Employee Time Tracking in Outlook – Tips for Successfully Implementing It in the Workplace

You’ve probably heard the expression “time is money” or that “time is a business professional’s most valuable commodity” and theoretically speaking, they’re absolutely correct. Time tracking in the workplace is now a very highly discussed topic in the business world, with the general consensus being the fact that it is highly beneficial.
Employee time tracking in Outlook for example, is one of the most popular methods of time tracking, yet implementing time tracking in the workplace isn’t always a simple process, especially if you’ve never really looked into time tracking before. You have a team of employees that you manage, in which you all work together to ensure that your business becomes as successful and productive as it can possibly be.
Employee time tracking in Outlook helps you to ensure that your employees use their time wisely, and that they prioritize certain activities over others.

If you’re thinking of implementing employee time tracking in Outlook in your workplace, here are a few handy tips to help you along.

Give your employees prior notice

One of the biggest mistakes employers can make, is to try to implement a time tracking system at work out of the blue, without giving employees any previous notice. By doing this, you risk alienating them as some may feel that they’re being spied on and monitored constantly, which may cause morale to take a real nose-dive. Instead, explain in advance exactly what you’re implementing, why you’re bringing it in, and remember to highlight the benefits that it will also bring them individually (such as better control over time and activities).
Answer any questions they may have
Obviously once you break the news that you are bringing in a time tracking system, your employees will almost certainly have some questions to ask. Encourage them to do so, and answer them openly and honestly. Explain that you are not spying on them, or trying to oversee them, and that in fact, you’re doing the opposite as you get to focus on your work and can leave them to do the same. Explain that it is also for their benefit as it will help to clear up payment issues, vacation days/sick days, project progress, etc.

Use employee time tracking in Outlook consistently

Remember, the idea behind employee time tracking is to see exactly how they’re spending their time, and to ensure that they prioritize tasks and workloads, as well as meeting various deadlines well ahead of time, etc. If you’re tracking time, track it consistently, both with billable hours, and administrative hours.

Use it to celebrate employee success

Time tracking software clearly paints a picture of what is going on, not only with your business, but also with each and every one of your employees as well. For that reason, don’t simply use time tracking to point out where employees are falling short, use it to highlight the successes, pointing out deadlines which were met, costs which were cut, and improved workflow and punctuality, etc.