To know the real hours your team works you need three things: a clock-in/clock-out record that the employee cannot alter, automatic calculation of the balance (hours worked minus hours scheduled) and a stored history. With paper or Excel you have none of the three.

Why you do not know the real hours

In most Portuguese industrial SMEs, time records are done manually: a sheet on the wall, a notebook, an Excel filled in at month-end. The problem is that the same person whose hours are being measured fills in the record. Not necessarily dishonestly - but memory rounds in your favour.

The cost of untracked hours

15 minutes of lateness per day, per employee, adds up to over 60 hours per year. In a team of 10 people, that is 600 hours. At minimum wage, around 4,000 euros per year in paid but unworked time. And ACT fines for missing time records start at 612 euros.

How to measure real hours

• Record at source: the employee clocks in and out at the moment, using a physical RFID reader or app.
• Tamper-proof records: what was registered stays registered; any correction is logged.
• Automatic calculation: the system compares hours worked with scheduled hours and shows balance, lateness and overtime.
• Stored history: data kept for the legally required 5 years, exportable for accounting.

This is exactly what time tracking software does. Find out more at damastor.com/picco.