Relax and enjoy your holiday – we’ve got your timesheets covered
Everyone needs a chance to get away from it all – but if you run your own business it can be hard to relax and unwind if you’re not on the spot to see that everything is running as it should be.
With easyLog’s timesheet software you can take a break safe in the knowledge that your staff are in the right place at the right time and you will be able to prove it on your return. Or, if you really can’t resist checking in while you’re away, you can use your phone or tablet to access clocking data whenever and wherever you happen to be – even from your sun lounger if you want.
Browser-based software that you can use by the pool
easyLog’s web-based timesheet software is quick and easy to set up and use. And we offer a choice of secure attendance recording apps for smartphones and tablets, from simple PIN and QR code options to full biometric face recognition.
Other features of our timesheet software that we think you will like:
- You can check staff are clocking in on time and where they should be on any device with a web browser – you can even view the exact location on Google maps
- Clockings can be edited if required – for example, to remove errors or duplicates
- With our wide range of reports you can analyse timesheets and wage costs by employee, client site and job function, with easy export to an Excel spreadsheet
- Our low monthly price covers all support services, including app branding, staff details import and UK-based telephone support – so there are no hidden costs or surprises
Get in touch
To find out more about how we can help you to relax and put your feet up knowing your timesheets are covered, give us a call on 01892 834406 or request a callback using the form on this page. You can also read more about our timesheet software and watch a short demo video here.
Rachel from accounts wants more of your money – five ways to beat the NI cash grab
As if doing business wasn’t tough enough in these unpredictable times, the new financial year has brought yet another challenge to hard-pressed businesses – the eye-watering rise in Employer’s National Insurance (ER’s NI) contributions announced in the autumn budget.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves chose to hoik secondary Class 1 ER’s NI up to 15 per cent for the majority of employees and, at the same time, reduced the level at which employers start paying NIC – the secondary threshold – from £9,100 to £5,000 a year. According to accountancy and payroll firm Sage, these changes will increase the cost of employing staff for nearly a million – 940,000 – UK businesses. With increases also to the minimum wage, the year ahead will be the most expensive on record for any businesses employing minimum wage staff.
This means that, more than ever, it makes sense to take a close look at your day-to-day processes and ensure you are operating as efficiently as possible. We’ve put together a few tips that may help.
1 Make use of the Employment Allowance
The budget brought a bit of good news in the form of the Employment Allowance, which now allows employers to claim up to £10,500 pa against the cost of their NIC liability, up from £5,000 in the previous tax year. The eligibility bar of £100,000 has also been removed, so employers of all sizes can now benefit. For a smaller company, this could offset the cost of the entire ER’s NI bill, so make sure you claim the allowance each year.
2 Pay attention to timesheets
With every working hour counting towards your bottom line, you need to be sure that you are not inadvertently paying staff over the odds – and that means taking a long, hard look at your timesheets. Are you able to track workers’ movements to the minute and precise location and are you sure your payments are accurate to the nearest penny? Or are you still using paper-based records or relying on hit and miss figures and near-enough payments? If it’s the latter, it is worth considering upgrading to a more accurate and reliable electronic system that saves time, offers greater control over your wage bill and helps prevent overspends.
3 Take advantage of the latest attendance software
The low cost of technology means that monitoring workers’ hours and calculating timesheets quickly and reliably with specialist attendance software is within reach of even the smallest company. easyLog’s range of foolproof clocking apps can to be used with employees’ own phones or an ordinary tablet, keeping outlay to an absolute minimum. And clockings are backed-up by geolocation coordinates and other in-built security features so attendance is always recorded accurately for fast and reliable timesheet and pay management. There are attendance recording options for all workers and locations, from simple PIN and drop-down menus to QR code apps and biometric face recognition, all for a small monthly charge based on the number of app users.
4 Update rota management
Rota software that allows you to schedule staff according to your finances can be a real benefit when money is tight. Our rota software has lots of time and money saving options and works seamlessly with our attendance recording apps to make calculating pay correctly fast and simple. Useful options include the ability to allocate staff according to a budget, recording of sickness, holiday and other absences and easy management of flexible and minimum hours and multiple pay rates.
