This quote nicely sums up what performance review is all about. When done right, performance reviews allow you to recognize your team members’ abilities and identify areas for improvement.

But, if you’re saying performance reviews are challenging, we hear you. To help you out, we’ve created this comprehensive write-up.

In this article, you will learn:

• What performance review is all about,
• The different methods of performance review,
• The major steps involved in the performance review process, and
• Methods of evaluating yourself as an employee.

What is a performance review?

Performance review (also called performance evaluation or appraisal) is a formal process of evaluating employees’ work performance, setting employees’ goals or targets, and providing suggestions for improvement. Managers use different methods of performance review for employee evaluation. 

Apart from managers, the HR team, supervisors, psychologists, and employees can also be part of the performance review process.

During the performance review, managers evaluate both: 

• Hard skills, such as technical skills, job knowledge, etc., and 
• Soft skills, like communication or time management.

While the skills assessed differ based on the job role and the company’s goals, some of the commonly evaluated skills include:

• Job knowledge,
• Communication skills,
• Proactiveness,
• Willingness to learn and improve,
• Teamwork,
• Time and attendance,
• Accountability,
• Problem solving, and
• Culture and values.

In the next section, we will discuss different evaluation methods to help you make an informed decision.

The methods of a performance review

There are many methods of crafting a performance review. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common performance review methods including:

• 360-degree feedback,
• Management By Objectives,
• Forced distribution,
• Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale,
• Assessment center,
• Psychological review,
• 720-degree feedback, and 
• Custom methods.

Here’s a quick summary of the features, pros, and cons of these methods:

Performance review method #1: 360-degree feedback 

Unlike traditional performance appraisals, which typically involve feedback from a single supervisor or manager, the 360-degree appraisal collects feedback from multiple sources.  

These sources are the individuals connected to the employee including:

• Colleagues,
• Clients,
• Vendors,
• Peers,
• Customers, and
• Supervisors. 

As these individuals know a lot about the employee’s behavior and performance in the workplace, they are your source of information when you want to collect data about the employee.

However, during this process, the sources usually stay anonymous.

The survey provider Qualtrics suggests including several categories of employee evaluation you can analyze for this method, such as: 

• Self-awareness, 
• Communication, 
• Leadership, and 
• Teamwork.  

For example, these are some of the questions that help evaluators assess an employee’s communication skills, according to Aleksandra Babic, Human Resources Generalist at CAKE.com:

“Does the employee effectively communicate with co-workers, managers, and customers? How often? How does the employee react to negative feedback? In what way could the employee contribute to better communication? Are they open to questions, suggestions, or proposals?”

The pros and cons of 360-degree feedback method

The benefits of the 360-degree feedback method are:

• It offers unbiased employee feedback since there are different sources of data, and
• It helps discover issues that may be the cause of an employee’s struggle.

In addition, studies have shown that using the 360-degree feedback method improves teamwork and communication.

On the other hand, here are the major drawbacks of this method:

• It’s not effective for small organizations where there are fewer sources (fewer managers, customers, etc), and
• It requires more time to process data from all sources.

According to Steve Lovig, HR Consultant at Flex HR, another disadvantage is that most people might hesitate to provide any negative feedback on the employee.

“Peers and others the employee works with are often hesitant to say anything negative since they “THINK” — whether true or not — that their input will impact the amount of increase other employees might be eligible for. People don’t want to keep others from getting an increase.”

Performance review method #2: Management By Objectives (MBO) 

Peter Drucker, an Austrian-born American management consultant, introduced the term Management By Objectives in 1954. The goal of this method is to determine the company’s objectives and encourage employees to focus on fulfilling them.

Here are steps involved in the MBO process:

1. The management defines or modifies the company’s goals,
2. Employees set individual goals with the help of their managers, 
3. Managers evaluate employees’ performance by comparing it against the company’s objectives, and
4. Continuous feedback from managers helps employees achieve their goals.

When employees show excellent results, they get rewarded with promotion or a raise. If employees have unproductive results, they will receive further training. 

For the MBO method to be effective, companies need to have fixed goals that are aligned with the SMART goals. So, companies should have aims that are:

• S — specific, 
• M — measurable, 
• A — achievable, 
• R — realistic, and 
• T — time-sensitive.

The pros and cons of the MBO method

Here are the major advantages of the MBO method:

• It provides employees with a clear understanding of their job duties,
• It promotes transparency and hierarchy in the workplace,
• It encourages employees to contribute to the company’s success, and 
• It promotes workers’ loyalty to the company.

However, there are some downsides of the MBO method:

• It can sometimes cause performance failure due to factors beyond employee’s control, such as availability of resources or a toxic work culture,
• It can make employees feel like machines, not individuals as they are expected to work their way towards the set goals, no matter what, and
• It leads to lack of creativity and proactivity as workers are bound to follow fixed objectives.

Performance review method #3: Forced distribution  

In the Forced distribution method (or Forced ranking method), evaluators classify employees into 3 categories: 

• Top, 
• Poor, and 
• Average performers. 

Instead of using predetermined performance criteria, managers compare an employee’s performance to that of their co-workers.

Here’s how this method works — a manager, a supervisor, or a director evaluates each employee in categories, such as: 

• Quality of work, 
• Knowledge, 
• Attitude, 
• Dependability, and 
• Cooperation. 

Based on how they perform, employees can be classified into 3 groups, and this type of distribution is called the 20-70-10 formula:

• 20% of employees are A performers (the top performers), 
• 70% of employees are B performers (average performers), and
• 10% of employees are C performers (extremely low levels of performance). 

When you plot this as a graph, you will get a bell-shaped curve like this:

As you can see, the middle of this bell-shaped curve represents average performers (70% of employees fall into this category). The two ends of the curve represent the top performers (10% on each side of the curve) and the poor performers (5% on each side of the curve). 

The pros and cons of the Forced distribution method

Here are the positive aspects of the Forced distribution method:

• It maintains consistency in measuring employee performance, regardless of the number of workers in the company,
• It reveals new leaders of the company — once the A performers are discovered, the company management can start training such employees for their future leadership roles, and 
• It’s easy to conduct such reviews because the process is the same for all employees.

