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As per a study by the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), the Southeast Asian (SEA) region has witnessed a significant increase – almost 50% rise in response — in the adoption of a hybrid work model in the post-COVID era.
This shift reflects a monumental change in the priorities of the SEA workforce over the past three years.
There are, in fact, many more studies that point to the SEA workforce’s steady inclination towards a more flexible work model.
For instance, Mercer’s Global Talent Trends Study 2023 has revealed that 69% of Thai employees want to work remotely or in a hybrid manner on a permanent basis. Another study conducted in Singapore in 2022 pointed out that 78% employees say they are feeling burnt out at their workplace and want an approach that promotes work-life balance.
While employees demand flexibility, from an organization’s point of view, remote or even hybrid work models mean an added complexity of managing employee time and attendance. This remains a challenge for many businesses.
Overcoming the Challenges With Time & Attendance Management Software
Given that poor attendance management can result in decreased business productivity and lower turnover rate, organizations need to have robust tech solutions to manage employee time and attendance. Conventional methods of manually tracking attendance are no longer a sustainable option. Traditional methods such as paper-based systems or spreadsheets have been susceptible to errors while taking time to be maintained and lacking real-time insights.
A cutting-edge solution that plays a key role in cultivating a workplace culture centred around accountability and responsibility is a time and attendance management software. By automating and streamlining attendance tracking processes, an employee time and attendance software not only simplifies administrative tasks but also enhances efficiency in managing employee attendance.
With the best attendance tracking software, organizations in regions like SEA where the workforce wants flexibility, can ensure accurate records while enabling people to achieve work-life harmony. In this blog, we will look at how a time & attendance management software can help HR teams across the SEA region in managing employee time and attendance.
1. Better Time Management
With a time and attendance management software, businesses can gain a host of advantages –
- Simplified process of employee clock-ins and outs
- Substantial reduction in the time required for manual tracking of employee hours.
- Effortlessly monitor overall employee attendance, breaks, overtime, and adherence to work.
Employers can easily track late arrivals, early departures, missed punches, and absences with a single interface, enabling quick resolution of any discrepancies.
This is important given that time theft is a serious corporate issue and almost 75% of businesses suffer from it.
A time and attendance software can also automatically generate reports on attendance trends, equipping HR managers to proactively address attendance issues. It empowers employers to effectively allocate resources and optimize their workforce, ultimately lowering labor expenses.
2. Efficient Shift Scheduling
Shift scheduling is crucial for sustaining a round-the-clock work schedule while preventing employee burnout.
Studies have shown that HR managers waste 20% of their time in manually creating work schedules.
Automated time and attendance management software enables seamless scheduling, empowering managers to create shifts using analytics and reports to ensure uninterrupted employee availability. With shift group configuration, managers can create shifts as per roles or departments, improving the allocation process.
A time and attendance software also facilitates more efficient workload distribution between shifts, especially during peak hours. Additionally, it enables prompt notification of shift changes, allowing employees to better plan their schedules, reducing absenteeism. Employees easily know the shifts assigned to them and can request changes if any. They can also apply for leave that can be approved by managers directly through the software. This process reduces conflicts between shifts, leading to a better balance of the workload and preventing employee burnout.
3. Enhanced Accuracy
Manual time tracking is susceptible to errors which can sometimes lead to a huge expense for employers. A time and attendance management software is known for its high accuracy and reliability, significantly diminishing the likelihood of errors.
It not only helps employers in avoiding overpayments or underpayments to their employees but also reduces the risk of legal complications and labor disputes. Automated time and attendance tracking guarantees that employees are compensated for the hours they actually worked, rather than the hours they were scheduled to work.
4. Better Compliance
Countries in the SEA region, like Singapore, enforce strict labor laws and regulations that employers have to adhere to. A time and attendance software can be a powerful tool in this regard, ensuring accurate tracking of employee hours and full compliance with labor laws.
Through automated time tracking, employers can easily oversee and address employee breaks, overtime, and other labor-related matters, guaranteeing their alignment with legal requirements. Data generated through the software is also instrumental in supporting the organization’s commitment towards the rights of employees.
5. Improved Employee Engagement
A time and attendance management software helps employees to easily track their hours and view their schedules, reducing the effort needed to manage their attendance. Employees can, in turn, channel their energy and focus into their work, leading to increased engagement and motivation.
Employers too can easily look at areas where employee engagement can be enhanced – an important step given that employees who are not engaged cost the world $8.8 trillion in lost productivity which is equal to 9% of global GDP.
A time and attendance software also directly contributes to employee satisfaction and happiness. For one, processes like leave approval are faster thanks to automation. Moreover, a unified system also simplifies the management of extensive records, eliminating the need for manual tracking.
6. Enhanced Flexibility
The flexibility factor of a time and attendance management software enables employees to clock in and out at their convenience, from any location, eliminating the necessity for physical time clocks. Automated time tracking empowers HR teams to effectively monitor remote workers, ensuring they also adhere to the prescribed work hours.
7. Easy Integration
Another notable highlight of a time and attendance software is its easy integration with payroll systems. The data gathered by the attendance management system seamlessly integrates with the payroll software, eschewing the need for manual data entry.
Such integration optimizes business operations, diminishing the time and resources needed for employee attendance and payroll management. It also guarantees that employees receive fair compensation based on their actual working hours, resulting in a more efficient and streamlined payroll process.
8. Improved Productivity
Managers and HR teams often find themselves dedicating long hours to closely monitoring employees from the moment they check in until their shift concludes. This time-consuming task not only hinders their productivity but also means a missed opportunity to focus on more strategic business initiatives.
The implementation of a time and attendance management software alleviates this burden by efficiently tracking, monitoring, and updating employee details within the payroll system.
Transforming the Time & Attendance Management System!
A time and attendance management software can significantly contribute to an organization’s efforts in efficiently managing employee attendance data, especially in regions like SEA where employees prefer hybrid or flexible work models.
One of the leading time and attendance software companies in the SEA region is Akrivia HCM. Akrivia HCM is a comprehensive HR solution tailored to optimize workforce management procedures. Equipped with cutting-edge time and attendance management capabilities including biometric access, shift management, leave tracking, and real-time reporting, it is a powerful tool for small businesses and enterprises in SEA to manage their hybrid workforce.
Schedule a demo today to see how the best time and attendance software in 2024 and beyond can transform the way you manage employee time and attendance.