5 Make the most of reports
Our software comes with report options to make managing timesheets, costings and pay more accurate and efficient than before. For example, the “Costed” report allows users to define a pay rate per hour per person and then automatically add up a costed timesheet – handy for comparing against contractors’ invoices and keeping control of your expenditure. You can read more about reports here.
Get in touch
To find the right easyLog software for your employees, talk to one of our team on 01892 834406 or request a callback using the form on this page.
Time is money – or, manage employees’ working hours more efficiently
With continued economic uncertainty and ballooning employer’s national insurance contributions on the horizon, many UK businesses have tough times ahead. So it’s more important than ever that you are managing employees’ working hours and pay accurately and efficiently.
This means making the most of the latest low-cost technology to track staff attendance and calculate timesheets, saving valuable time and reducing the risk of overspends. When margins are tight, rota software that allows you to schedule staff according to your budget can also help keep your operation in the black.
These are some of our customers’ favourite easyLog products for streamlining staff attendance and scheduling and lowering costs.
Low-cost staff attendance recording
Our Location Clock QR code clocking app is quick and easy to set up and keeps capital outlay to a minimum because it uses employees’ own smartphones as attendance recording devices. Despite being simple to use, the Location Clock app is very reliable – clockings are backed-up by geolocation coordinates and other in-built security features so attendance is recorded accurately, even if an employee tampers with the clock on their phone. There are no up front costs, just a small monthly charge based on the number of app users. This covers installation, easyLog software and support too.
We also offer a simple web-based attendance recording option, which enables sub-contractors and temporary workers to clock in securely with no pre-registration required. And our Clock with ID solution allows staff to clock in and out via a PIN or drop-down menu on an ordinary tablet, turning it into a fixed or portable attendance monitoring device at minimal cost.
Fraudproof biometric clocking at an affordable price
There are some employers who want the reassurance that only a biometric attendance recording option can provide – but understandably don’t relish the initial outlay and ongoing costs that a dedicated terminal involve. For them we have developed the Geo Clock with Photo app, which turns an everyday tablet into a fraudproof biometric clocking device that confirms identity via a stored photographic image, as well as date, time and location – all for a low monthly fee. This is an ideal low-cost option where correct identification is essential for site safety or if workers are determined to beat the system.
Streamline staff allocation with professional rota software
easyLog attendance recording apps are designed to work seamlessly with our rota software to make calculating pay fast and accurate. Unlike a paper or spreadsheet-based system, our professional rota management software has lots of time and money saving options, such as the ability to allocate staff according to a budget and allowing them to view their hours and submit expense and holiday requests via an app on their phone.
Other efficiency features include accurate management of flexible and minimum hours and multiple pay rates, as well as simple recording of sickness, holiday and other absences so calculating the correct rate of pay is quick and easy.
Find the most efficient staff management option for your business
If you have any questions about finding the right easyLog app for your employees, talk to one of our team on 01892 834406 or request a callback using the form on this page.
Keep track of inductions and training with a QR code attendance app
When it comes to clocking apps, it seems there is no end to the versatility and usefulness of QR codes. Did you know, for instance, that you can use a standard easyLog clocking app to keep a record of employee induction and training sessions?
Like all the best ideas, it is brilliantly simple. Just create additional QR codes for any training and induction programmes and then get employees to record their participation by scanning the code, in the same way that they clock in.
As well as being quick and simple, the system:
- Provides a reliable record of which employee attended a particular session and when
- Is extremely cost-effective because it uses free-to-download QR codes and the company’s existing attendance recording solution
- Can be used to record training and induction attendance at any time and in any location
- Allows full reporting of both training and induction attendance by employee
Simple attendance recording for multiple activities
But the main advantage is that QR attendance recording is so flexible – it can be used for any activity from health and safety briefings and ensuring that machine operating instructions have been read to providing records for risk assessments.
Find out more
For more information about making the most of our versatile QR code attendance apps, speak to one of our team.
Flexible reports for easier timesheet management
When you’re choosing a staff attendance system it’s easy to focus more attention on the employee-facing technology than what’s going on under the bonnet of the supporting software. But at easyLog we put a great deal of thought and effort into ensuring the behind-the-scenes features of our attendance products are as practical, simple to use and efficient as the clocking function.
Take reports, for instance. We have fine-tuned the report options to enable customers to view the data they need in ways that will help make managing timesheets, costings and pay more accurate and efficient than before. This is a taste of what you can expect.