Nevertheless, the Forced distribution method has several disadvantages as well:

• It can cause unhealthy competition and conflicts between employees, 
• Employees might feel that their performance is underrated, especially if they end up in the C category, and 
• Many HR specialists consider the Forced distribution method unsuitable, because some organizations use it when they need to downsize.

Another downside of the Forced distribution method is the fact that it does not consider the true performance of employees and can demoralize them, according to Steve Lovig.

“The Forced distribution method forces managers to rate a certain percentage of employees as top performers, a larger percentage as average, and a certain percentage as not meeting expectations, regardless of the true performance of the employees. Many may feel the system is unfair; they are being categorized as ‘not meeting’ due to the ‘curve’ (forced ranking), instead of their actual performance.”

Performance review method #4: Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS)  

The Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) method evaluates employee performance by tying it to specific behaviors at the workplace (such as attentive customer service in the customer support field).

The purpose of this method is to compare the employee’s performance and predetermined examples of behavior (how a certain employee should behave). As each job has its own set of specific behaviors that are indicative of their job performance, managers can evaluate employees’ performance accurately. 

Here’s an example of how a company defines the desired examples of behavior. Let’s say that you’re a manager of a coffee shop, and you need to evaluate your employees working at the counter. Their main duties are greeting the customers, taking orders, and handling payments. 

Therefore, you can evaluate your workers in the following categories:

• Customer service, 
• Attendance, 
• Effectiveness, 
• Responsibility, and others.

When it comes to customer service, at the top of your scale should be examples of exceptional employee behavior. For instance, smiling while greeting new customers and using phrases such as:

• Welcome to “XX coffee shop.”
• Can I take your order?

In other words, being polite and friendly to customers, as well as creating a positive atmosphere are some examples of desired employee behaviors. At the bottom of your scale should be examples of unprofessional, unacceptable employee behavior. For instance, being rude and impolite to customers, talking on the phone while taking orders, and not making eye contact with them.

The pros and cons of the BARS method

These are the advantages of the BARS method:

• It provides transparent and concrete evaluation norms with specific examples of employee behavior,
• It offers a clear framework for employees on how to be successful in the workplace, and
• It promotes equality as the performance of each worker is measured the same way.

Then again, there are some drawbacks of the BARS method, too:

• It takes a long time to create different rating scales for various job roles,
• It requires managers to be trained in areas, such as interpersonal skills, goal-setting, or providing constructive feedback, and
• It’s not practical for companies with diverse types of jobs.

Performance review method #5: Assessment center

The assessment center method focuses on creating diverse exercises which simulate various components of the work environment.

The idea behind this technique is to see how employees behave in particular situations at work and how these situations affect their performance. 

This method is handy when the company’s management needs to make decisions about promotions and training needs of employees.

Aside from this, the assessment center method is used during the recruitment process to identify talent.

Here are the different types of exercises evaluators use:

• In-tray exercise: The goal of this exercise is to measure job skills of candidates by giving them tasks that mimic real-world work situations.
• Presentation exercise: Candidates receive a topic in advance on which they have to give a presentation.
• Group discussion exercise: A group of 4 to 8 candidates work together to solve a physical or theoretical problem.
• Competency-based interview: Candidates describe a situation in which they have shown qualities such as leadership, teamwork, etc.
• Role-play exercise: Candidates are asked to imagine themselves in a hypothetical position, for instance, as the CEO of a company. Then, they should explain how they would manage working as a CEO.

There are many professionals involved in the assessment process, including employers, supervisors, HR personnel, consultants, or professional actors.

The pros and cons of the assessment center method

Here are the positive aspects of the assessment center method:

• The data gathered from these exercises makes the selection process much easier and more accurate.
• The skills that employees show during the evaluation process are the true indicators of their current and future performance.
• Ideal for companies that need to recruit a large number of employees or for hiring candidates remotely.

And, here are the negative aspects of this method:

• Time-consuming as it requires considerable planning.
• Can be expensive because it involves professionals from numerous industries.
• May not be suitable for all job roles.

Performance review method #6: Psychological review  

In this performance review method, psychologists perform diverse tests, namely in-depth interviews, psychological tests, and private discussions. By reviewing the results of these tests, psychologists can predict an employee’s future performance.

Qualified psychologists evaluate the main elements of an employee’s work, which are:

1. Interpersonal skills,
2. Cognitive abilities, 
3. Intellectual traits, 
4. Leadership skills, 
5. Personality traits, and
6. Emotional factors.

The tests show how well an employee is suited for a position and helps the management make informed promotion decisions. For example, the psychologist assesses how an employee handles an aggressive customer and other challenging customer-facing situations. Based on the assessment, the management promotes the employee as a customer service team lead. 

The pros and cons of the psychological review 

The benefits of using the psychological review  method are:

• It provides comprehensive data about employees, all their current skills, emotions, and personality type, and
• It reveals new potentials as psychologists can find out some undiscovered employee qualities. Furthermore, this discovery may bring new possibilities for an employee.

The limitations of the psychological review method are:

• Time-consuming and can be quite a complex process due to the necessity for multiple tests and in-depth interviews, and  
• Unpredictable factors may affect the results of the tests. For example, if an employee was nervous during the assessment, the results might be irregular.

While we discussed some of the commonly used methods, many organizations are shifting to other performance review methods that better align with their culture, goals, and the changing expectations of their workforce.

Let’s look at some of these modern performance review methods.

Performance review method #7: 720-degree review 

As you might’ve guessed, the 720-degree review is nothing but the 360-degree done twice over.

In the 720-degree performance review method, there are 2 rounds of feedback:

• In the pre-approach round, the employee gets feedback and suggestions on setting and achieving goals from multiple sources (management, customers, subordinates, etc). The management can also provide training as needed to help the employee achieve the goals, and
• In the post-approach period, the manager evaluates if the employee achieved these goals and provides further feedback as required.

