Time and attendance systems: Tools, apps, and access-based tracking for the modern workplace

Employee attendance affects every aspect of your business, from productivity to morale to payroll. But keeping up with employee time can be challenging, especially if you’re reliant on old-school timesheets and punch clocks. The increase of hybrid work has made the issue even more complex, with team members working on different schedules and moving between sites.

Time and attendance systems make it easier for organizations to accurately and efficiently record employee hours. In this article, you’ll learn how time and attendance systems work, why they’re so important to today’s businesses, and what solutions are making the biggest impact on operational efficiency.

What are time and attendance systems? #

A time and attendance system is a tool you can use to track employee work hours, breaks, and absences. In the past, most organizations relied on manual logbooks and punchcards, which employees had to sign or enter by hand. However, many companies have moved to digital solutions, which are more efficient and allow for automation.

Types of time and attendance solutions #

Businesses have a lot of options when deciding how to monitor employee attendance, but old-school methods tend to be less efficient and accurate than more modern tools. These are the most common types of systems:

• Mobile and desktop time tracking apps: These tools are installed on desktop computers or mobile devices, such as tablets or smartphones. When employees begin working, the software automatically begins tracking their time and can monitor productivity and log activity on certain applications or tools.
• Clock-in/clock-out terminals: Employees clock in at these kiosks using their credentials, such as an ID card or PIN. Some updated systems also allow for biometric scanning, such as fingerprints and facial recognition.
• Access control based attendance logging: Access control systems, including Kisi, can log attendance at the site or office level. When employees scan their credentials to enter the building or their individual workspace, the system records their arrival and tracks the amount of time they spend on-site.
• Self-service portals: Some solutions allow employees to manage their own time and attendance processes, including clocking in and out, requesting time off, and viewing paid leave balances. Workers typically clock in with an app or desktop interface, and management can review and approve their time prior to running payroll.

The ideal type of time and attendance tracking depends on your business size, industry, and structure. In addition, some solutions are more appropriate for hybrid work models, where attendance fluctuates from day to day.

Selecting the right time and attendance solution #

When considering which of these systems is best for your organization, keep a few key points in mind. First, think about ease of use for your employees, remembering that a time tracking solution shouldn’t add an inconvenience or frustration to an employee’s day.

Access control based tracking, for example, doesn’t require any additional effort on the worker’s part because they already use their credentials to unlock the door and enter the building. Clock-in terminals, on the other hand, involve an additional step employees might forget, which then complicates human resources (HR) workflows. .

Scalability is another crucial element to remember. If your business grows, your attendance tracking system should naturally adapt to an increase in employee volume without excessive hardware upgrades. Self-service portals and mobile apps are often easier to scale than clock-in terminals because you can add the necessary application to an employee’s device with little to no added expense. With terminals, you may need to install more hardware to avoid long wait times and lines in your entry areas.

Benefits of using time and attendance apps #

Digital time tracking tools have a wide range of advantages, particularly in comparison to more traditional methods. These are some of the goals businesses can meet with time and attendance applications:

• Tracking employee hours: These solutions keep you up to date on employee time, including hours spent at a particular work site, breaks, and days off. Systems integrated with access control provide specific details about when an employee enters and leaves the site, which you can use alongside your time-tracking or payroll system to infer breaks and end-of-shift times.
• Monitoring on-site presence: Companies requiring employees to spend a certain amount of time on-site can confirm workers are in the appropriate place. Some tools include geofencing or GPS, which is especially useful if you have employees who work in the field and may not spend all their hours at a central location.
• Ensuring compliance with labor and security policies: Digital time and attendance solutions automate record keeping tasks and provide clear audit trails. They track hours to prevent payroll errors and wage law violations, and they can flag issues such as unauthorized or missed breaks.
• Optimizing hybrid work models: Office occupancy data underscores the popularity of hybrid work models, and businesses introducing more in-person time can keep a close eye on employee engagement and participation with a time and attendance tracking system. They can confirm workers are coming to the site when required and quickly address problems with attendance policy adherence.

When you choose a time and attendance system with built-in or integrated access control capabilities, you get the additional benefit of heightened security and safety for your employees.

