Employee Attendance Tracker: Software vs Spreadsheet Templates
Short answer: An employee attendance tracker records when each employee starts and ends work, breaks, absences and time off. A spreadsheet works for a handful of people, but it relies on employees reporting their own hours. EZTime tracks attendance automatically: employees clock in on the mobile app with GPS, on a tablet with face recognition or a badge, or by tapping an NFC tag, and every punch lands in the cloud with PTO, overtime alerts and payroll-ready timesheets. Pricing starts at $2 per employee per month with a 14-day trial.
Employees clock in by face, fingerprint, badge, PIN, NFC tag or the GPS mobile app.
What an attendance tracker should track
Clock-in and clock-out times for every shift, with the location or station.
Breaks, including meal and rest breaks required by some states.
Absences and time off: PTO, sick days and unpaid leave, with approvals.
Overtime before it happens, not only after payroll.
Payroll-ready totals for each pay period.
Spreadsheet template or attendance software?
Spreadsheet template
EZTime attendance software
How hours are captured
Typed in by the employee or manager
Clock-in on the app, tablet, NFC tag or biometric clock
Buddy punching
Hard to detect
Prevented with face recognition, fingerprint or GPS location
Time off
Separate file or email
Requests and approvals in the same system
Overtime
Found at payroll time
Alerts before employees go into overtime
Payroll
Totals added by hand
Payroll-ready exports
Cost
No software cost, but manager time every pay period
Export payroll-ready timesheets at the end of the pay period.
Pricing
EZTime plans cost $2, $4 or $6 per employee per month, with a minimum of $20 per month and a 14-day trial. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is an employee attendance tracker?
A tool that records when employees start and end work, their breaks, absences and time off, so you can run payroll and spot attendance problems.
Is a spreadsheet enough to track attendance?
For a very small team it can be, but it relies on self-reported hours and manual totals. Software captures clock-ins automatically and prevents buddy punching.
Can employees clock in from their phones?
Yes. The EZTime mobile app supports GPS clock-in for field and remote employees.
Can EZTime prevent buddy punching?
Yes. Face recognition, an optional fingerprint sensor and GPS location make it hard for one employee to clock in for another.
How much does EZTime cost?
Plans cost $2, $4 or $6 per employee per month, with a minimum of $20 per month and a 14-day trial.
