Time and attendance tracking is a key function of every HR department. This is to ensure that all employees are fulfilling their obligations and that the company is in compliance with various regulations.
Without a time and attendance system in place, it can be difficult for the HR department to track and monitor attendance. Over the course of year, HR representatives must account for vacation days, sick time and other types of absences. Below is a look at why attendance tracking is so crucial for an enterprise.
Compliance and attendance
Attendance and insurance coverage don't seem like they'd have much of an effect on each other, however the two are tied together by the Affordable Care Act. The federal mandate stipulates that any company with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees must offer group health insurance. Previously, we've discussed how to calculate full-time status under the ACA, which is affected by attendance.
As a result, it's crucial for HR departments to monitor every working hour so they can produce an accurate report. The total count will affect whether your organization has to comply with the new ACA law.
Further, it's crucial to have a time and attendance system if you have a remote workforce. A cloud-based tool will ensure that you can carefully monitor your virtual employees.
Morale and repercussions
Tracking is also important for avoiding potential staffing issues. The Nest explains that employees will resent a colleague who is consistently absent because the ones in attendance will have to cover that person's work. As a result, some staff members will have to delay their own projects in order to ensure other assignments are handled.
The news source goes on to note that continual absences will hurt morale because employees will feel that management isn't taking necessary steps to prevent a growing problem. This means that workers will become disengaged with their work and may start missing work because they don't believe there are any repercussions. Additionally, some professionals may start looking for new opportunities because they're so unhappy that their employers allow some staff members to abuse the attendance policy.
Ultimately, it's the HR department's job to ensure that everyone shows up to work on a regular basis. This is the only way to ensure that associates don't resent each other and become agitated with a company.