Operations

Best Time and Attendance Systems

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Ever spend a Friday evening doing timesheets? Instead of going home on time? It stinks. That’s why we researched the best options to help you never worry about timesheets, clock-ins, tracking, and compliance again. We found Kronos the best for most businesses. It’s adaptable and offers deep feature sets. Today you can permanently wash away the stench of manual timesheet and attendance management.

The Best Time and Attendance Software for Most

Kronos Logo

Kronos

Best For Most

Empower your teams with time and attendance options that make it easy to manage time off, payroll, and scheduling from one dashboard. Simplify tedious tasks while improving productivity. While customizing a specific product suite for your business.

Kronos is simple to use, easy to manage, and creates consistency in your business. You can use automated payroll and eliminate confusion in a few clicks.

Kronos not only provides all these critical features, but it also holds employees accountable by making timesheets available on a mobile device from anywhere service is available. Employees are empowered to keep their schedules, vacation, and time cards accurate. Not the manager.

The 6 Best Time and Attendance Systems:

  1. Kronos – Best for most
  2. Deel – Best for tracking remote workforce time and attendance
  3. iSolved Time – Best for growing your business
  4. uAttend – Best for small businesses
  5. Tsheets – Best for Quickbooks integration
  6. TimeClock Plus – Best secured access control for large businesses 

When It Makes Sense to Invest in Time and Attendance Systems

Whether you have two or 20 employees, documenting minutes worked and time away from work helps with wage compliance, while also providing potentially useful information about performance and productivity. 

On the most basic level, there’s no excuse not to have a system in place that helps your payroll team do their jobs better, without relying on imprecise manual tracking methods.

Safeguarding against employee time theft is another big issue that’s addressed in these platforms. Small business owners and major corporations alike suffer from this. Having a reliable time and attendance system helps prevent this kind of abuse.

Plus, it can help managerial staff identify areas where people power is being used inefficiently. It’s not always about preventing employee misconduct. You can use time and attendance tracking data to better utilize your workforce. 

If you have a small business, even one with a few employees, you can help your everyday workload by automating time and attendance gathering and tracking. 

If this sounds like something you feel would benefit your business, keep reading as we dive deeper into the five best systems we have found and tips for how you can select which one best serves your business. 

#1 – Kronos  —  Best for Most

Kronos Logo

Kronos

Best For Most

Empower your teams with time and attendance options that make it easy to manage time off, payroll, and scheduling from one dashboard. Simplify tedious tasks while improving productivity. While customizing a specific product suite for your business.

Kronos owns the market for a small or medium-sized business. They can adapt to be industry-specific and caters to any business model, making them ideal for most businesses. Monitoring labor time and attendance, data collection, and everyday tasks are masterfully automated through state-of-the-art tracking software. 

Using Kronos promotes a highly engaged working environment that drives better results. Kronos even helps with recruiting and retaining employees. 

The thing we love the most about Kronos is how they have different suites that can accommodate your industry’s particular needs. Find a custom Kronos solution for your niche, as it has for clients in the banking, manufacturing, education, and retail industries, among many others.

Kronos offers two distinct suites for timekeeping, Dimensions and Ready.

Workforce Dimensions timekeeping separates tools for managing salaried and hourly workers, offers real-time data and visibility reporting, and automates manual processes to streamline payroll while avoiding manual errors. 

Workforce Ready timekeeping is a great tool for HR departments. It offers customization with flexible pay rules for employees and higher visibility through its real-time data collection and reporting. Plus, employee and manager self-service tools allow everyone to keep tabs on attendance and compliance with leave policies. 

Both platforms do a lot to ensure compliance and assist with effective staffing, no matter your industry.

You can get a product suite as simple or as complex as you want, it really depends on what your business needs are. But regardless of the solution you choose, Kronos is secure, safe, reliable, and knowledgeable about your industry-specific needs. Get a free demo of Kronos.

#2 – Deel — The Best for Tracking Remote Workforce Time and Attendance

Deel logo

Deel

Best for Tracking Remote Workforce Time and Attendance

Having employees who are working remotely track their time and attendance is significantly easier with Deel. It gives employees a clear set of rules to follow when clocking in and out, ensuring they work the appropriate number of hours each week. It has other HR features, too, for tracking things like PTO.

