efficiency and productivity. Within a single database, you’ll only have to enter employee information once, which will flow through various stages of your employee lifecycle, which can reduce the need for importing and exporting data. ‍
• Automate your processes: Many systems have alerts and notifications that can proactively give employees reminders when employees are nearing overtime. This can notify managers for those in hourly shifts or positions that they need to better address overtime, or better manage their schedule. There can also be alerts that show when an employee has clocked in or out for the day. ‍
• Improved bottom line: when you are using a modem platform, hours are recorded in real time, which decreases opportunity for manual error. They can also cut down on time theft and things like buddy punching, which help improve your bottom line.‍
• Avoid tax, payroll and compliance issues: having a time and attendance platform that can help ensure that employees are being paid properly, and decrease any potential issues from a tax or compliance standpoint. Many benefits, such as vacation and overtime are tied to hours worked  helps also ensure HR efficiency and compliance.  ‍
• Track projects and tasks: some platforms let users track hours for specific tasks or projects, which can be helpful for those that are looking to bill clients for specific tasks, specifically those in the corporate world - such as consultants and lawyers.
• ‍Improve employee engagement and visibility: with time and attendance platforms, you can give your employees access to their schedules through an online profile or sometimes even a mobile app. Your staff should be able to check their own schedule, view the schedule of coworkers or view available PTO time. Many platforms also allow employees to submit time off requests, which will then route directly to a manager. This can empower employees to have control over their own schedule, and increase engagement with any platform. ‍
• Better scheduling: managers can view, build and access employees schedules to ensure there is coverage across the board. With a time and attendance platform you can start to enforce your attendance policy, and log the hours that your staff works (whether they are hourly or salaried). With robust analytics and reporting, this also makes it easy to assign shifts and cut down on employee issues of absenteeism.
• ‍Reporting and analytics are your fingertips: real-time reporting helps you review and monitor your staff attendance. You can have easy access to schedules, see who is in your office or on the floor, and know who is off. This is beneficial for those that are managing shift based schedules or creating future schedules.

Here's our best general advice when it comes to buying time and attendance platforms:

• ‍Best in class vs. all-in-one: there are many products out there - some that deliver only time and attendance solutions, while others may provide an all-in-one solution that offers a full comprehensive HRIS suite. This should be taken into consideration prior to purchasing any solution (i.e. do you want a standalone time and attendance platform that can integrate with your Payroll or HRIS system, or are you looking for an all-in-one product that offers payroll, time and attendance). Depending on your preference, this may dictate your decision. ‍
• Identify employee processes: prior to buying a Time and Attendance platform it’s helpful to have your processes clearly outlined. You should have a clear understanding on what the approval process is for time, how are employees keeping track of time, etc. If you know who is involved in the approval process, this will make it easier to identify a product that fits your needs. ‍
• Think about compliance: there are many aspects of employee and employer law that come into play on an everyday basis. It’s good to look for a solution that can address some of these compliance needs (such as overtime alerts) to help prevent any unnecessary lawsuits.

Here are the different pricing models you can expect to see from various Time and Attendance Systems. Many companies have different pricing structures depending on what the product offers. We’ve broken out some of the various options below: 

• Employees/User: Many companies charge on a monthly basis per user. For example, if you have 20 employees, you may pay a fee X employee X per month. 
• By Month: Many platforms have a monthly pricing model which includes a general base fee, plus a cost per employee. Some companies may also offer a flat fee.
• Annually: There are some companies that bill on an annual basis for a subscription. 

Pro Tip: Know which companies charge for integrations and those that don’t. For example, some companies may charge for a direct integration or an API with a payroll platform. 

Pro Tip 2: Many Time and Attendance companies offer discounts as part of their pricing model. 

Pro Tip 3: Most software companies will require at least a one-year contract, although some may offer month-to-month. Ask this up front, so you know what you are committing to. 

Overall Cost

Time and Attendance systems can cost anywhere between $240 – $1,600 for a monthly subscription, depending on the number of employees and the product suite. This also varies off of the time tracking services, integrations, and any hardware associated.

Time and Attendance system can be very affordable with some of the basics. 

What to budget: 

Small companies can opt into a basic time tracking system for a small investment of $1000 or less. For companies with less than 25 employees, basic time clocks or a timekeeping platform can be implemented for around $500 to $750 (with implementation fees included). For more complex software and additional hardware, this could run from $2000 - $4000 for companies with around 25 to 150 employees.   

Mid market - enterprise: For larger companies, they can expect to pay anywhere from $10,000 - $100,000 depending on the customization and need. This depends on employee count and total location count. Implementation fees can cost anywhere from $300 - $500, with hardware costing an additional $500 to $1,000 that can be purchased or rented for a monthly fee.

