Written by: Allied Time
In 1888, Willard Bundy would create the first time clock to help businesses track the number of hours an employee worked. Nowadays, offshoots of his invention remain, including fingerprint time clocks, traditional time-stamp devices, and even biometric clocks. While each type of device has its features and benefits, they all help accomplish one goal: track an employee’s worked hours. And if you have been tasked with buying a device, know that not all devices work best for your industry. So here’s a short list of features and device types you want to be aware of.
Buy a Device For Your Industry
Say you’re in the construction business. You spend a few hundred dollars on a few biometric time clocks that gather data using unique input methods, like a fingerprint or facial scan. You settle on a fingerprint input method. But most workers notice a difficult time clocking out because of the dried gravel, cement or dirt lodged around their fingerprints. So instead of being able to use a device, you’re stuck with a product that hardly works.
And while it’s true that most high-end clocks work well at keeping time, you want a device ideal for your industry. Standalone devices that print time stamps on paper are best for rugged, long-term usage, while biometric devices or networked products function better for office settings.
Features
The type of device you purchase determines the kinds of features you will receive. For example, a time machine that hooks up to a network can automatically track employee data. However, networked devices may not be the most tamper-proof products. Sure, they help make payroll easier, but they won’t necessarily lower your ROI. Instead, devices like biometric clocks can prevent any tampering and include automatic time tracking to either a network or a cloud.
Some biometric clocks come with additional features, which are meant to simplify the duties of employee record keeping. These features range from cloud storage to software that keeps the device operational after its purchase. Plus, some companies may offer technical support. Aside from these features, the automatic time tracking makes payroll easy, while providing payroll managers a list of time tracking features to determine week, month and yearly averages.
So if you’re tasked with becoming a user expert in time clocks, you’ll want to understand how a device isn’t always ideal for your industry. Instead, the industry should determine the device and its features.