“Time is cash,” mentioned Benjamin Franklin, and that’s by no means extra true than when your small enterprise depends on hourly workers. Monitoring time isn’t nearly paying correct wages or being a stickler for element. Poor time clocking can have an actual administrative impression on your corporation.
When your crew precisely tracks their time it helps you:
- Calculate pay sooner and extra precisely
- Forecast labor wants exactly
- Guarantee authorized compliance
- Save on extra labor prices
- Determine should you can afford to rent extra folks
- Decrease employees turnover and scale back burnout
Realizing the “why” behind time clocking means your employees usually tend to observe precisely, moderately than feeling that you simply’re micromanaging them, accusing them of slacking, or saying that you simply don’t belief them.
Nevertheless it’s robust to remind employees to clock out and in usually with out sounding like a damaged report, and it’s tough to get the tone proper so that you don’t sound petty or authoritarian.
That’s why on this publish we’ve written some instance letters and emails to assist.
We’ve additionally defined how small enterprise administration software program can automate the clocking out and in course of, to save lots of you from having to remind employees to trace in any respect!
How do you remind workers to clock out and in?
It could sound apparent, however step one in asking employees to observe a course of or implement a coverage is to ensure they’re conscious of it and skilled in the way to use it.
Some tried-and-tested strategies embrace:
- Sending an e-mail or letter to employees
- Sending textual content messages or leaving voicemails
- Reminding them in particular person
- Ensuring guidelines are clear in onboarding paperwork
- Together with coverage within the employees handbook and explaining why it’s so necessary
- Placing posters or indicators as much as remind employees to clock out and in when coming into or leaving
What’s extra, implementing automation software program to assist workers to routinely clock out and in can take the burden off them, and make it simpler for them to recollect to maintain these correct data.
Whether or not you like the extra guide method or need to use know-how to simplify the method, it’s necessary to ensure employees perceive why they’re being requested and the way to observe their time appropriately.
Holding periodic coaching periods on how and why to clock out and in appropriately can even enhance the possibility that employees will comply, and enable you to hold data constant and correct.
6 recommendations on writing an e-mail or letter to workers about clocking out and in
When reminding employees of the significance of clocking out and in, there are some tricks to observe that can take your messages from awkward or overbearing to pleasant and efficient.
-
- Preserve it clear and concise. Use quick phrases, sentences, and bullet factors.
- Clarify why it’s necessary — and what occurs if employees don’t comply. Stick with the info with out emotional language. Employees are much less prone to suspect that you simply don’t belief them or are checking in over their shoulder in the event that they perceive how time monitoring impacts the enterprise.
- Embrace a name to motion. Make it clear what you need employees to take action they’ll make the change any longer.
- Stick with the purpose. Don’t remind employees about time clocking guidelines and trip coverage in the identical e-mail. The extra focused and quick the message, the simpler.
- Be well mannered and keep skilled. At all times keep respectful to employees and guarantee your message tone is courteous and sort (even should you’ve needed to remind your crew a thousand instances).
- Be pleasant and finish with thanks. Asking your employees to do one thing is at all times an train in belief, and your tone could make or break crew spirit. Thank them to indicate your appreciation.
You would additionally embrace little extras to spice up compliance much more.
For instance:
- Embrace a really quick video or display screen recording of the way to use the system or app, so employees who study visually can stand up to hurry too.
- “Gamify” the method by working a pleasant competitors to see which employees member (or which division crew) clocks out and in essentially the most precisely over the following month. You would even give a prize to one of the best or most-improved crew member. A platform like Homebase, with its crew communication and shout-out options, makes this even simpler.
Electronic mail on the way to clock out and in
This is usually a normal “the way to” course of e-mail, explaining to employees why correct time clocking is so necessary, and exhibiting step-by-step the way to do it. Stick with the info and be clear and concise.
| Pricey crew members,
That is an introduction to the way to observe our firm’s time monitoring coverage. It’s actually necessary that all of us bear in mind to clock out and in with each shift. As a reminder, you will discover the total coverage right here https://joinhomebase.com/weblog/sample-email-to-employees-for-clocking-in-and-out/. We use [software or system] for clocking out and in. Right here’s our step-by-step information to utilizing it [link, or include the steps below in numbered points or bullet points]. Correct time clocking has a number of benefits for you as workers and for our firm, so it actually helps everybody if all of us decide to appropriately clocking every shift. It helps us to:
Please you should definitely verify our coverage and information to time monitoring and bear in mind to punch in/out in the beginning and finish of each shift. When you’ve got any questions on time monitoring, please ask your supervisor or chat to us right here at HR. Thanks a lot in your assist with this. Finest needs, [Sender’s name or title] |
Letter on the way to clock out and in
This may be similar to the e-mail above, however extra formal.