There are many Time and Attendance systems out there, many which have basic features, while some offer more complex features that may cater to your business. The best platforms will have all of the bells and whistles that will make it a smooth transition for you and your employees. 

The following capabilities are important features to look for when vetting various companies.  

• Clocking in and out: This is a must have for time and attendance - employees must be able to track time, clock in, record breaks, and clock out when the workday is done. This can be done using either card readers, pins, or personalized employee numbers. Devices for clocking in and clocking out can be at a punch station (tablet), on a computer or a mobile device.
• Timesheets: any basic timekeeping software should have an electronic timesheets within the software that includes all time entries for the corresponding pay period. These can be found on a dashboard, or on an individual’s profile. 
• Leave management: leave or time off management is a key aspect of time and attendance. There should be some standard level of time off tracking, such as having employees taking a half day, tracking sick time, or being able to add this onto timesheets.
• Time accruals: some time and attendance platforms will allow you to set up time off policies and automatically accrue hours on employee profiles based on rules that are setup on the back end. This is important for employees to view how much time they have available and can take off for any associated vacation or sick time. 
• Reporting: creating and maintaining records is key for any time and attendance platform, and key for any HR activities within an organization. There should be basic reports, such as a total number of hours, overtime, and time off for employees, as well as data exports to CSV and excel.
• Mobile/cloud based: a cloud based solution is key because it allows you and your staff to access your timekeeping platform anywhere. This often includes a browser integration, which means a device can be used to punch in without an app. Mobile and cloud support can help those that are remote track and clock hours.  
• Employee profiles: employees should be able to login on their browser or the application in order to view time, clock in and out, view attendance records, and schedules. This also encourages employees to take ownership for their own schedules. 
• Manager dashboard: most platforms offer some version of a dashboard that is accessible for managers to approve time or time recorded for the week or pay period. The dashboard may include employees that report to them, or those that are in their location. This often includes some search functionality for managers to view profiles, and check hours for those that report to them. 
• Scheduling: having an option to schedule employee shifts is key for an efficient time and attendance tracking solution. This may include assigning employees shifts, or creating an electronic schedule that employees can view. 
  

Nice-to-haves: 

• Biometric attendance: this is great for those with a large workforce, and those that have clock in and clock out functionality. This helps reduce the risk of fraud by using employee fingerprints or a personal identification number to authenticate clock in and clock out.
• Alerts: most platforms will have automated alerts that inform recipients of missed punches, or those that are approaching overtime. 
• Integrations w/ calendars: many platforms that have some type of scheduling functionality also offer integrations with google, outlook and more. 
• Overtime tracking: many platforms have overtime settings, which is crucial for tracking hourly employees. These settings will allow you to set a work week for the corresponding overtime requirements, such as overtime for a 40 hour week, overtime on a daily basis. 
• Payroll integration: some time and attendance platforms offer payroll within the platform, or offer the ability to integrate into an external payroll solution. There should be some level of an integration that will pull through directly into your payroll processing dashboard. This may cost extra, but will save lots of time and effort. ‍
• Timeclock devices: some platforms offer tablets and devices to punch in and out of. For those that are looking for a punch station, these devices can oftentimes be installed by the company on site.

Here are several questions we think every HR/Management team should should be asking vendors while on demos:

• Can you clock in and out on a tablet or mobile device? 
• Do you need an installer to add?
• What types of internet browsers does this run on?
• Can you export data to payroll/HRIS?
• Can you export data and run reports? 
• How does clocking and clocking out work? What data do employees need to have when clocking in and out (i.e. employee number)? 
• Is payroll included? 
• Do you have an open API?
• What types of reporting functionality do you have?
• Do you have different types of security permissions based on roles?
• How do you approve time?
• Can employees access via an App? Is there mobile functionality?
• Are there any workflows or alerts? 
• What types of security do you have in your system? 
• Are there additional costs and setup fees per location? 
• Does your platform require that we install anything? 
• Can any custom PTO policies be tracked or set up? 
• Are PTO accruals automated? 
• Can you track tips? 
• Is there a timesheet dashboard to view hours? 
• Does the system include daily, weekly, and seventh day overtime?
• Can the system handle hourly and salaried employees?
• Does the system include the reports you require?
• Does the system include public holidays?
• Can the system handle sick and vacation accruals?
• Can the Administrator add, edit, and delete employee time punches?
• Can employees view their own timecard?
• Can employees request time off from within the system?
• Can the system round employee time punches?

