Guide
The easiest way to track employee hours
Updated
Short answer
The easiest way to track employee hours is a shared time clock that needs nothing from employees: they scan a printed QR badge on a tablet by the door, and hours add themselves up. KioskClock works this way, sets up in about two minutes and has no per-employee fees.
What makes time tracking easy
For a small team, easy means two things: nothing for employees to learn or install, and nothing for you to add up. Every method below is judged on those two points.
- Employees clock in with one action, without an account, password, PIN or app
- No special hardware to buy, mount or maintain
- Hours are totalled automatically for your pay period
- Mistakes are easy to fix, and fixes are visible
- Hours export straight to payroll
- The price doesn't go up every time you hire
The options, from most work to least
Here is how the common methods compare for a team of 5 to 50 people.
| Method | Setup | What employees do | Adding up hours | Typical cost model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper time sheets | Minutes | Write times by hand | By hand, every period | Paper |
| Spreadsheet | An hour | Type times, or tell a manager | Formulas you maintain | Free |
| Punch clock machine | Buy and mount it | Insert a card | By hand from the cards | One-time hardware |
| Employee app | Invite everyone | Install an app, log in on their phone | Automatic | Usually per employee, per month |
| QR badge kiosk | About 2 minutes | Scan a badge at a tablet | Automatic | Flat with KioskClock |
Costs and features vary by product; see our comparison of popular time clock apps for current prices.
Why a shared kiosk beats an employee app for small teams
Employee apps are built for remote and mobile crews: each person installs an app, creates a login and clocks in from their own phone. That's useful when people work at many sites. For a café, shop, workshop or clinic where everyone walks through the same door, it adds work: invitations, forgotten passwords, people without a smartphone, and a bill that grows with every hire.
A shared kiosk flips that around. The device is yours, it lives at the entrance, and employees only carry a badge. There's nothing to set up per person beyond typing their name.
Setting it up with KioskClock
From nothing to a working time clock, in the order you'd do it:
- Type your employees' names (no emails or phone numbers)
- Print the QR badges on paper, labels or card stock
- Open the time clock on a tablet by the door, or pair it from your computer with a QR code
- Employees scan in, and scan again to clock out
- At the end of the pay period, download Excel or CSV for payroll
When an easy time clock isn't enough
KioskClock is deliberately just a time clock. If you need shift scheduling, GPS tracking for crews on the road, PTO accrual or built-in payroll, an all-in-one workforce platform will suit you better, and it will usually be priced per employee. If you want accurate hours with no training, the simple option is the easy one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the simplest way to track employee hours?
A QR badge time clock: employees scan a printed badge on a shared tablet to clock in and out, and the hours are totalled for you. KioskClock sets up in about two minutes and is free for up to 3 employees.
Do employees need an app, an email address or a password?
No. Employees never create an account or install anything. Their printed badge is all they need. Only the business owner signs in, with a one-time code sent by email.
What tablet or device do I need?
Any iPad, Android tablet or laptop with a camera and a modern browser (Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox). Nothing to install: open the time clock page, allow the camera, and leave it running. USB and Bluetooth barcode scanners that type into the browser work too.
Is a spreadsheet good enough to track hours?
For one or two people, it can be. As the team grows, typing times by hand leads to errors, rounding and disputes, and someone has to maintain the formulas. A time clock records the exact time automatically.
How do I get hours into payroll?
Choose a pay period (weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly) and download Excel or CSV. You get each employee's total hours plus every shift with dates and times, ready to type into or import into your payroll or accounting software.