Time tracking is a wildly misunderstood concept. It’s a tool that managers and HR professionals use. Additionally, some remote teams also use it to provide detailed metrics on employees’ work habits and productivity levels.
But in reality, you can use time tracking for much more than just monitoring employee hours. In this post, we’ll cover 10 common misconceptions about time-tracking software.
We’ll also show you how those myths can cloud your perception of what’s possible with time-tracking software.
Let’s begin.
10 Misconceptions about Time Tracking for Remote Teams
1. Accurate Time Tracking Requires an Extensive Amount of Manual Data Input
The misconceptions about remote time tracking can be cleared by understanding what this technology can be capable of. For example, one common misperception is that it requires enormous manual data input, but this isn’t true.
With today’s automatic time tracking software, you can easily set up automatic time tracking for your team. And you don’t have to enter anything into the system again manually.
2. Time Tracking Forces People to Work More
Another misconception about time tracking is that it forces people to work more. Time tracking doesn’t force you to work more. Instead, it helps you identify where your time is going and how much you waste.
That way, you can use this information to improve your workflow. Time-tracking tools such as Traqq can help remote teams with the following:
- Identify the work that needs to be done
- Track productivity by person or project
- Track time spent on individual tasks
3. Time Tracking Causes Employee Burnout
When you start using time tracking, you may realize that the process can be stressful. This stress can easily lead to employee burnout if not handled correctly. However, time tracking doesn’t always have to be this way.
There are plenty of ways that your team can use time tracking to improve productivity and work and life balance. It can also help with self-improvement.
Here are some ideas:
Set Up a Buddy System
Set up a buddy system for employees to track their work hours. This is where they check in regularly throughout the day or week.
If someone’s feeling burnt out during a particular week, assign them tasks that don’t require as much concentration. That will help them not feel overwhelmed by what’s on their plate at any given moment.
This could help prevent tension between coworkers who feel like they’re carrying too much weight compared with others on their team. Using this system will ultimately decrease overall stress levels.
4. Tracking Time is a Low-Value, Mundane Task for Employees
Time tracking is an essential part of the job. It’s not something that you can avoid or delegate to someone else. Instead, time tracking is an opportunity to improve and can be fun.
There are many different ways to track time; you could use a simple spreadsheet or project management software like Asana or Trello.
5. Tracking Time is Used to Monitor and Control Employees
Tracking time is not just about monitoring and controlling employees. In fact, the most common use of time tracking is to improve productivity, engagement and collaboration, and project management.
6. Accurate Time Tracking is Difficult to Achieve
Your team members may believe using a time tracker is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right tool, it can be as easy. For example, you can choose your best time-tracking software.
There are many to choose from, and most are easy to use for anyone on your team. Next, set up your account with a software provider like Asana and start using it. This should take no more than 10 minutes per person in your company.
Finally, inform people how they need to use the software if they haven’t done so before.
7. Time Tracking Produces Unreliable Data
When you use time tracking effectively, you can help improve efficiency and productivity by giving you the ability to spot bottlenecks in your workflow. From there, you can make the necessary changes.
However, time tracking isn’t perfect. The data collected through these tools may be inaccurate due to human error or technical issues. An example is when an employee forgets to clock in on their computer.
While there’s no way to eliminate these errors, some best practices will help keep them at bay. For example, you can use software like Traqq, which has a manual entry functionality.
That way, employees can correct errors without waiting for someone else.
8. Time Tracking Only Helps Managers
It’s wrong to think that time tracking only helps managers. It can also help your employees improve their productivity.
For example, let’s say that an employee uses a specific tool every day and sees that they aren’t using it as efficiently as possible. In such a situation, they can use the software’s data to make changes to work more efficiently in the future.
Also, having this data will allow the employees to track how much time they spend on each task. It can also identify tasks that take up too much of their time or feel repetitive.
9. Time Tracking isn’t Compatible with Agile Methodologies
This is a popular misconception that has been around for quite some time. Its roots are in the idea that agile methodologies are flexible and adaptable, but time-tracking software is rigid. Unfortunately, this assumption doesn’t hold up when you look at how agile works in practice.
Agile allows for continuous improvement. So you can use your time-tracking data to inform changes in processes and tools over time.
Time tracking might not be necessary during the initial phases of an agile project because it’s too early to have meaningful data.
However, there will come a point where something will need to change to improve productivity or quality of life within remote teams. And this is when having accurate records of what people are doing becomes necessary.
10. Time Tracking Can’t be Personable or Fun
The last misconception is that time tracking is always a boring, numbers-focused task. On the contrary, time tracking can be personable and fun when used well.
The more your team enjoys tracking their time, the more they look forward to doing it. And having a fun experience with your time tracking will help you remember to do it more often.
Final Thoughts
The best way for remote teams to make the most of time tracking is to think about how it can improve their workflow. Efficiency shouldn’t be the only reason for using a time tracker.
You should use time-tracking data to help your team members get more done and feel good about their actions.
