Is a discount time clock really a bargain?

Written By: Brad Sylvester

For certain businesses, a discount time clock can be as effective as a more expensive system. For others, especially those with larger workforces, a more complex system may provide much greater benefit. Here are some quick guidelines to help you decide what kind of time clock makes the most sense for your business.

How big is your operation?

If you have a relatively small number of employees and just want to make sure that you're only paying them for hours actually worked, a discount time clock may provide all you need. A basic time clock will record each employee's hours worked each day, and the hours can be tallied manually for each pay period. Just don't expect a cheap time clock to provide fancy reporting functions or security against "buddy-punching," where one worker punches a time card for another who may be running late.

On the other hand, if you run a larger operation and you're looking to track hours worked against multiple jobs, seasonal workload variances, or to analyze things like the effect of flexible work hours on overtime needs, a discount time clock is probably not the right choice. Once you have more than 15 or 20 employees, you'll want to automate as much of the payroll operation as possible. More substantial time clock systems can automatically export hours worked directly into an integrated payroll system instead of requiring them to be manually entered. This can be a big time-saver and can reduce your office staff requirements.

What is your job site like?

Discount time clocks with basic features are suitable for fixed locations where they are protected from rough treatment and the weather. Inexpensive models will hold up fine in a protected area in a warehouse or office, but are not made for outdoor job sites such as new construction or remote logging operations. For those more demanding conditions, you'll want a time clock that is designed both for portability and durability. There are weatherproof and shock resistant models available.

Who should use a discount time clock?

Businesses or operations with fewer than 15-20 employees and permanent indoor work environments can save a little money by buying a discount time clock. There are a number of basic models that will help your business keep track of what time employees show up for work and when they leave for the day. Just don't expect these inexpensive, bare bones models to do much more than that.

Find out if a discount time clock can meet your needs: submit a free time clock price quote request to get competitive responses from multiple suppliers.