Flexibility is the key
Being able to handle attendance data in the way that suits your particular organisation, staff and way of working is essential for effective management – so we have made the way reports are created and viewed as flexible as possible.
For instance, you can select data:
- By site
- By client
- By department
- By grade
- By employee
- By work group
- And individually, or by a range, or by all
How you choose to format the report is equally flexible:
- Timesheets can be rounded however you like – for example, to the nearest 15 minutes, or five minutes, and so on
- Deduct unpaid breaks by definable rules
- You can also view summaries and averages
Control of your costs
The “Costed” report option is another useful feature that is popular with customers, particularly those that employ sub-contractors such as construction companies. This report allows the user to define a pay rate per hour per person and then automatically add up a costed timesheet – handy for comparing against contractors’ invoices and keeping control of your costs.
The clever reports you don’t usually get
Feeback from customers shows that they appreciate the range of reports on offer. One they particularly like is the “Between first and last clockings” report. This shows the hours between the first and last clocking of the day and so gives a total timesheet for the hours on shift, without all the detail in between – which, of course, they can also see if they want. This is especially useful where workers start and end their day from one location – for example, going to an office to pick up a van and then returning it later that day.
Another report just lists who has clocked in on any selected day. And then there is the “Clients not visited” report, which enables you to check on clients or sites that have not been attended over a defined period.
Keep your accountant happy
Data reports need to be shareable with relevant parties, not least your accountancy software. So we have a range of export options, including Excel, Word, PDF and CSV, so you can make the most of the data.
Find out more
If you have any questions about our attendance solutions and reports, talk to one of our team on 01892 834406 or request a callback using the form on this page.
Need a speedy way to clock-in sub-contractors? You’ve got it.
Keeping track of the working hours of regular employees is usually pretty straightforward – it’s just a question of choosing the right easyLog attendance app to suit your team and requirements and downloading it. Simple. But when you are dealing with sub-contractors and other short-term or irregular workers, the situation is a bit more fluid.
In the construction industry especially, the personnel attending sites can change regularly and there may be a steady stream of new workers and visitors to keep track of. But going through the process of pre-registering them all on the company’s employee attendance recording system is not really practical. So easyLog has developed an ingenious workaround: the employee and sub-contractor attendance recording solution, or eLogESCAR.
Fast and reliable clocking with no pre-registering required
This simple attendance monitoring option requires just a smartphone and a free-to-download QR code. To clock in, users simply scan the QR code with their phone to open a web page and then fill in their name and company details when prompted.
The software confirms the attendance location using geolocation technology and holds their details so they can simply scan the QR code to call up the web page and press the clock out button when they leave.
Accurate timesheets and invoices backed-up by geolocation data
Because the software automatically identifies the location the person is attending, site managers can easily see who is on-site at any time. It’s quick, simple and reliable – and, best of all, no pre-registration is required.
- Ideal for sub-contractors, temporary workers and visitors
- Attendance locations are confirmed by geolocation technology for accurate timesheets
- Reporting by time and by hourly cost and by individual and sub-contractor company, helping you reconcile invoices with actual attendance
- Managers can easily see who is on-site at any time
- The software can be used to check attendance in the event of an evacuation
- Further check boxes can be added to the attendance screen if required, for example to confirm skills and plant operation certification or that health and safety guidelines have been read
Find out more about eLogESCAR
For more information about our simple, low-cost web page attendance option, talk to one of our team.
Get the best attendance app for the job
Is it really possible to have too much choice? With our ever-growing variety of employee attendance recording options, it can sometimes be hard for customers to decide which products are most suitable for their workers, site locations and specific requirements.
This guide provides answers to some of the questions we often get asked when helping customers to find the best attendance management technology for their particular job and circumstances.
Q: What would you recommend to get up and running quickly? My employees visit multiple client sites and I’m on a tight budget.
A: One of easyLog’s most popular products is our Location Clock QR code clocking app because it is so quick and easy to set up and uses employees’ own smartphones as attendance recording devices, keeping capital outlay to an absolute minimum. Staff simply download the app from the online store for their operating system and record attendance by using their phone to read a free-to-download QR code at each work location, making it ideal for workers who visit multiple sites or different areas within a single workplace. The app is easy to use, cost effective and very reliable – clockings are backed-up by geolocation coordinates and other in-built security features so attendance is recorded accurately, even if a worker tampers with the clock on their phone, for example. Plus there are no up front costs – just a small monthly charge based on the number of app users. Prices start at £18 plus VAT per month for up to 10 people and include installation, easyLog software and support.
