Why Time Tracking Goes Bad? 7 Cases And Fixes

Time tracking is almost universally disliked.

And we can’t blame people for not liking it—after all, it’s abused and poorly implemented in many cases. So, it’s no wonder employees have had a bad time tracking experience.

Time tracking isn’t inherently bad, though. It’s a necessary tool for organizations that want to create a healthy, productive work environment.

However, time tracking can go wrong in some situations.

In this article, we’ll discover why time tracking goes bad and how to avoid it.

Let’s dive in.

Why is time tracking bad in some cases?

Time tracking itself isn’t the bad guy. However, several problems can arise from improper implementation, and how some businesses capture and use time data is problematic.

For example, paper timesheets and manual time tracking on an Excel spreadsheet are tedious and error-prone. They can turn time data collection into a thankless chore.

There are many reasons why time tracking goes bad, like data misuse, micromanagement, lacking support, and technical issues. Let’s take a look at some of the top cases in more detail 👇

1. Micromanagement and overemphasis on productivity

Time tracking is a great tool for seeing how your employees spend their time during the workday. However, when people managers use time data and employee surveillance features to monitor their employees excessively, creativity is stifled.

It also fosters distrust and a lack of autonomy, leading to increased stress and reduced morale.

Furthermore, monitoring employee activity isn’t a good gauge of productivity, as appearing busy is not the same as being productive.

Instead, focus on results and output and track time to understand how long tasks and projects take to complete. This will give you valuable data to improve your project management processes.

Inflexibility

Strict time tracking rules make it difficult for employees to have agency over their time management as they are forced to stick to certain work hours. This is especially restrictive for those in roles that require creative thinking and problem-solving.

These roles also suffer when employee surveillance features that monitor computer activity are utilized. Employees may appear inactive while working through a problem in their heads or on paper. 

Allow employees to work flexible hours to avoid inflexibility killing productivity and morale. This enables employees to manage their time and get work done when they’re most productive. It also benefits working parents, team members with health conditions, and student employees.

It’s helpful to opt for a tool with desktop and mobile time tracking apps to track employee work time even when on the go.

Use time entries to identify patterns and adjust workflows accordingly.

Stress and burnout

Employees who are constantly monitored report worse mental health, higher levels of tension and stress, and more cases of the workplace negatively impacting or harming their mental health.

Rigid time tracking also leads to employees padding their time entries by falsifying the data or remaining at their desks, faking busyness after completing tasks. 

This negates any benefit of gathering time data as it is inaccurate. Plus, the employees could be spending this time on other things.

Regularly check in with your employees about workloads and stress levels and offer mental health support and resources. Create a safe space for employees to reach out if they are struggling.

Promote a healthy work-life balance and discourage overtime. Employees shouldn’t feel they must conform to hustle culture to be seen as good employees.

Overemphasis on quantity over quality

When managers focus solely on the amount of time spent on work instead of the quality, they encourage bad, inefficient work habits that contribute to reduced productivity.

Encouraging a results-oriented work environment by setting clear quality benchmarks and key performance indicators allows employees to take their time and ensure the highest quality of work.

Implementing this strategy alongside reasonable time tracking metrics lets you balance quality and quantity. Ensure you regularly review and adjust your metrics to align with goals.

2. Privacy, trust, and legal concerns

Time tracking tools with activity monitoring and employee surveillance features invade personal privacy as they can capture personal data by monitoring non-work activities. 

They also foster a feeling of distrust between employees and management, contributing to a hostile work environment.

At worst, employee monitoring tools can lead to legal issues when sensitive data is captured.

Here are some more details about these issues and how to avoid them.

Lack of trust

Excessively tracking and monitoring your employees damages trust and employee morale and creates a toxic work culture. This eventually contributes to increased employee turnover and difficulty retaining talent.

Instead, opt for a non-invasive employee time tracking solution like Toggl Track and involve employees in the decision-making process when creating time tracking policies.

Be transparent and regularly communicate about time tracking, the benefits, and best practices to build trust and get everyone on board.

Misuse of data

The benefits of time tracking are severely diminished if your management team doesn’t know what to do with the data, misinterprets it, or uses it for the wrong purposes.

Data misinterpretation or misuse can result in unfair performance evaluations, incorrect conclusions, and biased decisions, so ensure your managers are trained in ethical data usage and interpretation 

Regularly auditing time tracking practices and data usage and implementing checks and balances helps ensure fairness and accuracy across the board.

