Salaried employees get paid the same regardless of whether or not their time is tracked, so is there any need for time tracking at all? Surely it’s just a waste of time and something that’s only likely to irritate rather than encourage productivity. So why use a time tracker for salaried employees at all?
There are several reasons why time management for salaried employees is a rather good idea, some of which are below.
Prevent Employee Burnout
Managers track employee time
A burned-out employee is likely to offer less productivity than otherwise. Not only will their performance levels drop but you might end up losing them altogether. Timesheets will help you to identify employees who probably need to take a break, or at least spend more of their day doing things other than working.
Improve Productivity
Time tracking products like the PK4 TimeTracker are not necessarily about snooping on employees (although they can be if you feel some people are not pulling their weight). In most cases, asking salaried staff to complete timesheets is more about understanding which tasks are time-consuming and where time management can be improved. Employees spend around 4 hours a week on unproductive tasks, and knowing where time is spent will help to identify where their time could be put to better use. If your employees are spending a lot of time on menial tasks that could be automated, for example, then you’d know that investing in the right technology could bring a considerable boost to productivity.
Billing Customers
Some companies will charge their clients on an hourly basis for their services. So, even if an employee’s pay is not affected by the hours they work, a time tracker is still very useful when it comes to billing customers. Not only does time tracking let companies know what to charge when invoicing, but they can also provide a breakdown of the work that has been done. Considering around 10% of billable hours can be lost if time is not recorded by the end of the day, it’s easy to see how time tracking will be beneficial.
Calculate Overtime
Ok, we’ve not been entirely honest above when we say salaried employees are always paid the same – there is overtime to take into account.
Employees that are legible for overtime would no doubt be quite keen to be paid for additional worked hours. After all, they’re probably not doing it because they just love to be in the office. On the flip-side, employers are not usually in the habit of paying people for nothing, and time tracking can come in handy here as well.
Although not all employees are eligible for overtime, time tracking is somewhat of a no-brainer for many of those that are and quite necessary for payroll to be accurate.
Project Management
Complex project management can be difficult, with time management being one of the most difficult challenges. If something is taking longer than expected then it’s best to know as soon as possible because an issue in the pipeline can affect everything else that comes afterwards. With time tracking, project management becomes a lot easier because you know just how much time is being spent and whether or not the task is on target to meet deadlines.
Measuring Costs
Costs are one of the most important metrics that determine whether or not a business is a success or a failure, and time tracking is an effective way of helping you to manage your costs. With a timesheet, you can see where your employees are spending time on tasks that are not cost-effective, enabling you to make changes that will allow you to manage your costs better.
Above are just a few reasons why time management is a good idea for salaried staff. A timesheet can help you to know how much payroll should be paying your employees and how much you should be invoicing your clients. They can provide you with a breakdown of a working day that will help you identify areas for improvement where costs and productivity are concerned, while time tracking will also help you manage the well-being of your valued employees better.
It is also very easy to use time tracking, with modern options offering greater functionality such as reporting in addition to simply keeping a record of time worked.