The True Cost of Inaccurate Timekeeping (and How to Fix It)
Stephanie Petersen, TEAM Software by WorkWave, CALSAGA Network Partner
If you manage a security guarding company, you know the reality of a distributed workforce: your business happens everywhere but your office. Your teams are out in the field, often working independently at multiple high-stakes job sites. While that flexibility is inherent in the industry, it creates a massive data blind spot if you aren’t careful.
When you can’t see your employees, how do you know — really know — that your timekeeping is accurate?
For many in the security industry, “close enough” has been the standard for too long. But in a world of razor-thin margins and strict compliance regulations, “close enough” is a leak your business can’t afford. Accurate timekeeping is the foundation of your profitability, your compliance strategy and your employee retention.
1. Protecting Your Profit Margins
Labor is almost certainly your largest expense. When timekeeping records are loose, you are likely overpaying for labor without realizing it. Even minor discrepancies — a few minutes here, a rounded-up hour there — compound quickly across hundreds of guards and job sites.
Beyond simple overpayment, accuracy is critical for job costing. You need to know precisely how many hours are spent on specific sites to understand if a contract is actually profitable. Accurate timekeeping ensures you are billing clients for every minute of service delivered, preventing the “missed minutes” that silently eat away at revenue.
2. The Shield of Compliance
Labor laws are unforgiving. You need auditable, precise documentation of hours worked, breaks taken and overtime accrued. If you are relying on manual timesheets, you are leaving yourself open to audits, fines, and legal disputes.
For security contractors, timekeeping serves as a digital audit trail. It provides proof of presence, verifying a guard was at a specific post at a specific time, which significantly reduces your liability if a security incident occurs.
3. Proof of Service Is Your Promise
Your customers want to know they are getting the protection they paid for. Was the lobby guard at their post at 8:00 AM?
Accurate timekeeping acts as proof of service. When you can provide verified data that correlates time punches with GPS or location markers, you give your customers confidence. This visibility protects your reputation and helps you retain contracts in a competitive market.
4. Building Trust with Your Team
Reliable timekeeping ensures fair compensation for every hour worked, which is critical for retention in an industry with high turnover. Furthermore, accurate data helps you avoid burnout. By analyzing true hours worked, you can adjust schedules to prevent employees from overextending themselves.
The Solution: WinTeam Mobile
Capturing data in the field is difficult. Connectivity issues and the risk of “buddy punching” have historically made accuracy a challenge. That is why we are rolling out significant updates to WinTeam Mobile to close the gaps between your field operations and your back office.
- Offline Punch Capabilities: Capture punch data and GPS locations even without cellular connectivity. The app automatically synchronizes and validates the data once service returns.
- Kiosk Mode: For sites with large teams, the new multi-user kiosk mode allows rapid clock-ins for multiple workers using a single device. This eliminates the need for expensive, specialized hardware.
- Biometric Validation: Coming soon, WinTeam Mobile will include optional facial verification. This feature virtually eliminates time theft and buddy punching by confirming the right employee is at the right place at the right time.
Accurate timekeeping is the difference between guessing at your success and engineering it. With TEAM Software by WorkWave, you have the tools to turn time tracking into a competitive advantage.
Ready to see how WinTeam can tighten your operations? Visit TEAM Software online at teamsoftware.com to request a demo today.
Stephanie is a passionate product manager with over a decade of experience shipping complex software. She specializes in owning ERP products for security and janitorial operations, turning chaotic workflows into functional systems designed to perform in the field and deliver measurable impact.