As we approach a year of companies being forced to remote work, it is time to not only look at current needs regarding tracking employees but the needs of the future.  According to a recent employer survey, office workers say they would like to have the option to work from home more frequently, even after COVID-19 is no longer a threat.  As a matter of fact, 72% of remote workers stated they prefer to work away from the office at least two days a week.

Now the office is not obsolete yet.  Many remote employees miss the interaction with colleagues they do not get from a video call.  For many, it is ‘the meeting after the meeting’ where things actually get done.  This conversation seems to be eroding between workers who are only on the video conference call.

Companies shifted almost their entire office workforce to remote work as the virus spread in the US, and 73% percent of executives say it was a success.  Over half of companies plan to offer work from home at least once a week.

When employees were asked what could help them be more productive while working remotely, three needs rose to the top:

1. Greater flexibility in work hours

Employees with children struggle to manage the time needed exclusively for work and time to help be the ‘teaching assistant’. In addition, those who work and live in a communal space like an apartment complex have no control over when maintenance uses the leaf blower or repairing the roof. These times make it difficult to take a conference call.

2. Better hardware and equipment

Everything must be moved to the cloud in order to be productive and collaborative. Having a designated space for work including proper desks and chairs is also needed to fulfill OSHA and ADA requirements.

3. Clear rules which establish times when people must be available

This is important to managers as well as front-line workers. Knowing when most people are available for collaboration meetings help provide efficiency and improved communication.

While these needs are important, companies must include the ability to track an employee’s time worked. For most companies, these are areas of biggest opportunity.

Solution

A modern time and attendance system resolves many of these issues.  Going forward, time and attendance systems have the following:

  • Flexible to allow employees multiple ways to punch in for work.
  • A cloud-based system so punches are immediately recorded and easily transferred to payroll
  • Multiple ways to punch. They may need a desktop version when working from home, a mobile version when meeting with a client, and a device that reads an employee’s temperature when they go into the office.
  • Ability to ask health screening questions and have them tracked for future contact tracing requirements

If business leaders learned anything from these last few months, it is flexibility not only makes workers more productive but also builds employee morale. This ultimately helps organizations retain talent. Flexible work is a necessity for businesses to compete and thrive in the ever-changing digital economy. Having a way to track flexible scheduling in your environment is also key.  Knowing when and where employees work provides improved communication and less burnout for a remote workforce.

To learn more ways in which we can help your organization with a more modern time and attendance system, contact Time Equipment Company at sales@timeequipment.com or 800-997-8463.