Popular time and attendance systems #

The market for time and attendance software and tools is growing rapidly. It is currently valued at an estimated $3.99 billion and is projected to reach $6.23 billion by 2030. To help you choose the right system for your organization, we’ve put together a list of five of the most effective options available today.

Kisi #

Kisi’s access control is a valuable tool for increasing security, but it also provides a source of verified physical attendance data that can serve as a tracking solution or enhance your existing T&A system. If your company needs real-time access logs, presence insights, and time tracking reports linked to physical entry points, Kisi is the answer. With the system’s access control readers, you can identify every time an employee enters or exits the facility and generate reports detailing time on-site and activity patterns.

Best use cases: Hybrid workplaces tracking in-office days, businesses with hourly employees, and shared workspaces

Pricing: Contact Kisi for a custom quote.

Connecteam #

Connecteam is a time clock app with both desktop and mobile access. It includes geofencing and GPS tracking, so you can confirm team members are where they should be when they clock in. The software also features timesheet and payroll management so you can seamlessly connect attendance tracking with employee pay and prevent errors, including over or underpayments.

Best use cases: Field-based or mobile businesses, such as construction, retail, healthcare, and food and beverage

Pricing: Connecteam offers a 14-day free trial and several tiered plans: the small business plan for up to 10 employees is free, the basic plan is $29 per month, the advanced plan is $49 per month, the expert plan is $99 per month, and enterprise organizations can request custom pricing.

Timely #

Timely is an automatic time tracking solution powered with artificial intelligence (AI). This solution allows you to track time and attendance in a central dashboard and monitor team performance and overtime. It includes a customizable tagging system, which digs deeper into how workers are spending their time. The user experience is straightforward and clean, and it’s available in mobile and desktop versions. However, the features are more basic than some other systems, and it lacks advanced reporting capabilities.

Best use cases: Consultancies, agencies, and software companies

Pricing: Timely offers a free 14-day trial and three tiered plans: the starter plan for $9 per month, premium for $16 per month, and unlimited for $22 per month. Enterprise organizations can request custom pricing, and businesses can pay an additional $5 per month for the scheduling add-on.

Hubstaff #

Hubstaff bases its time and attendance tracking on GPS location, allowing you to see exactly where employees are when they clock in. In addition to time tracking, it offers payroll, invoicing, and report generation. If your team works in the field in areas where they might not have online access, they can track hours offline and sync back up once the connection is restored. Hubstaff’s features include detailed reports, online timesheets, and expense tracking, all managed through a user-friendly interface. However, the system has limited customization options.

Best use cases: Field workers, remote and hybrid teams, and professional services

Pricing: Hubstaff offers a 14-day free trial and four tiered plans: Starter for $4.99 per seat per month, Grow for $7.50 per seat per month, Team for $10 per seat per month, and Enterprise for $25 per seat per month. You can also select from a variety of add-ons ranging between $1.67 and $3.33 per seat per month.

Buddy Punch #

Buddy Punch uses GPS tracking and a webcam feature for additional verification and to prevent buddy punching. You can monitor employees’ movements during the workday with a route map to determine when they’re working from a specific location. In addition, the system includes scheduling and time-off tools to improve employee management.

Best use cases: Businesses with hourly employees, including retail, field services, hospitality, and construction

Pricing: Buddy Punch offers a 14-day free trial and charges a $19 base fee per month. Organizations can choose one of three tiered plans: the Starter plan is $4.49 per user per month, Pro is $5.99 per user per month, and Enterprise is $10.99 per user per month.

Simplify your time and attendance tracking with Kisi #

As a business leader, manager, or supervisor, having trust in your employees is vital, but verifying attendance and time is a practical necessity. It keeps your payroll accurate, helps maintain productivity levels, and empowers you to make better decisions for your organization.

Kisi’s future-proof access control solution is a powerful time and attendance tracking solution on its own or an ideal way to optimize your current app or tool. Whether you want to prevent security incidents, confirm employees are on-site when required, or keep detailed logs of entries and exits, Kisi has you covered.

Reach out to learn more about our access control system, request a free demo, or get a customized quote.