The pros and cons of the 720-degree review method

Here are the advantages of the 720-degree review method:

• It takes a proactive approach to bring out the best in employees,
• It minimizes bias, discrimination, and subjectivity in review, and
• Employees receive guidance to set and achieve goals, reducing the chances of errors.

As with other methods, the 720-degree employee evaluation method also has disadvantages:

• It takes a lot of time to implement the review process, making it unsuitable for companies with time constraints, 
• It may require additional funding to carry out 2 rounds of reviews,
• It’s not suitable for medium or small companies, and
• With multiple people involved in the performance evaluation, the results may not be accurate.

Performance review method #8: Custom performance review

As the name suggests, each company can develop their own method of performance review to align with their goals and workers’ needs.

For instance, Google developed a new system of review called Google Reviews and Development (GRAD) in 2022 based on their employees’ feedback.

The features of the GRAD system are:

• Managers regularly provide feedback and check-in with employees to ensure the workers are on track when it comes to the most important tasks, 
• One of these feedback sessions focuses on discussing the learning and development opportunities at the company, and
• Employees are evaluated with a 5-point rating system where the lowest rating is “not enough impact,” and the highest rating being “transformative impact.”

As the rating is done just once a year, the process is less time consuming and requires less labor commitment compared to some of the other methods. 

Microsoft, on the other hand, uses informal check-ins and annual employee surveys to gather feedback. Employees can also ask for feedback from any other employee or peer whose input is relevant. In addition, employees use performance journals to record their own work-related activities, goals, and achievements.

The pros and cons of custom review methods

Although it is difficult to generalize the pros and cons of custom methods, here are some of the advantages of the methods used by Google and Microsoft:

• Less labor and less time-consuming as there is no rigid structure for performance review,
• Gives employees more control over the process, and
• Focuses on employee collaboration, learning, and development.

These are some of the drawbacks of Google’s and Microsoft’s appraisal systems:

• Not suitable for smaller companies with fewer employees, managers, customers, vendors, etc,
• With employees at Google expected to accomplish ‘the near-impossible’, there is a risk of more workers receiving low-performance ratings, and
• Managers need to be trained in conducting both formal and informal check-ins.

Performance review: Can you use more than one method? 

So far, we have listed 8 performance review techniques. But, note that some companies may use a combination of these methods.

In fact, a combination of methods helps retain objectivity, according to Aleksandra Babic.

“Our company uses the 360-degree feedback method and the assessment center method. From our point of view, these two methods have proven to be the most objective when it comes to assessing work performance. The data obtained from these methods are easy to process and directly represent our expectations as an employer and can easily be compared with what the employee actually did and what the quality of the work was.”

And, according to experienced recruiter and Director of Health Recruiters, Daniel Evans, a hybrid approach helps improve employee performance.

“We utilize a combination of 360-degree feedback and MBO. This hybrid approach fosters a well-rounded evaluation, aligning individual goals with overall organizational objectives. This method has proven effective in enhancing employee performance and development.”

Now that you know more about the different performance review methods, it’s time to focus on how to create an effective appraisal system.

The major steps of creating a performance review

Here are the steps that help you ensure your performance reviews bring the results you desire.

Step #1: Determine the company’s goals and training needs

Before creating a performance review, it is important to establish the company’s goals and assess the evaluator’s skills, according to Aleksandra Babic.

“It is necessary to define what the company’s goals are, as in, what we want to achieve with the employees. Should we motivate them more? Do we want them to work better? Or to be faster? The second thing to take care of is what way the staff will be evaluated and whether the evaluators are sufficiently trained for that.”

Step #2: Create a file for each employee

Remember that documentation is vital to improving accuracy of your reviews.

Shari Harley, a business communication keynote speaker explains how to review employees in one of her video guides. 

Shari points out that managers should create a separate document that contains essential information (such as positive feedback from clients or projects completed) about each employee. In addition, managers should gather feedback on the employee’s performance from vendors, customers, peers, and colleagues. 

To ensure they have complete information, managers should ask employees to keep a record of their accomplishments, too. 

Step #3: Be detailed

In the aforementioned guide, Shari stressed out how performance reviews need to be detailed. Thus, managers should think about:

• 3 Most important cases when an employee has performed exceptionally well, and
• 3 Most important situations that an employee should have done differently.

Therefore, employees will know exactly what they’re doing great and what they should improve.

Step #4: Be specific

When it comes to providing feedback, specificity is a key. The same rule applies to performance reviews. 

So, as suggested by Shari, be specific when writing down 3 accomplishments and struggles. That way, your employees will have a clear understanding of their performance.

Instead of saying “produce more accurate work” to your employee, Shari suggests you use these phrases:

• “Check your work, 
• Be sure to spell check, and
• Have someone proofread your work before you turn it in.” 

Besides, remember that every review should be about the employee’s previous performance, and future plans, as well.

Step #5: Train evaluators and ensure ongoing communication 

According to Scott Jackson, keynote speaker and area manager at Amazon Global Specialty Fulfillment, companies should focus on ongoing communication and training to ensure the performance review process is effective.

“Train evaluators rigorously — they are the analysts of your human capital. Communicate clearly, provide consistent feedback, and adapt like a startup in a dynamic market. It’s a continuous improvement cycle — stay agile.”

You should always keep these steps in your mind, regardless of the method you’ll use for performance reviews. 

Tips for evaluating yourself as an employee

The self-review (also known as self-evaluation or self-appraisal) is a process where employees rate their own performance. These reviews are beneficial because managers can compare their own opinions about the performance of a worker with what the employee points out in the review.

What’s more, many companies prioritize employee self-evaluation as they believe it encourages workers to take ownership of their performance, according to Wendy Makinson, HR manager at Joloda Hydraroll.

“We allow time to be put aside to prepare before review meetings and expect everyone to reflect on progress, suggest their own areas for improvement, and make suggestions for their personal goals. Our culture is one encouraging employees to take personal responsibility for their performance with support and advice from their manager, rather than one where the manager is responsible for setting goals.”

If you’re an employee who has never written a self-performance review, here are some tips for you.

