Manipulating time cards is a form of time theft. Employees who engage in this behavior tend to scam employers out of hundreds of dollars each week.
Most companies don’t realize that this issue is a problem until too late. By that point, they are left with the daunting task of cleaning up years’ worth of fraudulent claims.
Want to learn how to stop employee time card manipulation? Then you’ve come to the right place! Keep reading to find out how to take the first steps in fighting this issue in your company.
Know Your Employees’ Real-Time Locations
Having knowledge of employee’s locations will help ensure that they are not falsely claiming to have worked when they weren’t actually there. GPS tracking can be used to provide this information.
Employees should also be asked to sign time cards when submitting them in order to verify that the data is accurate. Lastly, it is important to set up a monitoring system and put in place disciplinary measures if irregularities are found to help ensure that employee time card manipulation is deterred.
Automatically Calculate Overtime
To stop this practice, employers should automate with an employee time tracking system. Through the system, employers can set rules for tracking and calculate overtime hours for employees automatically, eliminating any potential for time card manipulation.
This automated system should allow employers to track employee’s exact times and job tasks, as well as any breaks taken, in order to ensure accurate wages. Automatically calculating overtime hours also helps employers keep track of the exact hours worked, ensuring that the employees are paid correctly and helping to prevent wage and hour violations.
Set Reminders for Breaks
Setting reminders for breaks can help your staff be aware of their time management and limit opportunities to deceive. Establish an automatic reminder system that informs employees in advance when their break is due.
This can be done via group messaging, software-based notifications, or other forms of written reminders. This can also help to ensure that all employees accurately fill out their time sheets and take appropriate breaks.
Utilize Biometric Time Clock
Biometric time clocks are the best way to stop employee time card manipulation. By requiring employees to clock in and out of work using a fingerprint or hand scan, you can guarantee that the employee is the one using the time card and cannot make adjustments when clocked out.
This ensures accurate records — eliminating the risk of manipulation. Additionally, the biometric time system can track the whereabouts of employees while on the job to further prevent abuse. It can also be integrated with other software, like payroll, to make tracking, managing and viewing employee hours more efficient. Consider Gusto compatible time clock to get this started.
Learn How to Stop Time Card Manipulation
Systems that prevent, detect, and deter employees from manipulating time cards can prove to be an effective strategy to protect employers from potential losses. By implementing consistent and reinforced policies, employers can show employees that time card manipulation is not tolerated.
If you believe you are facing any issues of employee time card manipulation, contact an HR expert to discuss your best course of action.
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