Q: We have multiple workers attending just a couple of sites: what is the most efficient way to clock them in and out?
A: In the past, employers in this situation would almost certainly have opted for a fixed clocking terminal, with all its attendant capital and maintenance charges. Nowadays we believe a tablet offers all the benefits of a fixed terminal at a significantly lower cost. You can choose whether you want to fix the tablet in place, and let employees clock themselves in and out, or would prefer a supervisor to oversee the process. You can also select the clocking app according to the level of security you require, from simple PIN or dropdown menu selection through to foolproof photographic identification. You can even mix and match clocking apps to suit employees with different attendance recording needs, such as office staff and shop floor or contract workers.
Q: I just want a straightforward clocking in and out solution so I can manage timesheets more easily and keep track of who is in the building. What are my options?
A: We would usually advise a simple tablet-based attendance app, such as easyLog’s Clock With ID, to customers who just want a straightforward clocking solution without extra identification technology. Staff just open the app and input a pre-allocated PIN or select their name from a dropdown menu whenever they arrive or leave. The tablet can be fixed or portable and, as with all our attendance apps, the clocking data is confirmed by built-in security features such as geolocation coordinates and server logs. This app can be coupled with our visitor attendance management module, so visitors can be clocked in and out using the same dropdown menu system. We also offer a separate Roll Call app, which runs on a fire officer’s or supervisor’s smartphone or tablet and provides a live display of who is currently logged as being on your premises.
Q: I suspect some of my workers are signing in and out for each other and falsifying their hours. How can I put a stop to this?
A: All our clocking apps provide employee identification of some kind to meet the differing needs of customers. Where workers are determined to beat the system or correct identification is a matter of site safety, we would always recommend our facial recognition app, Geo Clock With Photo. This app is available in two versions, both of which provide an instant record of an employee's identity, attendance time and location, along with other built-in features that prevent clocking fraud, such as geolocation data.
Option one is full facial recognition, where biometric software automatically compares a photo taken during a clocking with a stored image and returns the result in the attendance record. Option two is image capture, where a photo of an employee is taken at a clocking and stored on a cloud server for manual checking, either at the time or later. Both versions are available for tablet or smartphone, which have their own unique identifiers. Any attempt to clock in or out on someone else’s behalf is automatically detected in the easyLog software and flagged up for action.
Q: We employ contractors so we often get people we don’t know turning up to work on-site. Do you have a simple clocking option for them that doesn’t require downloading an app on their phones?
A: Our web-based attendance solution has been developed specifically to enable employers that use short-term agency staff or sub-contractors, such as construction and events companies, to clock workers in and out quickly and easily without going through the process of setting up an app-based product. To record their attendance, workers simply open a web page by scanning a QR code with their phone, fill in their name and tap the clock in button. All that is required is a smartphone with an internet connection – the easyLog software does the rest.
Find the right clocking option for your business
If you have any questions about finding the best attendance recording app for your employees, talk to one of our team on 01892 834406 or request a callback using the form on this page.
20 years of helping customers build more efficient businesses
This year marks an important milestone for easyLog – our 20th anniversary. Since the company began trading in January 2004 following a management buy out from Feedback plc, our software range and the technology underpinning it have changed almost unrecognisably. But our philosophy has remained the same – to listen to our customers and provide them with the software products they need to manage and grow their businesses.
The journey to QR code apps and facial recognition on a tablet
Over the past two decades we have seen many changes in our industry and are proud to say that we have been at the forefront of the evolution from dedicated hardware attendance devices, such as hand-scanner clocking terminals and PDAs integrated with desk-based software, to today’s use-anywhere browser and mobile-based solutions – which have made the most sophisticated and reliable staff management products available to even the smallest organisations on the tightest budgets.
One of the most significant landmarks over the past 20 years is undoubtedly the introduction of smartphone and tablet based clocking apps back in 2013. These early apps were based on reading NFC tags but, realising that this style of clocking would be the future of employee attendance recording, we quickly progressed to developing even more versatile and low-cost yet sophisticated options using emerging technologies, such as QR codes and biometric facial recognition running on tablet and mobile devices.