Tip #1: Think about your past performance

Start by reflecting on your performance in the past period, for example, past year. Then,  find the answers to these questions:

• What tasks, actions, or activities went well over the past period?
• What tasks were marked as unsuccessful?
• What should be done differently in the future?

Try to be as realistic as possible. Avoid sugar-coating your activities or underestimating your past efforts. 

Tip #2: Keep track of your accomplishments and challenges

According to Jackson, effective self-evaluation begins with recording achievements using metrics.

“For the workforce, it’s about metrics, metrics, metrics. Use quantifiable measures to assess your own performance.”

Depending on the nature of your job, these metrics can include new customers acquired or revenue generated in a month, etc. 

As suggested by Shari, you can create a “me file” which is a compilation of all your achievements.

This file should contain all the positive feedback that you received, emails of review, your successful tasks, etc.  

Think about your role within the team and how your contributions play a significant part in the team’s success.  

Try to be as specific as you can when writing about your accomplishments. For example, if you’re in sales, note that you’ve managed to sign contracts with 10 new clients, which is a 20% increase compared to the previous period. 

Nevertheless, including all the challenges you’ve had over the last few months is also important. Be sure to explain why particular tasks were more demanding for you, so that your manager can help you resolve these issues in the future. 

Tip #3: Include your future goals and plans

To show your proactivity, include your future goals in your review. But, include only goals that are possible to achieve, depending on your position, skills, and experience. 

For example, an achievable goal can be: 

Attend workshops to improve time management skills and reduce the number of overdue tasks by [X]% in the next quarter.

In addition, if there’s any way your manager can help you enhance your skills and gain new knowledge, don’t be afraid to ask. It can be a training session, a conference, or an online workshop dedicated to the topic you’re interested in. 

Tip #4: Proofread before sending your review

Once you’ve finished writing your self-review report, be sure to carefully review it before sending it to your manager. Remember to spell check it and make edits if needed. Having typos and grammatical errors is not acceptable.

Furthermore, you should have your colleague, a friend, or a family member proofread the review. It’s likely that they’ll notice an error that you’ve missed, or they’ll point out if your tone wasn’t appropriate.

Conclusion: Pick a performance evaluation method that aligns with your company’s and workers’ goals

As you know by now, performance reviews are vital for both the management and employees.

While there are diverse methods of creating performance reviews, you can choose from the techniques that we’ve covered in this article. Keep in mind that the method you’re using aligns with the size of your business, your budget, your employees’ needs, and other factors.  

And, the more accurate and comprehensive the data you have on employees, the more objective your performance reviews will be.

By following the tips we’ve listed in this blog post, you can uncover your employees’ hidden potential, develop their skills, and retain top talent.

Which performance review method does your company use? Maybe you have found the secret to creating and implementing a successful performance review? Feel free to share your insights with us by writing to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me. We will do  our best to feature them in our upcoming blog posts. And, if you found our blog post informative, go ahead and share it with your colleagues and peers.

According to statistics, Firefox takes the fourth place in terms of browser market share right after Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge browser. 

Apart from being quite popular and easy to use, Firefox browser offers a wide range of extensions that you can use daily — both for work and personal use.

Whether you need an easy way to schedule social media posts or want to increase your productivity, Firefox extensions are a sure-fire solution.

To help you choose the right Firefox extension for your needs, in this blog post, we’ll:

• Give you the list of the best Firefox extensions you should try,
• Provide you with all the important details about these tools, such as their prices, pros and cons, and more, and
• Answer some of the frequently asked questions about the Firefox extensions.

The best Firefox extensions for different business needs

Here are some of the best Firefox extensions you should install on your browser depending on your needs:

• Clockify — best for time tracking and increased productivity,
• Tree Style Tab — best for organizing your tabs,
• DownThemAll! — best for managing downloads,
• uBlock Origin — best for privacy protection and a better browser experience,
• Grammarly — best for grammar-checking,
• Turn Off the Lights — best for enhanced video viewing experience,
• Publer — best for social media scheduling,
• Bitwarden — best for managing passwords, and
• FireShot — best for capturing screenshots.

Clockify — best for time tracking and increased productivity

Clockify is a time tracking software used by millions. It lets you track work hours across projects.

Why is Clockify best for time tracking and increased productivity?

Clockify offers many options to help you record the time you spend on your tasks and projects.

With Clockify’s Firefox time tracking extension, you can:

• Track your time via timer or manually (using timesheets),
• Utilize reminders and idle detection alerts for more accurate time tracking, and
• Track your time by selecting any text in the browser (for example, an email subject in Gmail).

For example, I use Clockify’s timer to track how much time I spend on each project, which helps me plan and organize my workload more efficiently. 

Apart from tracking my time with it, I also use Clockify’s Firefox extension to increase my productivity. 

One of my favorite features that I can use with Clockify’s Firefox extension is the Pomodoro Timer. It allows me to work in regular work/break intervals using the Pomodoro technique.

To be able to add minutes for time intervals and breaks, check the “Enable pomodoro timer” box in settings.

By using Clockify’s Pomodoro timer, you can eliminate burnout and increase your focus. 

With Clockify’s Firefox time tracking extension, not only will you be able to track your time easily, but you’ll also become a more productive version of yourself.

Clockify’s pros

These are some of the main benefits of using Clockify:

• It allows you to continue the timer for an activity with just one click (for an activity that’s already recorded in your timesheets),
• It offers the possibility of automatically stopping the timer at a specified time of the day, and
• It is extremely easy to set up and use.

Clockify’s cons

To see some of the main disadvantages of using Clockify, take a look at the list below:

• It doesn’t have an option of splitting a time entry into two with a single action,
• It doesn’t allow you to schedule multiple tasks on a timeline, and
• For additional time tracking features like the option to import timesheets from a file directly to Clockify, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the paid plans.

What’s new in Clockify

In October 2023, Clockify introduced some UX improvements to its users. These include removing the “Load more” button that users had to click to load projects/tags and implementing infinite scrolling which allows projects/tags to load as the user scrolls.

In the same month, Clockify also introduced updates for ClickUp integration. One of these updates includes the ability to pick up ClickUp’s task name and start tracking time for that task via timer. 

