Back in the day, construction businesses had a hard time tracking staff’s arrivals and departures to the construction site. Many employees would take advantage of the inefficient system to steal time from their employers. On top of that, managers had to spend countless hours deciphering handwriting and settling inputs.
All of this changed with the introduction of construction time tracking software such as SmartBarrel. With this technology, companies are able to monitor their staff without relying on human supervisors. SmartBarrel eliminates the traditional paper system and digitalizes the entire process of calculating paychecks.
In this article, we’ll explain why this program is so amazing for your construction business. We’ll go through its features, as well as the underlying technology.
5 Challenges of Traditional Time Tracking
Although this might sound ludicrous, there are still a lot of companies that utilize paper cards to monitor employees’ attendance. Many of these businesses are too stubborn to switch to digital technology or might want to save money. As a result, they’re facing 5 major time tracking challenges in their daily operations:
- Data Collection InconsistencyÂ
Although punching in becomes a habit, it isn’t workers’ main priority. By the time their shift ends, many employees are too tired to worry about time tracking. This leads to enormous inaccuracies in attendance reporting. To make matters worse, the old machinery sometimes malfunctions, causing additional errors.
- Slow Approval
The traditional time tracking is simply too slow. Site managers have to collect paper sheets and give them to the accounting. After that, the accounting staff will require some time to calculate earnings. The process tends to be slow, delaying employees’ paychecks and thus affecting their morale.
- Impact on Management
Besides affecting employees’ morale and performance, the traditional system is also bad for managers. They have to set aside several hours each week to collect and manage these sheets. They usually perform this task at the end of their shifts, which often leads to errors caused by fatigue and subsequent backtracking.
- Hard-to-Read Handwriting
Illegible handwriting is another issue managers have to contend with. They will spend extra time deciphering each person’s handwriting or might be forced to go back to consult workers.
The worst yet is that poor handwriting can cause honest mistakes. Either you or your employees will be shortchanged as a result. In the worst-case scenario, this might even lead to legal disputes.
- Buddy Punching
Buddy punching is one of the oldest and biggest problems plaguing construction sites. It is a time-stealing trick where one employee punches in or out for another worker. For example, one of the workers might go home earlier, and his colleague will punch out, so it seems that the person has stayed at work longer.
The buddy punching system causes several problems for companies. Besides the fact you’re not getting your money’s worth, this tactic also affects planning. You might have trouble assessing labor efficiency and how much time it would take to complete certain tasks.
How Does SmartBarrel Help You?
SmartBarrel is a comprehensive platform that streamlines all your time tracking activities. It comes in the form of a smartphone app and a solar-powered time clock. With this digital solution, you are able to monitor workers’ presence in the field and know whenever an employee clocks in or clocks out.
Work hours are stored in the central platform, making it easier for you to calculate totals. The application calculates your double-time and overtime properly, ensuring that each person gets what they’re owed. Besides your regular crew, SmartBarrel can be used by substitutions and a temporary labor force.
The technology integrates with Procore accounting software, making life easier for your accounting team. All the data is instantly calculated, which makes it easier to settle earnings, taxes, and expenses. Given that the entire process is accurate and automatic, you don’t have to worry about breaking unions’ rules.
Who Can Use SmartBarrel?
Any construction company can benefit from SmartBarrel’s time tracking software. This digital solution gives you three options for punching in and out:
- Punch Mode
If all your employees have smartphones, the best course of action would be to install the SmartBarrel app on each device. After accessing the application, you can log in and out with a simple tap on the display.
- Kiosk Mode
The other option is installing the application on the supervisor’s tablet or phone. With this mode, each person can go to the supervisor and register for accurate time tracking.
- Time Clock
SmartBarrel also offers its users a sophisticated time clock. The device is solar-powered, and you can install it anywhere on the construction site. The device uses facial recognition to ensure your crew doesn’t take advantage of buddy punching.
Technology Behind SmartBarrel
SmartBarrel software uses several high-tech solutions to monitor personnel on the construction site. When you first subscribe to this service, you must “feed” the system with employee data. Based on that data and imagery, SmartBarrel performs facial recognition each time a person wants to punch in or punch out.
To ensure that the person is still on the location, SmartBarrel utilizes geo-fencing. By relying on GPS, the software creates a virtual perimeter around a real, physical area. Each time a person enters or leaves this zone, the program will make a note. This way, you can’t steal time by punching out from a different location.
SmartBarrel can also enhance the safety of your construction site. During facial recognition, the software can detect if you’re wearing a protective vest, eyewear, and helm. This not only ensures safety for your entire crew but also protects your business from litigation.
Last Thoughts
Using SmartBarrel software can significantly boost your construction project efficiency. The technology prevents time theft, reducing your labor costs and making it easier to assess productivity. With SmartBarrel, you won’t have to struggle to calculate earnings for the entire crew. On top of that, the software helps with safety compliance.
Also Read: Empowering Construction Businesses with Smarter Equipment Strategies
