But many of us overlook the fact that these systems also pay for themselves many times over through litigation mitigation.
Essentials of Employee Recordkeeping
The cornerstone of success in court - or, preferably, the negotiation room - is detailed employee recordkeeping.The problem is: The more manual your system, the less reliable and less detailed your information will be.
For most companies, a general rule of thumb is that the best recordkeeping is done at the time the work is performed, by the employee that did the work.
Recordkeeping Challenges
Many companies are burdened by employee timecards, which are often unreadable, incomplete, or just plain missing.Any signs at all of anything less than 100% unquestionable recordkeeping will leave you open to be challenged.
Another hurdle is the sheer amount of data and paperwork with which you’ll have to contend when you want to maintain detailed records.
Security also needs to be considered. Paper records need to be locked-up physically. Electronic records are kept behind passwords.
Lastly, when data is requested by courts, businesses are only provided a short window to find, report, and present the data.
Paper systems are far more time-consuming and less bulletproof than electronic systems in any courtroom.
How to Protect Yourself with a Recordkeeping System
Recordkeeping systems are often called employee time and attendance systems. They are used to track and manage employee labor, benefits, and so forth.These systems ensure accountability and security, providing clout in the courtroom.
Employees clock their own time each day, and you can have them “sign-off” electronically on their work each week. Supervisors can review and approve time each pay period if you want to go all-out.
Even project tracking is easy with an employee time and attendance system. Since you can have your employees login and report on their own labor, HR involvement in project tracking is limited - shifting it to the applicable department managers.
The challenge of keeping all that data is resolved by employee time and attendance systems, too. If you get a SaaS system that is hosted by a provider, the cost to manage the data is built-into the service.
And presenting it for a case when the need arises is, of course, quick and easy. You just select a date range and employee, and create a report.
Learn More About Recordkeeping Requirements
There are so many different employee recordkeeping requirements set by each level of government that it can be difficult for a business to know what to keep and how long to keep it.Nearly every federal law governing employment has set new and unique recordkeeping requirements for employee labor. In addition, most states, and some local municipalities, also have unique recordkeeping requirements that go beyond the federal requirements.
Learn more about recordkeeping requirements for your business by reading this free article.
Learn More About Recordkeeping Systems
Simplify employee timekeeping with Acumen Data System’s employee time and attendance systems.Acumen’s systems empower you with an extremely powerful set of features and reporting capabilities that go far beyond mere litigation mitigation.
Employee time and attendance systems also help you save money by introducing automation and eliminating the errors associated with manual, paper-based systems.
Learn more about Acumen’s employee time and attendance systems.
About Acumen Data Systems
Acumen Data Systems is a leading provider of employee time and attendance systems and software, as well as other workforce management and business automation software.Acumen's ViewSUITE is a cost effective, robust set of workforce management applications for businesses, including systems and software for employee time and attendance, labor management, HR management, employee scheduling, facility door access control, job tracking, job costing, and shop floor data collection.
Learn more about Acumen’s solutions by calling 888-816-0933 or visiting www.AcumenDataSystems.com.
