Margins are always thinner than you’d like them to be in the restaurant business. As such, your goal should always be to minimize your areas of loss when possible. One of the most important ways you can save money is by making sure that you are paying your employees correctly. The best way to do this is through the use of proper time tracking technology. Doing so will help you to take advantage of some spectacular time tracking benefits.
Time tracking can come in a number of different forms. Whether you’re using the honor system, an old-style punch card or even a modern log-in system, you’re working to ensure that you know exactly how many hours your employees are on the clock. Using a modern software solution, though, is what can give you access to most of the benefits of time tracking. Below are just a few of the ways that good time tracking can benefit your restaurant.
One of the biggest time tracking benefits is the money that you’ll save from knowing exactly how many hours your employees have worked. While software time theft is certainly very real, having a system in place to keep track of your employees’ hours is a great way to ensure that everyone is being paid for the hours that they have actually worked. Of course, this is one of those time tracking benefits that accrue even if you already have employees who you can trust.
One of the biggest problems in the restaurant industry is overtime. It’s very easy for an employee to work too many hours simply because it’s too hard to keep track of exactly when they’ve been working. With the right tools, you’ll be able to eliminate unnecessary overtime and keep your payroll expenses down. This helps to give your restaurant a bit more breathing room and allows you to focus more of your budget on the areas of your business that can actually make you money.
Another of the benefits of employee time tracking is that time tracking helps employees to stay on task. Employees who are tracked tend to be more diligent about doing their jobs, and not just because they feel like they are being watched. Employees who use time tracking software often feel more professional and put more effort into fitting into the business culture of a restaurant. Rather than taking things casually, employees who use these systems actually work harder because they can see the benefits of doing so. This is absolutely one of the best most important benefits of time tracking for restaurant owners who want to keep their business functioning and avoid the problems that come from lax employee discipline.
Time theft is a real problem in the restaurant industry. Issues like buddy punching and “overestimating” hours occur in every industry, but the hectic nature of the restaurant business makes time theft incredibly common. As such, one of the biggest benefits of employee time tracking is the elimination of time theft. Whether it’s through setting up a system that helps to avoid software time theft or creating procedures to ensure that the right people are paid for the hours they work, these processes can help your business to avoid paying for hours that employees haven’t worked.
It’s important to remember that avoiding wage theft helps your employees as much as it helps your bottom line. When you’re paying the correct wages, you can staff your restaurant more accurately and ensure that your employees get the hours they deserve. Rather than losing part of your budget to those who would try to take advantage of your business, you can give your employees the hours they need to make a living. This is just one way that having a good time tracking system can benefit everyone who is involved with your restaurant.
Overtime is especially difficult to manage in the restaurant world. Not only must you deal with figuring out how to properly assign overtime hours, but you’ll also need to deal with making sure that tipped employees are properly paid for working those extra hours. A good time tracking system will help you keep track of who is working and when so that every employee gets paid properly and your restaurant honors all of its legal obligations.
Remember, keeping track of overtime is more than just a matter of knowing who has worked and when. It’s also a matter of understanding who is eligible for overtime pay and how to properly compensate those individuals. Unless you want to spend hours keeping this straight by hand, turning towards an automated system is the only realistic choice.
Another major benefit of this type of software is how it helps restaurant owners with payroll. As you already know, anything that takes time away from the business of running your restaurant is something that stops your business from growing. Having software available to simplify the payroll process allows you to spend less time figuring out payroll and more time managing, helping you turn your restaurant from a fantastic concept to an excellent reality. Once you begin to rely on this type of software, you’ll be able to put your energy to better use in ways that will allow you to see more immediate benefits.
The time tracking solution you use will be dependent on not only your business but on your personal preferences. The best way to make a decision, though, is to start by determining what you really need to succeed. Start by taking the payroll security quiz with PayTech and check out the company’s packages and pricing options to take the next step. Once you’re aware of your time tracking needs, you’ll be able to work with PayTech to find the solution that works best for you.