Legal and compliance issues

Some methods of employee monitoring and data collection are illegal in certain jurisdictions or require strict disclosures and prior consent. Implementing a time tracking system can be a minefield, especially with globally distributed remote teams.

To stay on the right side of labor law and regulations, consult with a legal expert to ensure all time tracking software, practices, and policies are compliant.

Update policies regularly to comply with changing regulations and educate employees about their rights regarding the legal aspects of time tracking.

3. Inappropriate application and one-size-fits-all approach

Failing to consider the unique needs and workflows of the different teams and roles that make up your organization and using a standardized time tracking method can result in employee dissatisfaction and inaccurate time data.

Here are a few key issues to avoid.

Lack of customization

Time tracking systems without customization features are non-inclusive and may not meet the specific needs of different roles, projects, and individuals. This can hinder time tracking adoption and lead to inaccurate data and frustration on both sides.

Opt instead for customizable time tracking software and work with your staff to tailor the system to their requirements. Continually review and improve the system to ensure it fits various projects and tasks.

Failure to align with company culture

A time tracking tool that doesn’t align with company culture and values can result in resistance and a lack of employee engagement.

Bring employees into the discussion around time tracking and ask them to help develop and refine time tracking practices. This will help promote a positive view of time tracking as a tool for growth and improvement, not micromanagement and control.

Technical issues

A poorly implemented time tracking system that doesn’t properly integrate with the existing tools in a tech stack can be prone to errors and glitches that cause frustration and inefficiency. When this goes unresolved, it slows productivity down.

Ensure the time tracking software you choose is reliable and user-friendly. Do your research and look at reviews from real customers to give you a better idea of how the tool works and if it’s a good fit for your business.

Train and update your staff regularly on the time tracking system, and have a dedicated support team to tackle any technical issues that arise promptly.

4. Lack of training and support

As with any new tool or system, employees may struggle with time tracking if they’re not adequately trained. This can result in misuse or underuse of the system and even complete failure to track work time.

Let’s look at the key issues that can arise and how to fix them.

Misunderstanding of purpose

Employees may be less likely to use it correctly if the benefits and purpose of tracking time aren’t understood. Improper use of time tracking tools skews the data and results in inefficiencies.

To ensure your employees record accurate time entries, communicate the reasons and benefits clearly.

Provide examples of time tracking benefits for the employee and company, like increased profitability, improved work-life balance, and better management of future projects.

Highlight the positive aspects of time tracking during training and reiterate them if you notice any resistance.

Resistance to change

Any kind of change in business can be met with resistance if not properly managed, which makes proper implementation of new systems like time tracking tools much harder.

To avoid this becoming a bigger issue, ensure you have a thoroughly thought-out change-management strategy to ease the transition. Involve employees in the process and address their concerns openly as they arise.

This is another opportunity to reinforce the benefits of effective time tracking and mention any success stories.

Lack of ongoing support

Offering one-time training is not enough. Companies that fail to provide continuous support and resources may find their staff struggling to track their time effectively.

Creating a feedback loop helps ensure continuous improvement based on user experience, and establishing a dedicated support team helps address issues quickly so they don’t fester. 

Check in with employees regularly to avoid ongoing issues and answer questions before problems arise.

So, is time tracking good or bad?

Time tracking is a great process to implement as long as it’s implemented correctly. It has many benefits for employers and employees, so it’s worth taking the time to research and ensure you use it properly.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits in detail.

Benefits of time tracking

• Increased employee productivity: Time tracking provides visibility into how work time is spent, identifies areas of inefficiency, and spots problem workflows that can be improved. 
• Accurate project estimates: Managers can more accurately estimate time for future projects when they can access time data from past projects, removing much of the guesswork. 
• Better resource management and allocation: With a clear overview of how time and skills are distributed across tasks and projects, resource allocation can be optimized to ensure team members aren’t over- or under-used.
• Improved billing and client management: Tracking billable hours can help justify costs by providing a transparent record of the time spent on client work.
• Reduced bottlenecks and time sinks: Time tracking makes it easy to spot tasks that take too much time so they can be addressed.

Time tracking is good or bad depending on how you use it

At the end of the day, whether or not time tracking is good comes down to the way it’s used.

It’s important to choose and implement a time tracking tool that works for your business properly to avoid problems such as technical issues, misunderstandings, compliance queries, and inflexibility.

Toggl Track is a non-invasive employee time tracking tool that is user-friendly and easy to onboard. Sign up for Toggl Track for free today and start tracking employee time correctly.