How to Track Labor Hours: Why Employees Struggle to Track Hours Accurately

No matter what the overreaching goals of your organization are, two of the most important overall goals are productivity and accountability. To track employee hours is not always as simple as matching hours with pay periods. There are many issues that can arise here, especially when it comes to multiple job sites and significant numbers of employees.

This is also VERY true in labor-related fields like construction and contracting. Your employees and/or subcontractors likely have the same goal as you. They want to get the job done quickly, but they want to track their time worked accurately so you can pay them correctly.

Unfortunately, time tracking can be a difficult task—not only for you, but also for these employees or contractors. Consider these reasons why they may struggle with time tracking.

Paper Time Tracking is Complicated

Paper time tracking often leads to mistakes, like misreading handwriting or missing clock-in/out times, causing delays and extra work to fix errors. These delays waste time and can cause payroll mistakes, hurting employee trust and legal compliance.

Paper is also outdated since it doesn’t offer real-time updates or automatic calculations. This makes data less reliable and harder to manage, especially for businesses with many locations or remote workers. Digital time tracking tools provide instant reports, customizable options, and work on any device, cutting errors and saving time.

In short, paper time tracking is slow and error-prone. Switching to digital tools makes tracking easier, more accurate, and fits today’s fast work environment.

It’s Easy to Mess Up

Using the wrong time card disrupts work, wastes employee time, and forces you to fix errors. This can cause wrong pay, disputes, and project delays. To prevent this, time tracking must be easy, accurate, and reliable. A good system works with your accounting software, removes manual entry, and lowers mistakes. Automated tracking saves time, improves accuracy, and gives real-time updates. With this, you keep accurate records, boost productivity, and focus on your main business without timecard problems. This helps payroll and job costing stay fast and correct.

Your Employees Have No Proof of Their Hours Worked

Payroll mistakes can happen, but a good time tracking system helps fix them quickly. This software records exact work hours, proving employees are paid fairly and protecting the company from disputes and legal trouble. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to keep accurate work hour records to ensure fair pay. Time tracking tools provide real-time, reliable data that helps meet this rule. It benefits both employees, who can see their correct pay, and employers, who avoid legal risks. Using a strong time tracking system builds trust, accuracy, and compliance in managing workers.

Employees Want Things Like Time Tracking to be Easy

Using a simple app is easier than handling old punch cards and time slips. Our app tracks employee hours accurately and in real-time, cutting errors and saving admin time. You can access it from any device, so it’s convenient for both staff and managers. Plus, it’s affordable—you only pay a few dollars per employee each month if they track time, making it a smart and cost-effective way to manage your team.

Digital Time Tracking Is Eco Friendly

Digital time tracking replaces paper timesheets, saving paper, ink, and storage space. This cuts costs and reduces waste, helping the environment. It provides real-time updates, so managers and workers can see accurate hours from anywhere, making remote work easier. This reduces errors like missed hours or mistakes, ensuring correct pay. Automating time tracking saves time on admin tasks, improving business efficiency. In short, digital time tracking lowers costs, increases accuracy, supports green efforts, and boosts productivity.

Employees Want to See Results

Your employees want to be able to look in one central location and check the time they have worked thus far. This is much easier with an app-based system than one involving punch cards. Salaried employees can also track time for each pay period.

As you can see, time tracking is something of a concern for your workers as well as you. That is why it is vital to have the right tools for the job.

With an effective construction time tracking program in place, you will never worry that things are not being tracked as they should. Moreover, your workers can relax with the knowledge that you will pay them accurately for the hours put in on the job. That sounds like a win-win situation for everyone!