Time theft isn’t something that comes to mind when most employers think about theft. Usually they are more concerned with employees stealing supplies, equipment, or even money from the company.
In reality, employee time theft can be just as serious of a problem as traditional theft. Did you know that through time theft, an average employee steals roughly six full workweeks each year from their employers?
Time theft can cause a drop in organizational efficiency as well as customer satisfaction if it gets out of hand. Before determining what can be done to solve time theft, it’s important that you have a good understanding of how to identify it.
The Most Common Forms of Employee Time Theft
Time theft is more subtle than stealing supplies or taking money from a cash register or safe. In fact, some employers might not even know what time theft looks like. A few of the most common forms include:
- A coworker clocking in or filling out a timesheet on another employee’s behalf
- Employees consistently taking extra time on breaks or taking breaks when they aren’t supposed to
- Staff members spending excessive amounts of time handling personal business on the clock, from browsing personal social media accounts to taking personal phone calls at the office
It’s important to remember that in any organization, unexpected things happen that cause employees to have to devote their attention away from work. It’s unrealistic to expect your staff to spend every single second of their day working, and most employers won’t have a problem with an employee coming back late from break once in a while, or taking a brief personal phone call.
However, when time theft gets out of hand, it becomes necessary for an employer to step in and rectify the situation. There are several ways to accomplish this, but one of the best is to implement a timekeeping solution that is easy and accurate.
How Automated Timekeeping Solutions Can Stop Time Theft
One of the best choices for employers looking to stop time theft is a highly-sophisticated automated timekeeping solution. Why is this type of timekeeping beneficial for businesses that are worried about time theft? Several reasons:
- Automated timekeeping means that there is no need for manual data entry. The exact time that a person works is logged into a company’s computer system, without the need for anyone to move the data from a written sheet
- Easily-generated timekeeping reports will allow companies to determine which employees, if any, are consistently stealing time by showing up excessively late or spending too much time clocked out during breaks
- Compatibility with smartphones and tablets means that supervisors can determine whether their employees are on the clock even if they are not in the office together
- Sophisticated biometric technology prevents an employee from clocking in or out on behalf of someone else
Time theft can be a serious problem if left unchecked. At Paypro, our Time & Attendance Solutions will help you cut down on time theft, improve employee productivity, and give you greater insight into exactly how much time you are losing to this hidden problem in the modern workplace. Click here to contact us for more information.