Having a global, remote workforce doesn’t mean your company has to give up trying to accurately track hours worked. With Deel, you receive an HR software package that includes a time clock employees can use, as well as attendance tracking.

Whether you need to track time to pay workers their hourly wages or you need to track time so you can properly bill your clients, Deel has the features you need. The software works for full-time remote workers, part-time remote workers, freelancers, and independent contractors.

By tracking this information inside Deel, it’s easier for remote freelancers and independent contractors to submit accurate invoices. This speeds up the process of paying them, keeping them more engaged.

Deel template signup page.

You can integrate your company’s attendance rules directly into Deel as well.

Additionally, Deel offers a template that helps you clarify your time tracking and attendance policies. Remote workers will have a clear understanding of the rules they need to follow, which keeps everyone on the same page.

Should you have to implement different employment rules based on the remote worker’s country, you can track these accurately in Deel as well. Deel helps you manage compliance in dozens of countries, based on the local laws and regulations for employees.

Beyond basic time and attendance tracking, Deel also gives you the chance to track PTO and similar benefits. Should employees have the ability to take vacation days, personal days, and sick leave, Deel can help you accurately track the time off each employee has taken.

Because of the ability to clearly track PTO within Deel, employees are never unsure where they stand. Your PTO policy is also available within the software for employee review at any time.

If you want to determine whether Deel is a good fit for your company, request a free demo today.

#3 –  iSolved Time — Best for Growing Your Business

iSolved Time Logo

iSolved Time

Best Time and Attendance System if You Want to Grow Your Business

Get all the help you need to grow your business with employees you can track. Make sure time and attendance are accurate and you’re not wasting money. This time and attendance software makes proper payroll and time management easy to collect with multi-time collection options.

iSolved Time is an excellent solution for time and attendance when your company is going to scale larger. Through this platform, you have access to several helpful services. 

iSolved provides a simple way for managers, supervisors, employees, and business owners to manage their own time tracking. The software helps eliminate manual timesheets and clunky time tracking procedures with organized and accurate time and attendance management. 

The time and attendance software for iSolve is very flexible. Use physical time clocks or mobile apps to track time.

You don’t have to add physical time clocks if you don’t want to, because of the cloud-based capabilities that give you 24/7 access. It’s really great that you can have access no matter where you are. 

Setup is a breeze—it’s quick and painless for you and your team to get up and running. What we liked is the training available for using it. Use iSolved University to learn how to best wield the software through a personalized learning management system that offers step-by-step guides, webinars, and more, available 24/7. 

The reporting and time collection scales with you as you grow, offering the same simplicity as you add more employees. 

Take a look at some of the top features you can use:

  • Time management tools
  • HR integration
  • Scheduling tools 
  • Remote worker and multi-worksite accommodations
  • Multiple time collection methods  

The payroll and human resource management solutions can transform this software into a full-blown Human Capital Management platform, adding to your ability to scale your business.

With the suite of features dedicated to time and attendance, payroll, and human resource management, you get essentially multiple useful pieces of software in one platform that stays with you over the long haul. Get a free demo today.

#4 – uAttend  —  Best for Small Businesses

uAttend Logo

uAttend

Best for Small Businesses

If you have a very small business uAttend is the perfect solution, use mobile app access to check time sheets and geofencing to restrict punches to specific locations. And the cloud based dashboard gives you instant access to review your entire team's time and attendance at a glance.

uAttend is the simple way small businesses can manage time and attendance. The powerful and affordable software offers you an alternative to the traditional time clock. 

Through uAttend, you have cloud access to data and reporting, which allows you to properly manage your team from anywhere when connected to Wi-Fi. See who’s working, who was late or missed a punch, and countless other reports that help you run your business.

The uAttend time and attendance scheduling system turns your workforce management into a seamless opportunity to save time and money with the use of one easy-to-control system. 

The hardware also offered by uAttend helps with your time and attendance tracking while keeping your employees’ data protected. 

RFID cards customized to your business can also be purchased, making signing in automatic and taking care of payroll a snap with Quickbooks integration. 

