Time and attendance management systems for your Hospitality Business
Ever-increasing staff costs are putting further pressure on hospitality businesses that rely on seasonal staff during peak periods. Counteracting these pressures isn’t easy, but with careful consideration, certain strategic investments can alleviate the strain of these changes. One such investment is in time and attendance management systems for your hospitality business, getting the right system in place can yield benefits to both employers and employees alike.
In this blog we will look at:
- The benefits of having a time and attendance management systems for your hospitality business,
- The different types of time and attendance management systems for your hospitality business, and
- Whether or not you should invest in a time and attendance management systems for your hospitality business
The Benefits of Time and Attendance Management Systems
Employee Benefits
Accurate Compensation
Employees are fairly compensated for every hour worked. An effective system will ensure no hours are missed and that they are paid for every shift.
Visibility of Work Commitments
Many systems will also include scheduling systems, meaning employees can quickly see their upcoming work commitments.
Systemised Communication
Having a system in place for employees to indicate availability and book leave promotes a healthy work/life balance.
Business Benefits
Compliance Assurance
Ensures adherence to Working Time Regulations/Working Time Directive legislation. A proper system will help you ensure that you remain compliant with labour laws.
Increased efficiency
The more complex systems are now actually predicting demand and matching the workforce to demand for you! In addition to this, these system reduce the time spent submitting payroll data. Especially beneficial for staff-intensive hospitality businesses, who often pay staff weekly
Avoiding payroll errors
Minimises the risk of payroll errors, providing accurate data for submission and avoiding costly mistakes. Collected data can be analysed to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement in workforce management.
Improved punctuality
Holds employees accountable for attendance, promoting punctuality and simplifying scheduling.
Reduced time loss
Prevents time manipulation, such as logging hours in the past or future, and eliminates “buddy punching” with advanced biometric and GPS systems.
Types of Time and Attendance Management Systems
There are numerous types of Time and Attendance management systems, and many solutions will offer a range of different features, so it’s important to choose the right ones for your business.
Basic time clocks
Spreadsheets or paper records are still widely used to record staff time, either by management or through collaboration with the staff members themselves. These can include trust-based systems where employees are trusted to submit working hours at the end of the pay period. These solutions are free and quick to set up but suffer from several limitations.
Time clock apps
Dedicated apps for clocking in and out can be downloaded by staff to their phones or put on a device within the business premises. Many EPOS systems offer this feature as part of the software within till systems. Allows for attendance to be managed in a centralized dashboard and for data analysis to assist manual scheduling. Staff can use a PIN code, log in details, or a barcode system to clock in and out. Many of these systems will ensure staff cannot tamper with the times.
Software attendance systems
More comprehensive systems include scheduling capability, the ability to book leave, report illnesses, and store employee information. Many will also offer the option for communications between staff members, or to send out generic notifications.
Automated scheduling systems
Automated and intelligent systems integrate time and attendance tracking with employee scheduling, helping organizations optimize staffing levels and manage shifts effectively by offering staffing suggestions and picking up on scheduling conflicts.
Biometrics and GPS systems
Where management cannot always be present, or there exists a history of difficulty managing staff attendance, more robust systems are more widely available and affordable to implement. Fingerprint or Facial Recognition systems can be used for clocking in and out, meaning that staff physically present to record attendance. GPS tracking may be used to verify the location of employees, particularly for remote work or field jobs or where a central terminal cannot be fitted.
Should I invest in a Time and Attendance Management System?
Before making the decision, evaluate the specific needs of your hospitality business. Consider factors like:
- the size of your workforce,
- the complexity of your scheduling needs, and
- the current challenges you face in managing time and attendance.
For smaller establishments with a stable and manageable staff roster, the investment might not yield significant returns. However, for larger operations experiencing difficulties in tracking time, managing overtime, or dealing with frequent scheduling changes, the investment can lead to substantial cost savings and productivity improvements.
Additionally, the choice of system should align with your existing IT infrastructure, ensuring ease of integration and user-friendliness for both management, staff and payroll provider.
It’s also critical to consider the system’s scalability and flexibility! As your business grows or evolves, your time and attendance management system should be able to adapt without necessitating a complete overhaul. Seeking feedback from similar businesses that have implemented these systems can provide valuable insights into their practical benefits and limitations.
Choosing the right Time and Attendance Management System provider…
Investing in the right system can be a game-changer for businesses navigating the challenges of rising minimum wage rates. Over the coming weeks, the EOG team will be researching the market for time and attendance systems, and chatting with customers and experts to compile a list of our favourite time and attendance systems. Follow our socials for updates on the results!
