Can Time Tracking Improve Accountability Within Organization?

Consider this situation at your organization.

Some employees do not remain present for the entire duration of their shift.

Some show total responsibility for responsibilities related to their tasks, while others do not.

Not everyone works towards achieving common organizational objectives. 

These issues are an outcome of one major problem at your workplace. And it is “a lack of accountability.”

Accountability issues will impact work output. You will not be able to meet deadlines. The work quality might also be sub-par at times.

This guide looks at a lack of accountability in workplaces and its pitfalls. Furthermore, it helps you understand how time tracking can help you get rid of these problems.

Accountability and Workplace

Accountability at a workplace is about ensuring deliverables and projects get completed as desired. People who hold responsibility need to justify the work for themselves and the team. They should also be ready to face the consequences if expectations are not met.

Other employees are dependent on the work of people who hold accountability. All employees must therefore be aware of the organization’s big picture goals.

Workplace Issues Due to a Lack of Accountability

When teams lack accountability, their members will look to serve only their own interests. This self-centered behavior will not help achieve business goals, and will offer no clarity on how to best serve the organization’s needs.

Let’s now look at the five major accountability issues that could affect your organization:

Poor Work Output

Accountability may have a direct impact on the work output of your team. If employees feel there is nothing at stake for them, they may stop caring about their work. Output problems could begin with minor errors that lead to significant issues that hamper deliverables.

This could lead to client relationships becoming strained as your customers witness a decline in work quality. 

Decrease in Efficiencies

If your organization has an accountability problem, your teams may stop caring about deadlines and other project-related activities. Slow output from one unit could have a cascading impact on other units, so everyone starts experiencing decreased productivity.

Accountability issues can also lead to leadership and interpersonal problems among teams, requiring management to waste time resolving issues that should not have occurred in the first place.

Lack of Employee Engagement

According to a Gallup survey, highly engaged teams lead to 21% more business profitability. However, when there is no accountability, it is easy for everyone to become disengaged.

When employees feel they are not held accountable for their actions, it is easy for them to think that the organization doesn’t carehey will start taking their work less seriously.

Another Gallup poll says that only around 37% of employees remain engaged at their workplace. It means that chances of disengagement are highly likely. A few minor issues are all it could take for your employees to stop caring about your business.

Increase in Toxicity

Lack of accountability and disengaged employees is the perfect recipe for a toxic work culture. Everyone’s confidence will drop due to the bad behavior of some members. The belief that nobody cares can spread like wildfire. Low morale in some employees may lead to a dip in the productivity of others.

Increase in Employee Turnover

The above problems could directly impact an employee’s decision to continue their tenure at the organization. Low morale and lack of engagement are often the reasons why employees leave. Thus, a lack of accountability can prove harmful to your organization.

How to Overcome Accountability Issues Using Time Tracking Software

Time tracking software can help you solve accountability challenges as:

It Improves Accountability and Identifies Weaklinks

Automated time tracking systems promote employee accountability by recording the time an employee spends on different tasks. When employees know their work is monitored, they tend to work harder and stay more focused. They are also less likely to slack off during the day because they know their actions will be recorded.

Automatic time trackers allow managers to identify employees who may need help getting their tasks done on time or staying focused. With an automated system in place, managers can be alerted when one of these employees is slacking off instead of waiting until reports come out at the end of each month.

Time tracking systems also provide a record of how much time employees spend on each task. You can see which ones take up most of their day and adjust accordingly. Some employees may spend too much time doing something that doesn’t benefit your company. It might be worth eliminating that task or having someone else do it instead.

It Helps Overcome Procrastination

Time tracking systems help employees overcome procrastination in a variety of ways. First, they monitor the time spent on tasks, allowing employees to see where their time is going. This helps them see when they’re procrastinating and why, and can be the first step toward helping them conquer procrastination.

Second, time tracking systems can provide notifications that tell users to take breaks or switch tasks to avoid burnout. This helps reduce the temptation some employees feel to procrastinate when they know they’ve been working too long.

Finally, time tracking systems allow managers to set up alerts when tasks take longer than expected. They can figure out if an employee is procrastinating or if there’s something else going on.

