How to introduce time tracking to employees

Introducing time tracking software to a business can be a delicate process. While the benefits of logging time are clear - increased productivity, enhanced transparency, more accurate billing and valuable business insights, for instance - employees may initially feel that their company doesn’t trust them.

This is unfortunate, because time tracking software is not about policing employees. When implemented properly, it’s about optimizing business operations with actionable data. So what’s the best way to communicate to employees that your company is implementing time tracking software? And how can you enact this change while maintaining your company’s culture?

Here are some tips on announcing your new time tracking software to employees in a way that builds trust. 

1) Explain why you’re adopting time tracking software. What are the benefits for the company?

One study found that Tempo can increase ROI by up to 235%, with a payback time of only 7 months. Employees may be surprised to learn that time tracking can contribute to profitability, and they will be more accepting of the software once they know its value. Billing is also a common benefit to companies. Explain how you can profit from giving clients more accurate numbers and build trust by providing reports on how time worked has been spent. 

2) Explain the benefits for employees

What are the other reasons you may be adopting time tracking software? Is it to increase productivity, efficiency or transparency? Let employees know the benefits for them. Explain that time tracking supports better work performance. Employees may also need to communicate with managers less. They can catalog and flag overtime hours. Finally, as the business begins to use the data to prioritize projects, employees can expect to work more on projects that add value. 

3) Emphasize how easy time tracking is

Make sure employees realize how fast and easy time tracking can be. With Tempo Timesheets, the advantage is clear: it’s directly embedded into Jira, where all employees do their work. There are also a number of automated features, such as the Activity Feed, which monitors activity in a range of places – from Jira to VS Code to different calendars – and provides users with smart recommendations about where they've spent their time.

4) Have managers speak directly to their teams about the new software

You want to make a company-wide announcement, of course. But it’s best to go a little further than that: to make sure employees are on board, have managers speak to them directly in groups to convey why you’re adopting time tracking. Managers can reassure employees that they’re not interested in micromanaging their work, reiterate your company’s reasons for adopting time tracking software, and motivate them to track time. 

Keeping your employees happy is an important part of implementing any new time tracking software. Remember to acknowledge them and their needs before and during the roll-out and you will have a much more productive onboarding process.