Introducing time tracking to your team can impact who they monitor time significantly. Below are several tips on smoothly introducing time tracking to your employees.
- Give A Presentation
Nobody likes throwing in an impromptu meeting in between the week, but you can make an exception for an all-hands meeting to introduce new tools that will enhance performance. The meeting ensures everyone is on the same page and allows the team to express their concerns and ask questions.
The meeting should focus on the following:
- Explain the significance of tracking time – Clarify the need for tracking time using sample invoices or reports as you explain to your team why they should track time to get this information.
- Highlight the options – Your team can enter time in different ways depending on the tools you provide them. They can run live timers or enter time after the fact using tracking from browser extensions, mobile apps, or desktop software. However, take the time to educate your team on using these solutions, helping them learn how to identify the most effective ways of tracking time. That means they can do it using methods that suit them best and thus are less likely to get it wrong. Click here to see the numerous options.
- Demo a timer – Logging time in a spreadsheet might not be new to your team, but tracking your time when you start working could be a new concept for some of them. People often detest the constant need to start and stop a timer when tracking their time but can soon find it easier and faster to do once they get into it. Hence, running a short demo can help them see this and appreciate the new approach.
- Set A Schedule
Create a detailed schedule and ensure it is consistent to help ensure your employees are on the same page regarding allocated time for work. In doing so, you will eliminate the stress associated with undelivered expectations. Consider introducing the time tracking on the day everyone’s timesheets are due. It can be a Monday morning (the start of the workweek) or a Friday afternoon(at the end). It is a strategy that lets your team know when it is expected to complete its timesheets and when to expect a follow-up.
Also, notify them when it’s that time of the week, which you can do effectively using a recurring calendar event or an automatic reminder. Furthermore, you can set a reminder in the time tracking tool you provide if it has this in-built function.
- Create A Ledger
Essentially, the need for tracking time must focus on gathering information. That is why your team must record the project, client, task, or other things related to what they are doing as they track their time. It helps them know what they are tracking their time to, the specifics of the task (is it development or design), when they need to research, and other essential details.
Consider creating a leader that includes a description of each task or project, keeping the details short and concise to allow your employees to know what they should track their time to, such as emails or meetings. Moreover, you should ensure the time tracking tool allows users to add new tasks or projects.
- Ensure There’s Accountability
Time tracking is bound to have some unexpected hiccups that even the best teams might fail to anticipate; hence, the need for having someone on hand to provide a subtle reminder to everyone and get them back on track.
Pick someone in your team that you can entrust with such a responsibility and include it in their job description. Making one of them accountable for time tracking ensures they know who they can give feedback to when they feel the system needs improvement or any other concern. The same person can bridge the gap when you engage your team about the time tracking process.
- Don’t Forget About New Hires
You might give your employees an elaborate presentation and answer their questions, but this will not have the same impact on those you hire after the fact. That is why the new team members should get the same information during their onboarding process. Have a 20-minute sit down with each of them to go over the time tracking tools the rest use and what is expected of everyone. Clear communication regarding what is expected of the new hires when time tracking is vital, and with this, they are more likely to do as required.
