Employee Time Tracking Software to Get Things Done

If you have employees who are paid by the hour then you know how important employee time tracking software is. At first I tried having my employees fill in manual time sheets - I would beg and plead - but they would always come in late.

Then I tried using advance project management software but the employees would moan that it was too complex and hard - with my most vocal employee saying it was not worth the effort.

I was looking for an easy time management software that worked off multiple operating systems and that allowed me to track employees on my mobile. So I decided to road-test DeskTime for employee time management. 

Employee Time Tracking Software Increases Productivity

DeskTime is one of those programs that once loaded onto your computer lurks in the background and records your time used in websites and other applications. 

This is great from my point of view as it is hard to distinguish a productive employee from one that is less committed. They both sit at their desk and they both stare intently at the screen - but one could be focused on their tasks while the other is butterflying across gmail, facebook, and other social media.

Source: DeskTime

Throw in remote workers and teams separated by distance and it is easy to understand management worries about employee productivity.

With DeskTime I was able to see what my team was working on and determine their productive time versus unproductive time at a glance across my team. Here is a screenshot below:

Introducing DeskTime to my team

Research has shown that based on millions of hours of computer time, people used their time 9% more productively after using the time tracking software. 

The data that DeskTime collected was good to get to the 'nitty gritty' of employee accountability and I was careful to use it as a learning opportunity for myself and my staff. 

When introducing the idea of DeskTime to my staff, the last thing I wanted was to be seen as one of those micromanagers - I was keen for my team to improve and get adequate work life balance rather than spend long unproductive hours at the office at the expense of their families. This was a tool to achieve this.

Reduced Payroll Costs

I also found DeskTime a great tool to record the billable hours - which was important for a service-orientated business that bills customers on a time basis.

DeskTime allowed me and my team to track the time they spend on different projects. I was then able to download this data into a CSV file for accurate billing of my customers.

I estimate that this employee time tracking software has saved up to 4% of payroll costs by streamlining the capture. In short I am able spend more time doing and less time bookkeeping.

Related articles on time management software:

A Review of RescueTime Software

Personal Productivity Software

Employee Time Management Software