These updates are all available in Google Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Apart from the Firefox extension, Clockify also offers several other platforms.

Tree Style Tab — best for organizing your tabs

Tree Style Tab can easily become one of your favorite Firefox add-ons. It allows you to organize your tabs as “trees” and rearrange them according to your needs. 

Why is Tree Style Tab best for organizing your tabs?

Tree Style Tab is an indispensable asset for anyone who has a tough time dealing with tab cluttering.

With Tree Style Tab’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Organize your tabs by creating Independent Tabs, Child Tabs, or Sibling Tabs,
• Use the “History” option to search for a specific page you’ve once opened, and
• Utilize the “Bookmarks” option to quickly find a specific page you’ve previously bookmarked. 

Tree Style Tab can help you get a better overview of all your tabs, and it is also ideal if you want to organize your tabs by grouping them.

For example, I use Tree Style Tab to create “trees” where each tree reflects a group of tabs on the same topic. In other words, if I’m researching how to build a browser extension, for instance, but I’m also exploring different Firefox add-ons, I can create two tab-trees, one for each topic.

I also like using the Tree Style Tab’s “History” option. It allows me to quickly find a specific page by applying the “By Date and Site” filter, for example.

If I need to find a specific page that I’ve opened in the last 7 days, I don’t have to waste time opening and scrolling down my browser history to find it. With Tree Style Tab, I can do it in the extension itself.

In addition, all tabs are neatly organized into folders, which makes the whole search process even easier.

Although Tree Style Tab doesn’t offer much functionality compared to some other similar extensions, it is still worth installing if you want a simple tab manager extension.

Tree Style Tab’s pros 

Here are some key advantages of using Tree Style Tab:

• It allows you to rearrange your tabs by dragging and dropping them,
• It helps you keep track of different websites and pages as you switch between tasks, and
• It allows you to group your tabs for better organization.

Tree Style Tab’s cons 

These are some of the disadvantages of using Tree Style Tab:

• It is scarce in features compared to some other similar extensions,
• It may take you a little longer to master all the settings, and
• Its UI design could be more aesthetically pleasing.

What’s new in Tree Style Tab

On the 10th of November 2023, Tree Style Tab released a new version of the extension with some updates. 

These new updates include options like additional context menu commands  “Mute/Unmute this Tree” and “Mute/Unmute Descendants” and more.

DownThemAll! — best for managing downloads

If you need a free download manager browser extension, DownThemAll! is the right solution for you.

Why is DownThemAll! best for managing downloads?

DownThemAll! makes managing and downloading a bunch of files a breeze. 

With DownThemAll!’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Download all the links or media from a certain web page in one go,
• Choose specific links or media that you want to download from a certain web page, and
• Apply filters like GIF Images, Videos, Audio, and more to quickly organize and select the items you want to download.

What I especially like about DownThemAll! is that it also allows me to create a separate folder for the files that I downloaded using this extension. 

By using the “Subfolder” option, I can create and name a subfolder and store all my downloads there.

This new subfolder will be saved automatically in my Downloads folder. 

With DownThemAll!, I can also pause, resume, and cancel downloads at any time, so I have complete control over the downloading process.

DownThemAll!’s pros 

Here are some of the biggest advantages of DownThemAll!:

• It provides the “All Tabs” option to download links and media from all opened tabs simultaneously, 
• It allows you to easily download a multitude of files at once and save time, and
• It offers customizable filters to organize and download the files you need at a given moment.

DownThemAll!’s cons 

Let’s see some of the disadvantages of using DownThemAll!:

• It would be nice if you could see the images you want to download (in the form of a thumbnail, for example) and not just their links,
• The option of creating custom filters may be difficult to understand, and
• It doesn’t offer many functionalities.

What’s new in DownThemAll!

DownThemAll!’s most recent updates were presented to their users on August 23rd 2023, when DownThemAll!’s 4.11 version was released. One of these updates includes the ability to download the AVIF image format.

DownThemAll! is also available as an extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

uBlock Origin — best for privacy protection and a better browser experience

The uBlock Origin is an efficient blocker add-on that can help you block ads, trackers, and more. 

Why is uBlock Origin best for privacy protection and a better browser experience? 

The uBlock Origin has all the necessary options a great privacy extension may offer and more.

With uBlock Origin’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Block unwanted ads, large media elements, or remote fonts (fonts from external servers) on certain websites,
• Remove page elements such as disturbing images you may encounter on some pages, for example, and
• Prevent tracking and malicious advertising of third-party advertisers to protect your privacy.

With uBlock Origin, you don’t have to worry about malicious or intrusive ads and pop-ups that spoil your browsing experience. You can simply block them and continue using the browser without such interruptions.

You can also set custom settings for each website you visit. 

For example, if I want to block large media elements on a particular website to potentially speed up the loading of the page I’m currently on, I can do so with uBlock Origin. I just need to click the film button.

These settings will apply to all pages of that website. Moreover, these settings are temporary by default.  

However, I can also make these settings permanent by clicking on the padlock icon. 

For even greater control over my browsing experience, I also use the uBlock Origin’s “Trusted sites” option. With it, I can add the URLs of specific websites and completely disable uBlock Origin while I’m on them.

uBlock Origin’s pros 

To see some of the good sides of using uBlock Origin, read the list below:

• It allows you to temporarily or permanently block irrelevant or disturbing content by removing certain page elements, 
• It helps you protect your online privacy by blocking malicious ads from third-party advertisers, and
• It is free of charge.

uBlock Origin’s cons 

Here are some of the uBlock Origin’s disadvantages:

• Some features require advanced technical knowledge,
• Sometimes, it can take a while until the extension accepts changes, and
• It doesn’t offer many other platforms.

What’s new in uBlock Origin

On October 31st, 2023, uBlock Origin introduced a number of fixes/changes when it released its latest 1.53.0 version.

Some of these fixes/changes include setting “My Filters” as an untrusted source by default for increased security. This was done because a number of users utilized the copy-paste option carelessly, which potentially can cause a security breach.

In addition to the Firefox extension, uBlock Origin is also available as an extension for other web browsers. 

