We have one timeclock onsite, not super old fashioned, but not the new web subscription. Employees have a pin, they press their pin and then IN or OUT. Simple as that.
Still, every week there are multiple employees that consistently just can’t get it right. Sometimes I can see it and correct it before payroll, even though I have nothing to go off of for corrections other than their memory, which we’ve proven is bad.
Worse is when I can’t tell there’s a problem, and I have people coming into my office on Friday at 4:52 while I’m packing up complaining that they were shorted hours on their paycheck. Hours for which there was no record, and they’ve informed zero people. (I guess it’s assumed I’m omniscient?)
We have a QR code posted next to the timeclock for when someone realizes they’ve made a mistake. They can scan it and within about 15 seconds shoot a message to the office so we have it on file and correct it. I’d say the use rate of that is mid single digits and dropping weekly.
Does anyone else have tips/tricks on how to keep timeclocks accurate and to keep employees accountable for keeping their own time? Is there a better timeclock tool, or location, or standard use procedure?
Any ideas are appreciated. Probably not switching to a cloud managed monthly subscription where I still have to buy my own device though.
I’m not trying to punish people or get away with not paying them. I want my employees to get paid correctly, and to get paid on time. I just need to accomplish that without adding to my workload every week by having to redo stuff at the last possible minute.
You are only allowed to leave the building or arrive at work through one door. The time clock is at that door. There are cameras on every door. HR won’t look at cameras to verify time. So, if you arrive, or leave, and you don’t clock out, you have to go sit in the plant manager’s office, and he has to review the footage, and he complains the ENTIRE TIME, and then bitches and moans, and then checks on you five times to make sure you are clocked in and out, every day, because he hates the cameras, and it’s annoying as hell.
If you leave early, or come in late, you have to text a number, that goes to a thing that prints out a sheet, and then you have to make your manager sign it the next day, and if it’s not turned in, you guessed it, you go sit with the plant manager, and he complains the whole time and it’s so annoying that you’d rather punch in correctly rather than hear him complain, and complain, and say “these awful terrible clunky cameras” and “where did you come in” and “these GD terrible cameras” and why didn’t you clock in, so I don’t have to deal with these cameras? He really hates those cameras, and you honestly feel sorry for him enough that you punch in and out on purpose, just to not have him try to figure out the cameras.
After a few times of that, everybody clocks in and out, and if they don’t, they text the number, and get it signed, and then hand it to HR right away.
It was a sucky process to begin, but it has resolved our issues.
The only thing that was bad though, was one guy was always getting there late, and then the plant manager figured out that he was late, but then a co-worker was clocking him in on time with a PIN number, and, then another co-worker would sometimes clock the two of them in when they were both late, and the plant manager wised up to it, and fired all three of them in one go. That also sucked.