How to Stop Time Theft From Happening at Your Company

Have you ever spotted a time thief among your employees but didn't know what to do about it? ??

Time theft chips away at productivity, eats into profits, and creates a culture of dishonesty. It's a problem that's happening in workplaces everywhere.?

What exactly is time theft?

Simply put, time theft occurs when employees get paid for the hours they didn't actually spend working. ?

You might think that time theft isn't such a serious issue. After all, what damage could a couple of rounded-up minutes do? And you'd be right, no significant damage — but we aren’t talking about that.?

We're talking about slightly different types of time theft, such as:

• Excessive socializing,
• Extended coffee/lunch breaks,
• Buddy punching,
• Personal tasks during work hours,
• Unauthorized overtime, and
• Misreported hours.

These examples may seem negligible, but stealing company time adds up, which can have some serious consequences. ??

The impact of time theft

Time theft affects your company's bottom line. If every single employee in a 100-person company snatched just 15 minutes every day, that would yield 25 wasted hours of work a week that were still paid for.

Also, let's not forget about the stress and frustration that managers face in this situation. Constantly worrying about whether your team is stealing time or actually working can take a huge toll on your well-being. ??

The impact on team morale is another issue related to time theft at work.?

When honest employees see their colleagues constantly getting away with slacking off, they will feel resentment. Broken trust among colleagues can lead to:?

• Subpar teamwork, and?
• Drop in productivity.

Time theft also disrupts the entire organizational workflow. If just one person on your team slacks off, the other members will have to cover for them. Over time, this affects work quality and leads to missed deadlines. Not to mention the biggest enemy of every corporate organization — strained coworker relationships. ??

Preventing and managing time theft

To combat time theft, set clear expectations and emphasize the importance of honesty and accountability. You can first try to:

• Set clear break times, and
• Use time tracking software.

People and Culture Manager Jessica Munday sees supportive management strategies as key to reducing the chances of time theft:

"Our ultimate goal is to create a work environment where time theft is not only monitored and controlled but also largely prevented via the use of supportive management strategies and an enjoyable work environment."

For repeat offenders, consider:

• Additional training, and
• Disciplinary actions.

Also, as a manager, try leading by example. Always show up on time, stick to the break schedule, and track your work hours transparently. ??

The ultimate solution to tackle time theft

A workspace where everyone knows their time is valued creates a more positive and productive work environment. Introducing measures to prevent time theft shouldn't ever be about punishing the employees, but creating a rewarding company culture. ??

Managers don't have it easy, though. Trying to keep up with every team member and their tasks can be challenging, at best. Thankfully, tools like Clockify can help.

Our no-nonsense time tracker lets you monitor work hours accurately, eliminating time theft and promoting fairness. ?

*This article is the abridged, adapted version of the blog post originally published at the Clockify blog

Thanks to Clockify, you can create a happy, fair, and efficient work environment. ?

Try Clockify for free today