You might need to ship a letter as a part of an official welcome or onboarding pack, or embrace it as a part of a friendly-but-firm disciplinary course of. You would additionally ship a letter to a brand new employees member or somebody who prefers to not use e-mail. Will probably be handiest when mixed with supporting paperwork, like a how-to information and coverage reminder.
| Pricey [team member’s name],
We’re writing to you with an introduction on the way to observe our firm’s time monitoring coverage. It is vitally necessary that all of us bear in mind to clock out and in with each shift. As a reminder, you will discover the total coverage enclosed with this letter [enclose it on a separate page]. We use [software or system] for clocking out and in. You may learn our step-by-step information to utilizing it [enclosed with this letter, or include the steps below in numbered points or bullet points]. Correct time monitoring has a number of benefits for you as an worker and for our firm, so it helps significantly if all of us decide to appropriately clocking every shift. It helps us to:
Please you should definitely verify our coverage and information to clocking out and in, and bear in mind to do it in the beginning and finish of each shift. When you’ve got any questions on monitoring your time, please ask your supervisor or communicate to us within the HR division. Thanks a lot in your assist with this. Finest needs, [Sender’s name or title] |
Electronic mail on the way to clock out and in when you have got a break
This e-mail is an opportunity to remind employees how necessary it’s for them to take breaks, and the way to make sure their time clock data them precisely. Emphasize the significance of each meticulous time monitoring and break time at work for his or her psychological and bodily well being.
| Pricey crew members,
We’d wish to remind you to precisely report while you take a break mid-shift. It’s actually necessary that all of us bear in mind to clock out and in for each shift, and report breaks correctly. As you realize, we use [software or system] for clocking out and in. Right here’s our step-by-step information to precisely recording your breaks throughout your shift [link, or include the steps below in numbered points or bullet points]. It’s actually necessary so that you can take breaks on shift. It lets you:
It additionally helps us to remain legally compliant as an organization, and cling to necessary labor legal guidelines. As a reminder, you will discover our full-time clocking coverage and why it helps workers and the corporate right here https://joinhomebase.com/weblog/sample-email-to-employees-for-clocking-in-and-out/. When you’ve got any questions on the way to observe breaks, please ask your supervisor or chat to us right here at HR. Thanks a lot in your assist with this. Finest needs, [Sender’s name or title] |
Electronic mail about following the clocking in/out coverage
You might be prompted to ship this e-mail within the occasion that some employees aren’t following the coverage appropriately, nevertheless it’s necessary to not single anybody out particularly.
Give your employees the good thing about the doubt, and at all times assume accountability if somebody isn’t following the foundations (in spite of everything, it’s your job to assist them accomplish that).
It could be that they haven’t fairly understood what’s anticipated, are fighting the method, or are busy and simply want a reminder. Even should you’ve reminded them a thousand instances, keep respectful and take this as a possibility to calmly reiterate your coverage.
| Pricey crew members,
We’d wish to remind you to clock in and clock out for each single shift. We’ve seen that some folks haven’t been recording time precisely, so we wished to reiterate that it’s actually necessary to trace time appropriately. We all know it may be tough to recollect, so we’d similar to to remind everybody once more the way to do it, as all of us can use a refresher at times.
Correct time clocking has a number of benefits for you as workers and for our firm — together with paying you precisely, avoiding burnout, and ensuring we’ve sufficient folks on shift — so it actually helps everybody if all of us make it a behavior to trace time appropriately every shift. As a reminder, you will discover the full-time clock coverage right here https://joinhomebase.com/weblog/sample-email-to-employees-for-clocking-in-and-out/. Please you should definitely verify the coverage and information to clocking out and in, and bear in mind to do it in the beginning and finish of each shift. When you’ve got any questions on time clocking, aren’t certain should you’re doing it proper, or are working into any issues, please ask your supervisor or chat with us in HR. There will probably be no judgment, we simply need to be certain that everybody is aware of the way it works. Thanks a lot in your assist with this. Finest needs [Sender’s name or title] |
Electronic mail on the way to clock out and in when there’s a time change
It’s necessary to ensure employees know that they nonetheless want to trace time precisely even within the occasion of a last-minute change. Platforms like Homebase make it straightforward for workers to modify shifts, and so that you can talk last-minute changes to their schedule with out confusion.