Grammarly — best for grammar-checking

Grammarly is an intuitive tool that checks your grammar, spelling, and more as you write. Once you install this browser, you’ll be able to use it on most websites that have text fields, and it runs automatically.

Why is Grammarly best for grammar-checking? 

Grammarly helps you improve your writing skills by allowing you to:

• Check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation,
• Adjust your tone,
• Write concise and clear sentences, and
• Find the most appropriate words for a given context.

With Grammarly, you can write high-quality text and save time on editing and polishing.

As I often write, whether for work or for other occasions, I use Grammarly to improve my writing skills and solve any grammar doubts that I might have.

What I particularly like about Grammarly is its “Synonyms” option. This option comes in handy when I want to check if there’s another similar but perhaps more suitable word that I can use in a particular sentence.

As soon as I double-click on a word, various synonyms of the given word and their definitions automatically appear in the window.

Another interesting Grammarly’s option is its “Personal Dictionary.” I use this feature to add new words that do not exist in the Grammarly’s dictionary. That way, I can stop Grammarly from flagging those words as “misspelled” or “unknown.”

For example, if I’m writing about a productivity tool named “Productivus”, to prevent Grammarly from treating this word as a misspelling, I can simply add it to the Personal Dictionary. 

Grammarly also detects plagiarism in your text, which is another feature that might be useful to many — from writers and researchers to students.

Grammarly’s pros 

Here are some of the main advantages of using Grammarly:

• It offers phrasal autocomplete on Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and the web version of Outlook,
• It helps you improve your writing skills and easily check your grammar, spelling, and more, and
• It allows you to add new words to the Personal Dictionary and stop them from being flagged as misspelled words.

Grammarly’s cons 

Let’s see some of the biggest downsides of using Grammarly:

• Its paid plans may be too expensive for some users,
• Its free plan is limited in features, and
• It doesn’t work when you’re offline.  

What’s new in Grammarly 

In the summer of 2023, Grammarly released several product updates — some available in the free plan and others in the paid plans.

When it comes to paid plans’ updates, one of them is the option of shortening your text and adjusting its tone to ensure you sound more on-brand.

For a free plan, Grammarly added the “Rewrite” option for users who want to improve their writing with the help of higher-quality rewrites. 

Apart from the Firefox extension, Grammarly also offers many other platforms.

Turn Off the Lights — best for enhanced video viewing experience

If you’re looking for a browser extension that allows you to watch videos more comfortably, Turn Off the Lights might be the ideal extension for you.

Why is Turn Off the Lights best for enhanced video viewing experience?

Turn Off the Lights offers many options to help you fully enjoy watching videos.

With Turn Off the Lights’ Firefox extension, you can:

• Highlight the video player you use to watch videos and darken the rest of the web page for a more cinematic viewing experience, 
• Use the “Atmosphere Lighting” option to generate light effects around the video player and make the video more vivid, and
• Optimize the video you’re watching by adjusting its brightness, contrast, saturation, and more.

With Turn Off the Lights, I can fully immerse myself in the video I’m watching. By highlighting the video itself and dimming the rest of the web page, I can eliminate distractions from surrounding content.

One of the main reasons why I like this extension is its various background options.  

For example, if I want to focus even more on a video, I can simply blur out the rest of the web page. In addition, I can also choose a background image or a dynamic background, depending on my needs.

Furthermore, if I want to use a specific image for my background, I can do that too. I just need to add that image’s URL in the Turn Off the Lights’ settings. 

Turn Off the Lights is especially useful for people who work at night and watch a lot of videos for research, for example. It gives them a better viewing experience and protects their vision with the “Eye Protection” capabilities.

Turn Off the Lights’ pros 

These are some of Turn Off the Lights’ key advantages:

• It helps you focus on the video you’re watching by highlighting it,
• It allows you to create light effects around the video player and make the video you’re watching more vivid, and
• It offers the option to adjust the brightness, contrast, or saturation of the video to optimize it according to your preferences.

Turn Off the Lights’ cons 

Here are some of the bad sides of using Turn Off the Lights:

• It can show bugs when you want to apply certain settings,
• It took me a while to find the Options page (you need to take several steps to access it), and
• It offers email support only.

What’s new in Turn Off the Lights

On September 19th 2023, Turn Off the Lights announced a major update known as Manifest V3 for Turn Off the Lights’s Firefox extension users. 

Manifest V3 offered the speedier performance of the extension and enhanced security for better online privacy. 

Besides being available as a Firefox extension, Turn Off the Lights also offers many other platforms.

Publer — best for social media scheduling

Publer is a Firefox add-on that can help you create and schedule social media posts in an easy and efficient way.

Why is Publer best for social media scheduling? 

Publer is a perfect tool for those who need to manage content on various social media platforms.

With Publer’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Create and share posts across all major social networks,
• Use the “Calendar” option to schedule your posts, 
• Utilize the “Bulk” option to save time and schedule up to 500 posts at once, and
• Customize each post according to your preferences by adding media, hashtags, location, and more.

With Publer, you cannot only create posts, but you can also recycle certain posts by reposting them. 

In addition, you can also schedule recurring posts, which is one of my favorite Publer’s options.

To schedule a recurring post, all I have to do is:

• Click on the “Recurring” option, 
• Specify the recurring frequency of the post (for example, once a week), 
• Choose the duration for the post to recur (that is, select a start and end date), and
• Set a specific time when I want that post to recur.

You can see how I use Publer to schedule recurring posts for my LinkedIn profile in the screenshot below.

Another amazing Publer’s scheduling option that I use is the “AutoSchedule” option. With it, I can set up a posting schedule and let Publer publish posts according to that schedule.

Publer also offers powerful analytics for in-depth social media post analysis. However, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to be able to use it. 

Publer’s pros 

Let’s see some of the main benefits of using Publer below:

• It offers the “Post preview” option that allows you to see how your post would look like once you shared it,
• It allows you to easily schedule posts using different options like manual scheduling, automatic scheduling, or the recurring schedule option, and
• It helps you schedule posts in bulk and save time.