The JR2000 touch tablet allows your team multiple ways to sign in, either with a fingerprint or RFID badge access. Easy-to-navigate controls are managed with a touch screen that is intuitive and gives you world-class technology you can rely on to keep your small business running smoothly.

Pricing is easy to understand, scalable, and affordable enough to be appealing for most small businesses. 

Companies using uAttend that have up to 9 employees pay $20/month, allowing use of up to two time clocks, administrator access for one admin, and unlimited spreadsheet exports. Pricing scales up to 10-19 employees is $34/month for 10 to 19 employees, $59/month for 20 to 49 employees, and so on.

Add-ons include $6/month for each additional administrator and a flat $5 extra per month to be able to export to file formats other than .CSV.

As you can see, with uAttend, you have multiple plug-and-play solutions for managing time and attendance and attractive price points that cater to smaller businesses.

#5 – Tsheets —  Best for Quickbooks Integration 

Tsheets Logo

Tsheets

Best Time and Attendance System for Quickbooks Integration

Easily manage your remote team with integrated options that make paying and managing your team a synch, the wifi enabled dashboard keeps you in the know no matter where your employees may be stationed. And with technology that allows you to track employees even if wifi is not available makes workforce management state of the art.

Lots of companies use Quickbooks and if you do too, you’re likely to want Quickbooks integration from your time and attendance software. Tsheets is Quickbooks’ own time and attendance management platform, so you know it will integrate perfectly with your accounting.

But Tsheets offers way more than just a Quickbooks-integrated time and attendance solution. You can send invoices to remote workers, manage breaks and meeting times, and craft flexible schedules. Publish and share schedules with workers anywhere with a push of a button. 

Having a staff that is virtual can cause multiple problems if you’re not using integrated software to manage your team. Tsheets uses a GPS time tracker and geofencing technology, so you can manage your flexible, remote, or mobile workforce and see who is on the clock and where they are working.  

Update time and attendance on any device from virtually anywhere and set reminders for remote staff for when to take a break or get back to work. 

With Tsheets’ primary web application, employees and admins can easily capture, submit, and approve critical requests from a smartphone. 

Another thing we love about Tsheets is the dual sign-in security. Each employee has a  four-digit PIN and you can also utilize biometric facial recognition, preventing buddy punching and ensuring your workers are actually on the job. 

Here is a look at a few use cases where Tsheets really shines:

  • Remote and mobile employees
  • Businesses who have employees in multiple locations
  • Landscapers and construction workers
  • Taxi and commercial drivers
  • Delivery employees

Two pricing plans are available. Premium is $20 plus $8 per user per month, offering:

  • Real-time reporting
  • Employee scheduling
  • Time clock kiosk with facial recognition
  • Quickbooks integration
  • Payroll and invoicing
  • Unlimited live support
  • Time off management

The Elite plan runs you $40 plus $10 per user per month, adding these capabilities:

  • All premium features included
  • Project tracking progress
  • Project activity feed and messaging 
  • Timesheet signatures
  • Geofencing

You can try out either with a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. 

Tsheets is great for businesses already running Quickbooks, but it also plays nice with other platforms like Gusto and Expensify. Either way, it’s a great solution for any business wanting to easily manage workers on the go or not in a central office. 

Get a free demo of Tsheets.

#6 – TimeClock Plus — Best Secured Access Control For Large Businesses

TimeClock Plus Logo

TimeClock Plus

Best Secured Access Control for Large Businesses

Workforce Management is simplified for your large business with TimeClock Plus. Flexible plans that only give you what you need create a seamless attendance and scheduling system that eliminates complexity usually present when running a large business. Customize your workforce dashboard for your business and manage your large employee base with confidence.

TimeClock Plus is your large business solution for time and attendance management. Though available for small businesses, TimeClock handles complex labor, exceptions, and compliance on a massive scale with ease. 

Government, higher education, manufacturing, healthcare, and enterprise construction organizations use this high-caliber technology to easily control workflow, payroll, scheduling, and much more. 

The wide range of services provided can be customized to suit your business needs, giving you everything you need and nothing you don’t. 