There are many different types of customization within various platforms. It’s important that you ask questions up front based on your needs. Make sure you find a software that meets your needs efficiently, whether you need something focused on time and attendance solely, or need a platform that includes this functionality, and additional HR tools.  

Common Terms to Know:

Here are some common terms to know when looking for a Time and Attendance platform. 

• Overtime Tracking: overtime tracking is a must for all time and attendance platforms, typically this allows you to track any hours outside of the standard overtime rules and regulations by state. 
• Flexible Pay Periods: This allows you to customize pay periods start and end time (i.e. Monday - Sunday).
• 24 Hour Shift: For employees that are able to work time periods of longer than 24 hours without being required to clock in or out. 
• Shift Swap Features: employees can switch shifts through a timekeeping platform (great for hourly employees). 
• Badge Terminal Systems: when a system uses badges or cards for access in order to clock in and out. 
• Alerts and notifications: this refers to notifications or alerts around policies, or reminders on when schedules have changed or it’s time to clock in and out (these may vary across each software platform).
• Managing permissions: this allows you to restrict and access various areas of the platform based on the role. 
• Timecard: this displays the attendance for each employee, as well as the details on time clocked in and time clocked out. 
• Geofencing: tracking employees’s location via GPS and only allowing them to clock in from a specific area
• Group clock-ins: the ability for multiple employees to punch in using one device
• Time clock kiosk or tablet: this is a designated tablet that acts as a time clock device for punching in and out. 
• Hardware: refers to the electronic equipment you may need to get your time tracking system up and running, including clock-in devices like barcode or biometric scanners. This is not always necessary if you aren’t tracking hours of employees on site. ‍
• Software: this includes all of the cloud based functionality for time and attendance, such as the ability to record, organize and store employee hours.

As you look to begin buying a time and attendance system, you should be asking the following questions: 1) how many employees will you be tracking 2) how many locations will you need this for 3) do you have internet functionality at these locations? 4) what features do you absolutely need? 5) how are you currently collecting data for employee time? Do you use punch clocks, swipe cards, or biometric cards? 

• ‍Integration and ongoing maintenance:  Do you have in-house IT staff or will you need complete support from the vendor? Though integration is largely a concern for PC-based systems only, there may be browser, mobile, or other configuration issues with a web-based system as well.
• ‍Number of locations and employees: As noted above, you should know how many locations and employees you are going to need to be tracking time for. If you are going to need installation in several different locations, there may be additional integration or installation costs for each location.
• ‍Growth and expansion: Is your company looking to grow or expand in the next couple of years? The platform you end up going should be one that allows you to expand and grow your business easily. Some may need to account for seasonal or temporary employees, which may require additional tracking needs. Many of these platforms have cost on a per employee basis, so you should understand or have a good idea of how many employees you will need to track or will you will require timekeeping needs for.
• ‍Ease of use: it’s important to have a time and attendance platform that is intuitive and easy to use, so your employees can use it without any confusion. User experience should be an important part of the buying criteria.
• ‍Cost: you will need to plan and estimate whether or not each software fits your budget. Most of these platforms are charged on a per employee per month basis, so if you are looking to grow or expand to many locations within the next year or two, this could impact your overall cost.
• ‍Free trial or a freemium version: in order to see what is a good fit for you, you can try a free trial or look for those that offer one. Many offer a free trial for 10-15 days, allowing you to play around in the product without fully committing to a contract.
• ‍Support and resources: when your entire staff will be using a software product, you know that things may and can go wrong. Choosing a software that has a good support team, and good resources on an ongoing basis should be a focus and part of the buying criteria.

What is time and attendance software?

Time and attendance software is designed to be a virtual punch card for your employees, where both employer and employees can keep track of hours worked.

Why should you use time and attendance software?

You should use a time and attendance software because it increases accuracy and efficiency, improves your bottom line, automates processes, avoids compliance issues, tracks projects and tasks, improves engagement, and provides reporting and analytics.  

What features do time and attendance software provide?

Key features of time and attendance software include clocking in and out, timesheet creation, leave management, time accruals, reporting, mobile apps, employee profiles, manager dashboards and scheduling, alerts, and integration with calendars.

There are many trends that are on the horizon, and are good to note when looking at a time and attendance software.  Some significant trends are: 

• Mobile devices: most companies do have a mobile app, which allows employees to clock in and out on a mobile device. 
• Cloud based systems: these are becoming more and more commonplace for software companies. The benefit is that it allows employees to record and monitor time through devices they are already familiar with. It also allows for data to be captured and recorded in real time, with both managers and employees being able to make adjustments as needed.