Together we’ve achieved a lot
None of this would have been possible without the close working relationship we have built with our many customers, who have inspired us to innovate and helped us to refine each new software product.
To find out more about our current product range, explore our web pages or talk to one of our team.
Mix and match apps for all your staff and job management tasks
When you choose an easyLog attendance app you may think you are committing to a discrete solution to solve a specific business challenge – recording employees’ visits to a particular off-site work location, for example. But in fact you are opening the door to streamlining a wide variety of essential business functions, from everyday timesheet management to more specialised tasks, such as dealing with staff rotas and expenses, job pricing and monitoring, production line job recording and many other cost-sensitive operations.
Low-cost attendance apps that meet multiple challenges
Take employee attendance recording, for instance. Because our clocking apps use the same browser-based back-office software, two or more can be used alongside each other at different sites or even within a single location where there are workers with different attendance recording requirements.
This flexibility means that employers with larger or constantly mobile workforces can use clocking options that fulfil the individual needs of all their sites and workers, rather than settling for a less efficient one-size-fits-all solution. So office-based admin staff can clock in on a tablet, for example, while remote workers can use their smartphones to scan a QR to record their attendance on site – but all the records are managed via the same easyLog back office software.
One contract, many opportunities
The same flexibility applies across all our app products, saving our customers valuable time and subsequently money. As you might expect, easyLog’s wide range of attendance recording apps are designed to align neatly with our rota and HR software to make managing timesheets and pay even faster and more accurate. But you might not be aware that many of our apps have dual functions or can be customised with additional software modules to fulfil additional business reporting requirements.
Some of the versatile options currently in use include:
- Visitor management and roll call modules – a useful add-on to a basic staff clocking solution
- The Actions App module for monitoring tasks performed by remote workers, including optional note taking and feedback functions with photo upload
- Job recording with QR codes – this app, which doubles as a clocking device, is for anyone who wants an accurate method of monitoring time spent on a particular manufacturing process or any other procedure that is used to calculate costs
- Our Site Supervisor inspections and estimates manager – a module designed for cleaning and buildings maintenance contractors
- Night checks – this simple QR code or NFC tag option is ideal for confirming that tasks are being done by security guards, construction workers, cleaners and other unsupervised employees, including carers
- Care record management – a convenient note taking solution that provides a reliable record for inspecting authorities
Find out how to get more out of our apps
If you would like to know more about the mix and match opportunities provided by easyLog’s apps, contact our team.
Has the traditional clocking terminal had its day?
When newspapers prematurely printed his obituary, Mark Twain famously quipped that reports of his death were greatly exaggerated. Likewise, it may be a little early to announce the demise of the dedicated clocking terminal – but declining demand for traditional attendance recording devices indicates that they will soon be a thing of the past. And the reason is technology.
The ubiquitous rise of smartphones, tablets and geolocation data has made attendance recording with apps simpler, cheaper and more dependable than ever before. Clocking apps are also more flexible than a dedicated fixed terminal, offering functions and configurations to suit every location, budget and workforce. And all this without sacrificing any of the safeguards employers need to ensure accurate staff attendance recording and timesheet management.
Clocking apps: simpler, cheaper and more flexible
Whether you want a straightforward QR code clocking system for employees such as cleaners or carers who visit multiple sites, or the peace of mind that comes with a solution like facial recognition that confirms identity along with date, location and time, an easyLog clocking app can provide it – and many other options besides.
Our attendance recording apps also have the advantage that they can be mixed and matched within a single contract, so you can use one clocking format for, say, office based staff and another for remote workers. Our apps are so flexible that they can even double as job time recording, visitor attendance and roll call solutions – we have yet to see a dedicated terminal that can match that.
Reliable attendance recording without the cost
Along with their reliability and versatility, clocking apps offer exceptional value for money. Initial outlay is low because our free-to-download apps can be installed on a standard Android or Apple device, including employees’ own phones. And, unlike a dedicated terminal, a faulty tablet can be replaced at minimal cost, usually within a day – there is no waiting for expensive repairs.
Talk to us about updating your old clocking terminal
To find the right attendance app for your staff, talk to one of our team on 01892 834406, send us an email or request a callback using the form on this page.
Phone us now on 01892 834406 or request a callback
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