Publer’s cons

Here are some of Publer’s key disadvantages:

• To be able to use Publer’s analytics, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan,
• It may be expensive for some users who want to share posts on a large number of social accounts, and
• It offers email and chat support only. 

What’s new in Publer

In February 2023, Publer introduced the AI assist feature to their users. This feature helps them generate content in seconds.

The most recent update — the ability to schedule Facebook Stories with Publer — was announced on November 13th 2023.

These new updates apply to all their platforms.

Apart from the Firefox extension, Publer is also available as an extension for Google Chrome, Safari, and Microsoft Edge and as a mobile app.

Bitwarden — best for managing passwords

Bitwarden is a password manager trusted by millions. With it, you can manage, store, and share passwords across devices from anywhere.

Why is Bitwarden best for managing passwords?

Bitwarden offers a lot of options regarding password management. 

With Bitwarden’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Save all your passwords across devices and the web,
• Generate strong passwords to strengthen your privacy,
• Store all types of sensitive data within your Bitwarden Vault and share it securely to other people, and
• Use vault health reports to identify weak or reused passwords.

With Bitwarden, you won’t have to worry about forgetting your passwords. 

Although you probably save all your passwords on your Google account, it may happen that you forget your Google account password. And that’s when complications start.

A similar situation happened to me, which is why I decided to try Bitwarden. With it, I can now store all my passwords in Bitwarden’s vault and access them at any time.

One of my favorite Bitwarden’s options is its “Generator” option. It allows me to generate strong and unique passwords for any of my accounts. 

I can choose the type of password (password or passphrase), the length of the password, and what kind of characters I want to include in it.

In addition, Bitwarden also has the ability of generating a username. 

To generate a strong username, I just have to click on the “Username” option and choose a username type (it can be a random word, for example). Additionally, I can also choose whether I want to capitalize my username or include numbers in it.

Bitwarden’s pros 

These are some of the Bitwarden’s benefits:

• It offers the option to unlock your vault via PIN or biometrics,
• It helps you generate strong passwords and usernames to reduce the chances of data breach, and
• It allows you to save all your passwords across devices and the web and have them all in one place.

Bitwarden’s cons

Here are some of the downsides of using Bitwarden:

• It lacks phone support,
• Some additional options like Bitwarden Authenticator or security reports are only available in the paid plans, and
• To be able to share passwords with other people, you have to create “organizations” (an “organization” is a shared vault that is separated from your personal vault). 

What’s new in Bitwarden

On November 7th 2023, Bitwarden launched a new passkey management feature to enable their users to log in to websites in a more convenient way. Users can now create and store passkeys in their vaults for quick and secure passwordless logins.

Managing passkeys is only available for Bitwarden’s web extensions. 

In addition to the Firefox extension, Bitwarden also offers some other platforms.

 FireShot — best for capturing screenshots

FireShot is a screen capture tool that allows you to effortlessly take a screenshot of a specific web page, capture all open tabs, and much more.

Why is FireShot best for capturing screenshots?

If you need an efficient way to take screenshots, FireShot will surely be of help.

With FireShot’s Firefox extension, you can:

• Capture the entire web page or just a visible part of it,
• Take screenshots of all open tabs in your browser,
• Select a specific part of the web page that you want to capture and take a screenshot of that part, and
• Save screenshots as JPG or PNG images or as a PDF file.

I like using FireShot for my work as it has a lot of useful capturing options. For example, it allows me to capture a specific part of a web page and later include that screenshot in an article or blog post that I’m writing. 

FireShot is a versatile screen capture tool compared to some other similar tools. Apart from offering several capturing options, FireShot also allows its users to add watermarks on screenshots or customize page size.

However, some of these options, such as watermarks and page customization options, are only available in the FireShot Pro version.

FireShot’s pros 

To see some of FireShot’s advantages, take a look at the list below:

• It offers several capturing options such as capturing the entire page, visible part of the page, selected part of the page, and more,
• It provides you with the ability to save screenshots as JPG or PNG images or as a PDF file, and
• It has the “Capture list of URLs…” option to add a list of URLs of the web pages that you want to take screenshots of.   

FireShot’s cons 

These are some of the main disadvantages of using FireShot:

• For more advanced options, you’ll need to switch to FireShot Pro version (which is a paid version),
• It would be nice if it had the option of video recording, and
• It only offers a forum for support (you only get access to the Premium section on their support forum and priority email support if you purchase a FireShot Pro Lifetime license). 

What’s new in FireShot 

On June 5th, 2023, FireShot released its latest updates that include some new options for their users.

These updates include the “Capture list of URLs…” option, additional info in PDFs such as page title, source link, and creation time, and more. 

Besides the Firefox extension, FireShot is also available as an extension for many other web browsers.

FAQs about Firefox extensions 

To learn more about Firefox extensions — like whether there are any safety issues, how to use them, and more — pay attention to the following section of this blog post.

Are Firefox extensions safe?

Although most Firefox extensions are safe, some of them may pose certain security risks.

To provide their users with extensions that meet the highest security standards, Mozilla Firefox has introduced the “Recommended Extensions program” — a list of extensions that are approved by their security experts.  

In other words, if an extension has a “Recommended” status, it means that it has been thoroughly reviewed by Firefox’s security team and is safe to download. 

However, it’s important to note that if a particular extension doesn’t have a “Recommended” status, it does not necessarily mean that it is unsafe. It only means that the extension hasn’t been verified by their security experts.

To increase your chances of downloading a safe Firefox extension, you should either:

• Download the extension with a “Recommended” status from the Mozilla Add-ons for Firefox website, or 
• Download the extension from its official website.  

Can Firefox browser extensions be hacked?

The short answer is — yes, Firefox browser extensions can be hacked.

As we learned from the previous subheading, there is always a potential security risk when downloading an extension.

According to research on vulnerable and malicious browser extensions, cyber-attacks have the goal of “penetrating into the victims’ computers by taking advantage of vulnerabilities exposed by their browsers or installed browser extensions.” 

The same research also states that these attacks are “on a continuous rise,” which means that you should definitely be careful when downloading a Firefox extension (or any other extension for that matter).