State-of-the-art security measures baked into the software allow you to set up door locks preventing unauthorized access to rooms or buildings. If your large business that requires complex security needs, this is a wonderful addition to your already safe and secure facility. 

Another positive quality of TimeClock Plus is the over 50 integrations available at your disposal. 

Yes, time and attendance, payroll, and scheduling are at the heart of this platform, but its integration with popular platforms and custom enhancements allow for better automation, which is paramount for massive businesses that cannot afford to waste time on simple things which can be automated.  

Let’s look at the wide range of time clocks you can utilize:

  • Proximity clocks for optimized efficiency and speed
  • Biometric clocks using hand and fingerprint scanning
  • PIN entry clocks 
  • Web clock for time management online
  • Magnetic swipe clocks where you can use new or pre-existing magstripe cards

Time and attention to detail is a mainstay of TimeClock Plus. A personal advisor will consult with you to determine your standards and the needs of your business. Custom setup and training come standard. 

Pricing is determined on the solutions you need, but you can expect to pay a higher premium for such impeccable software, integration, and service. 

Methodology for Choosing the Best Time and Attendance System

Choosing the best time and attendance system is a major component to managing your business and you want to get it right. We want you to consider the methodology used to compile this list and use it as a guide so you come away with the best system for your business. 

Here are the things we looked at to create this list in order to help you choose the best solution. 

Business Size and Your Needs

Startup, micro, small, and large organizations will all have different requirements and goals for time and attendance software. It’s important to find the solutions that work well for the size of your business. 

There are several small details you must consider. The companies on this list all charge differently based on your staff size. Biometric, RFID, and extra security measures may not be what you need if you only have a staff of four or five. 

If you’re looking to scale your business, it’s wise to choose a company that can grow with you from infancy to full blown adulthood. This prevents having to establish an entirely new system if you become larger and have to hire more staff over time and also begin to hire employees in remote locations or decide to open new offices elsewhere. 

Time Clock Solutions and Security

How your staff clocks their time will matter. 

Do you have a central facility that requires an ID badge, facial recognition, or a simple four digit PIN code? Does your business have higher level administrators who need security clearance? 

All of these questions require detailed planning in order to make sure your business runs smoothly and you are not losing out on money because workers are not able to sign in efficiently. 

A smaller business—like an arts and crafts store, for example—most likely won’t need a fingerprint scanner or even hardware to manage time and attendance. But a sophisticated tech company will need to make sure certain applications, areas of the building, and specific technology are not tampered with, so higher security measures and biometric recognition are higher priorities for this type of organization and should be considered.

Physical Hardware

Will you need applications that allow your staff to sign in and out from various locations? 

Another important factor is if you will need hardware for time and attendance. Time clocks are perfect for employees that work onsite regularly. Being able to punch in and out upon arrival and departure makes sense. 

If your employees are remote or service providers that work with clients out in the field would not require physical hardware and in this case you would be making a better choice to choose a cloud based provider. Kronos offers both options with a simple to use self-service dashboard making it easy to update schedules and payroll from just about anywhere. 

Web-based solutions offer flexibility and GPS tracking allows you to see workers, and give them access to up their schedule, sign out for required lunches and breaks, or even request vacation time seamlessly without the need for hardware. This list provides you with all the options you need to make the best decision no matter what you need for your business. 

Integration software

You will need to do more than track time and attendance. 

Payroll, scheduling, sick-time management, and more all happen smoothly with added integrations. Having a time and attendance system that offers this option is a huge bonus. 

On this list you will find providers that offer up to over 60 popular integration options, making workforce management extremely simple. 

The key is to look for a solution that easily integrates with your choice of scheduling software or payroll management system. Most on the list come with these features as part of the standard plan. 

Kronos Logo

Kronos

Best For Most

Empower your teams with time and attendance options that make it easy to manage time off, payroll, and scheduling from one dashboard. Simplify tedious tasks while improving productivity. While customizing a specific product suite for your business.

Summary

What is the best time and attendance system on the market? These five are our recommendations as the stand outs. 

The best option for you depends on your needs, but using this methodology lends a helping hand you can reach for whenever you decide it’s time to get started. 

Use this list as your guide, it will lead you towards your best solution and save you time and money while scaling, and managing your business.  


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