It Offers Data Analysis for Boosting Productivity

Time tracking software allows you to track the time spent on assignments and tasks. This can give you an idea of the time it takes to complete projects and where time is getting wasted. This information can help you identify areas where productivity needs improvement.

Time tracking systems offer data analysis for boosting productivity by showing who spends the most time on each task. For example, if one worker is taking twice as long as another to do something, it could indicate a training issue or a lack of knowledge. The employee may need additional training to help them perform the task faster.

Best Practices to Build Accountability in Your Organization With Time Tracking Software

Here are some best practices you can adopt right away to boost the productivity of your employees.

Track Your Employee Activities Without Being Intrusive

The best way to track employee activities is by doing it in a friendly, open, and collaborative way. In a remote-friendly environment, employees should have the freedom to work when and where they want. Their time should be tracked by overall task completion rather than strict tracking of hours spent on the clock.

This freedom can be a challenge and an opportunity for managers used to traditional workplace structures. Managers should set clear goals and expectations with their employees, and then trust that their employees will get the work done without them having to micromanage. It is essential that managers build trust with their team members. Everyone should be respectful of each other’s time.

Leverage Timesheets

Using timesheets to track employee activities can help you. However, you have to be careful that employees do not feel they are being micromanaged since that could lead to a breakdown in the trust that you have built with your employees. Trust is one of the most important factors in a successful business.

But, there are a few things to keep in mind as you implement a timesheet system. Here are some suggestions:

• Set clear expectations. Ensure everyone on your team knows how you will use timesheets and each employee’s role in the process.
• Use the right tool. Whether it’s a simple spreadsheet or something much more advanced, make sure the tool you choose is one that will meet all of your needs, now and into the future.
• Keep it simple. Don’t try to go too granular at first; Focus on the big picture instead. You can get more specific later on, once you know what kind of data will help you.

Timesheets are a convenient way to track employee activities. Since they’re time-based, they help ensure everyone is working the same number of assigned hours. Also, since this data is valuable for tax purposes, it will be easy to turn over your employee information when tax season rolls around.

Pay Based on the Amount of Work Done

You want to pay your employees fairly and accurately for their work. Therefore, it’s important to ensure your employees track their time accurately. To encourage accuracy, you need to choose a type of time tracking software that suits the kind of work your employees are doing.

There are two categories of time tracking software: activity-based and duration-based. Activity-based tracking software requires your employees to punch in when they start a project and again when they finish. Whereas, duration-based tracking software only requires employees to log in at the beginning and end of the day.

Keep In Mind Employee Payroll Issues

As a manager, you will face a lot of challenging situations. But one thing is for sure: you need to ensure your employees get paid on time, even if you need to make payroll advances. 

Letting workers know there are problems and offering them assistance in dealing with the situation can help prevent panic and uncertainty. It’s also crucial to have an open-door policy and encourage your employees to come to you with any questions or concerns they may have. Be accessible and available, especially when dealing with an issue as sensitive as payroll.

Next, you’ll need to have a system for reporting payroll problems. This is important because it allows you to keep track of issues that may come up when dealing with employee compensation.

Plan and Budget Project Resourcing Effectively

When it comes to planning and budgeting resourcing, there are a few things you need to keep in mind to simplify the process.

First, aim for simplicity. Make sure your resource plan is easy to understand and execute. If it’s too complicated, it will be hard for people to follow and even harder to track spending.

Second, take whatever time you need. Don’t try to hustle through this step. It’s better to spend time and get it right, rather than to rush through and have to redo parts of your planning later because you missed something essential.

Finally, consider using a project management tool that can help with planning and budgeting. With the right tool, you’ll have access to templates that make planning and budgeting processes seamless.

Bottom Line

A time tracking system is an effective way to improve accountability within an organization. It can be as simple as a spreadsheet or something more advanced and robust. The most important thing is to have a system that holds each of your employees accountable for their tasks. Also, be sure to track the hours worked by contractors. 

Ultimately, time tracking software offers your organization the chance to get work done and get better at what you do, while improving accountability.