However employees might imagine that as a result of it’s last-minute or they’re stepping in for one more coworker, they might not want to trace time precisely. Right here’s how to ensure they proceed to clock out and in even in these conditions.
| Pricey crew members,
We’d wish to remind you that even should you change or change shifts with a coworker on the final minute, it’s nonetheless actually necessary to clock out and in for each shift and report your breaks, similar to for some other shift. That is so your timesheets, hours, and breaks are correct, and we are able to pay you appropriately for the shifts you’ve labored. This is applicable even when:
As you realize, we use [software or system] for clocking out and in. Right here’s our step-by-step information to precisely clocking out and in [link, or include the steps below in numbered points or bullet points]. As a reminder, you will discover our full-time clocking coverage and why it helps workers and the corporate right here https://joinhomebase.com/weblog/sample-email-to-employees-for-clocking-in-and-out/. When you’ve got any questions on the way to observe time or change shifts, please ask your supervisor or chat with us right here at HR. Thanks a lot in your assist with this. Finest needs, [Sender’s name or title] |
Automated clocking out and in
Reminding workers to clock out and in is simpler you probably have templates to observe. However even manually sending reminders about time clock guidelines for hourly workers can get time-consuming, as can protecting observe of who you’ve not too long ago reminded and who might use one other nudge.
That’s why automating and digitizing your complete system — from sending reminders to the precise time clocking itself — is such a business-savvy concept.
A platform like Homebase streamlines your total clocking out and in coverage and course of, rising timesheet accuracy and decreasing your workload.
Homebase allows your corporation to:
- Flip machine units into time clocks. Employees can use their smartphone, pill, or laptop computer to trace time, so that you don’t must arrange a separate terminal to do it.
- Ship automated reminders to indicate up, clock in, clock out, and take breaks. This protects employees time, reduces no-shows, decreases burnout, cuts labor prices, and ensures compliance with working hours. It additionally notifies you of any late arrivals or no-shows, as outlined by your late workers coverage.
- Observe time for distant workers. Use GPS-enabled time clocks, and know precisely the place your crew is once they clock in.
- Scale back time theft. Require a personalised PIN or picture to clock in to keep away from buddy punching (when workers cheat the system by getting colleagues to clock in for them).
When time monitoring is correct, your on-line timesheets are correct. And should you’re utilizing an all-in-one platform like Homebase, you possibly can merely sync your timesheets to payroll to pay your crew in a number of clicks.
With built-in payroll, paychecks are calculated for you, and your payroll taxes are filed and paid routinely.
Plus, since Homebase combines its time clock app with different must-have instruments like scheduling and crew communication, you possibly can hold all of your knowledge, data, and employees data underneath the identical digital roof.
This makes managing your hourly crew even simpler, and saves hours of time and tech stress in comparison with making an attempt to juggle (and prepare employees the way to use) a load of various instruments.
Time clock reminders: Clear, concise, thoughtful
Ensuring that your hourly workers observe their time precisely is essential for any well-functioning small enterprise. Preserving appropriate data of hours labored permits you to pay precisely and shortly, forecast labor wants, stay legally compliant, and scale back employees turnover.
However guaranteeing employees bear in mind to trace constantly and precisely might be robust, and reminding them about it usually with out sounding petty or repetitive can be difficult.
That’s why speaking your time monitoring coverage in a transparent, concise, clear, well mannered, {and professional} method is so necessary. This is applicable whether or not you’re informing employees concerning the coverage for the primary time, or reminding them for the one centesimal time.
Writing emails (or letters or texts) in an easy, pleasant, open, and respectful method is an efficient technique to remind your crew concerning the significance of correct time clocking, with out nagging them, to enhance compliance charges.
Utilizing a software program like Homebase makes this even simpler although. Homebase reminds your crew to clock out and in, makes monitoring breaks simpler, helps you keep compliant with labor legal guidelines, and routinely converts clocked time into easy-to-review timesheets.
Plus, with added options like full-service payroll, day off requests, crew communication, and assist with new worker hiring and onboarding—you get every thing it’s essential to handle and pay your hourly crew in a single place.
Time actually is cash, and automatic time monitoring is the place the cost-saving begins in your small enterprise.
