Employees Always Forget to Clock In and Out? Here Are Some Tips

It's so easy to be forgetful nowadays, especially when you have so many things to remember. We're working longer and harder, to the point that we forget what time and day it is. Remembering to clock in and out seems impossible. But there are ways to help remind you always to clock in. 

Here's how to never forget when to clock in and out of work.

1. Ask employees to set a five-minute alarm or reminder on their phones

We're basically on our phones 24/7 now, except when we're working and the work does not involve the phone. So, it's a good idea to tell your employees to set the alarm five minutes before they reach the office.

Your employees may be glued to their phones as they step into the office, probably skimming through WhatsApp so that the alarm will appear in their field of vision. If their phone is not in hand, they should still be able to hear and feel (if they're on vibrate) the alarm.

These tips will help to remind your employees to clock in every time they come to work. 

2. Use a post-it note 

You can also put a post-it note on your employee's desk or even monitor to remind them to clock in and out. Since humans tend to get used to things quickly, you should change the colour of the note and message every week, so that the note won't turn into just another decoration. 

3. Assign clock in reminder buddies

Have the employees pair up, and agree to ask one another each workday if they have remembered to clock in. This will promote inner office relationships, in addition to an increase in employees remembering to clock in.

4. Hang a picture notice by the office entry door.

You can print an image of a clock and hang it near the office entry door. Then, you should have a brief meeting with the employees to explain the purpose of the new "artwork" hanging by the entry door. 

Once they learn that the clock picture serves as the clock in reminder picture, they will be more likely to remember to clock in upon arrival to work. Be sure to place the clock picture in an area that can be seen easily. After all, it's easier to remember images than texts. 

5. Offer monthly incentives.

Employees who clock in accordingly every day will be offered monthly incentives such as a monthly raffle or giveaway. But only for the employees who consistently clock in on time without having to be reminded. 

This will foster some healthy competition in the workplace, as well as generate more effort towards the act of clocking in. 

The right attendance system can also help the employees to remember to clock in. 

6. Make the login page the employee's home page. 

This applies if your attendance system relies on a website. You can teach the employees to set the browser's home page to the company's time clock login page so that before employees start their work, the first thing they see is their time clock. 

7. Let the employees know the importance of clocking in.

Many employees are not used to having to track time. If they have always written their schedule down on paper, it might be difficult for them to remember to clock in. 

They might appreciate the following benefits:

• Accurate, daily record keeping will make HR's life so much more efficient. Eliminating the need to calculate hours by hand and being able to import hours into payroll is a huge time saver.

• Previous time records are at the employee's fingertips without having to ask for help from a manager.

• Employees can see their hours each week and budget better.

Clocking in should be the first thing a worker remembers when starting their workday, but it's the little things that always seem to get overlooked. With assertion, patience, a little time to plan, and full cooperation from your employees, you will be able to accomplish a reasonable decrease in employees forgetting to clock in.

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Source: Namely & Timesheets

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