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Business is a team game. A lot has been written about the culture of working in a team in modern companies. A team of specialists will always perform faster and more productively than any individual. Any successful team’s basic building block is trust. But even on a scale of 5 to 10, people’s trust has to be backed up by actions. When the results are due, it becomes obvious if the trust is mutual and justified.
The latest continuous trend for the modern workspace is accurate and humane efficiency tracking. This is not just another management lifehack list. A good time tracker is not just a timesheet with the functionality of a card-punching machine. However, many of the most known (and sadly – used) of today’s tools appear to be just that. Is there a way to build a strong team from scratch and create a trustworthy atmosphere within a collective while still getting things done and accounted for?
What is wrong with today’s efficiency control tools?
It seems that tracking the working hours is not rocket science and must not be as much trouble as it actually is. On one hand, there are just too many tools for that: often they are adopted not in an informed way, but in a bizarre “shopping spree” way. Moreover, some tools are designed for a specific industry; therefore, are very comfy for just one part of your team. As a result, we’ve got two or three incompatible tools and a mess in the final report.
On the other hand, statistics show that more than 1 out of 3 time-tracking systems is outdated. Just 25% of us who track time use any apps at all. 38% of us use manual systems such as punch cards and paper timesheets. In addition, 80% of these timesheets have to be corrected. As a reason for that, the surveyed employees state, “Because I can’t remember.” While the monthly timesheet is a rare beast in the US, 67% percent submit their timesheets daily or weekly, while only 22% submit timesheets twice a month. It is obvious that the “old school” toolkit isn’t working for you, but rather against you.
Why time tracking is useful at any level of the organization?
It helps an employee:
- Develop time management skills
- Always know where the time has gone
- Be able to provide a clear achievement rate
Line manager:
- Be able to set adequate tasks and deadlines
- Understand the capabilities of each team member
- Give more space for timeline changes
Executive:
- Have a better understanding of the day-to-day business
- Have the ability to prioritize tasks and projects
- Have a way to make more informed and realistic plans
How to keep track of the results without the fuss and drama?
It is obvious that the new era of work ethics is here – starting with open space/hub etiquette to the extent of remote virtual offices as a routine practice. That is why efficiency tracking and timesheets should evolve, too. So, what does it take to make an employee time-tracking system easier and better? Over 85% of the best-in-class companies integrate their time and attendance system with their payroll system (Aberdeen Group).
PPM Express Time tracking allows for a smoother and more accurate payroll process, as well as other integrations with multiple time-tracking tools your team may have chosen and deployed earlier. For example, you can intertwine your Trello, Wrike, and JIRA straight into your timesheet, and the data will compile in one concise report. Also, it enables employees to request paid time off through the system, so the manager can see and approve or deny the specific time requested. Employers are also able to select from a variety of options that fits their company’s needs and edit the record later, if necessary.
The average worker is reported to spend 13 hours a week on emails. 96% of workers claim that they have guessed how much time they’ve spent on emails (Gallup). Email overload is even costing organizations billions. PPM Express Time is also seamlessly compatible with your Office 365 – it automatically calculates the time spent in various apps — from Outlook to Word — straight into the tracker. That frees you from both guestimations and the need to remember when exactly you’ve started writing the letter and notice when you’ve finished. That alone saves the enterprise millions of dollars yearly and empowers employees to be productive, not just busy with the routine task of filling in the timesheet.
Employees who believe their workplace effectively use their time and has useful tech solutions instead of updated invasive ones are more creative, satisfied, and productive at work (Economic unit). A responsive, user-friendly web design and a progressive, intuitive interface are one of the must-haves of a time-tracking tool in 2018.
PPM Express Time gives you an opportunity to be in tune with the whole team. The survey conducted by the economic unit highlighted the relevance of user-oriented technology to business success. It suggests that friendly, easy-to-use tech presence CEOs and PMOs (along with HR) with an opportunity to improve their business performance by shaping their organization’s employee experience.
Three out of four employees in the United States believe employers don’t give them access to the latest technology to do their job efficiently (Staples). Employees’ perceptions should never be disregarded. Since the majority of US workers believe they aren’t provided with the latest technology, you should ensure your own employees are comfortable with the tools they use every day. The National Business Research Institute suggests that equipping employees with suitable tools that speed up work and do not drag each of their teammates down is the right way to spur productivity.