Do Firefox browser extensions track you?

Generally, Firefox extensions can track your activities and access your data but only if you give them appropriate permissions.

These permissions inform you whether a certain extension may:

• Access your data for the websites you visit,
• Read and modify your browser settings or browser’s download history,
• Open files downloaded to your computer, 
• Access your location, and much more.

Therefore, it is crucial that you carefully read a list of permissions for each extension you intend to add to your browser before you add it.

How to add extensions to Firefox?

To add extensions to Firefox, go to Mozilla Add-ons for Firefox website. Then, use its search engine to find the extension you want to add to your browser. 

When you click on that particular extension, a new page will open where you’ll be able to find the blue “Add to Firefox” button.

After you click the “Add to Firefox” button, a window will open, informing you which permissions you need to grant if you want to install the extension.

If you agree with those permissions, click the “Add” option, and the extension will be automatically added to your browser.

How to use Chrome extensions on Firefox?

To import Google Chrome extensions into Firefox, you can use the “Import Browser Data” option in the Firefox browser’s settings.

When you click the “Import Data” button and check the Extensions box from the list, you’ll see how many matching extensions Firefox is able to import from your Google Chrome browser.

In other words, Firefox will automatically find its native add-on versions of the extensions you have installed on your Chrome browser. After that, it will add those add-ons to your Firefox browser.

Finally, to complete the installation of add-ons, click on the “Install Extensions” notification.

How to remove extensions in Firefox?

First, you need to go to your Add-ons Manager page. There, you’ll see all the extensions you have installed in your browser.

To remove a specific extension, click on the three dots icon. Once you do that, a drop down menu will open where you can choose the “Remove” option. 

When you click on the “Remove” option, a window will open asking if you are sure you want to remove the extension in question. 

To confirm that you’re sure, click the “Remove” option and your extension will be automatically removed from your browser.

Closing words: When used cautiously, Firefox extensions can make your life a whole lot easier

One of the best things that comes with using the Firefox browser is the ability to add extensions to it. They can improve your browsing experience and help you work more efficiently.

However, with so many extensions available, you may have had a hard time choosing the extension that would be most helpful to you.

In addition, you also may have had concerns about how secure Firefox extensions actually are.

After reading this blog post, we hope we’ve helped you learn more about the security risks associated with Firefox extensions and how to reduce them.

Furthermore, we hope our list of Firefox extensions has helped you choose the perfect extension that satisfies your needs.

If you like our selection of Firefox extensions, we’d appreciate it if we could get some feedback from you about the extensions you use on a daily basis. Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me and we may include your choices in our future posts. And if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think could benefit from

Also, the process of achieving our goals is at least equally beneficial. During it, we learn to organize and manage our time better and be more accountable for our actions. 

This article will help you understand what matters most in goal-setting, as we’ve meticulously researched and covered the following topics:

• What goals are,
• How to choose a goal to pursue, and
• The steps to achieve your goals.

So, let’s start from the beginning.

What are goals?

Goals are specific targets that we set and plan to reach — the desired results and outcomes of our efforts and actions. The process of pursuing a goal is comparable to being on a mission — we have an objective in mind and need to take all the necessary steps to complete that mission.

To start scratching the surface of what different types of goals can be (both professional and personal), here are a few examples:

What are the metrics for tracking your goals? 

Metrics for tracking goals largely depend on the way you’ve defined your goal.      

As the examples above show, some goals are precisely defined, while others are more abstract. Metrics such as “by 5%” specify what we need to track and exactly what needs to be completed. On the other hand, the only metric in a more abstract goal, such as in “accepting our partner’s flaws,” is our gut feeling, more or less.

Furthermore, some goals are time-limited and have measurable performance indicators, while others require introspection, and the only indicator is how you feel about the outcome.

Following the examples above, “by 5%” and “by the end of the month” would be performance indicators, and they ultimately show us whether the goal was reached or not. 

What are the 3 categories of goals? 

Setting goals is a cornerstone of success as goals give us direction and help us pinpoint what’s important to us. To help you understand the core principles of goal-setting better, we’ll make a distinction between 3 different categories of goals:

• Goals based on time,
• Goals based on results, and
• Goals based on aspects of life.

Let’s explore each of these categories in more detail.

Category #1: Goals based on time

The first major distinction in the types of goals is related to the timeframe for completing the set objective. Depending on the time span they refer to, goals based on time can be divided into 2 sub-categories:

• Short-term goals, and
• Long-term goals. 

While short-term goals refer to the near future, typically up to 3 months, long-term goals can include the plan for decades to come or even the span of our whole lives.

Now, let’s check out a breakdown of the differences between these 2 types of goals in more detail. 

Short-term goals (+ examples)

Short-term goals have a relatively immediate timeframe and are achievable within days, weeks, or months. They usually act as stepping stones, helping us break down complex and long-term objectives into manageable, actionable steps. 

As the examples above indicate, short-term goals must be set as realistic targets that don’t take much of our time (or energy). Just think of them as items you’ll easily and frequently cross off your to-do lists.

However, the importance of short-term goals should not be underestimated — they help us monitor routines. It’s exactly the combination of our routines that shapes our mindset and, ultimately, our personality.

Long-term goals (+ examples)

Long-term goals have an extended timeframe of at least a year, requiring sustained effort, commitment, and dedication. They tend to be broader and less detailed than short-term goals, outlining the major achievements and life-changing outcomes.

As the examples above show, long-term goals are more complex in a way that they provide a sense of direction and purpose over the course of a whole life. Hence, they require careful planning and ongoing commitment to shape one’s overall life trajectory.

Category #2: Goals based on results

The second group of goals is centered around the end-point of an objective. However, since the final result of a goal is highly dependent on both the process and your performance along the way, these types of goals can further be divided into 3 sub-categories:

• Outcome-oriented goals,
• Process-oriented goals, and
• Performance-oriented goals.

Let’s take a look at each of these types of goals up close.

Outcome-oriented goals (+ examples)

Outcome-oriented goals provide a clear target and are focused on the end result that we desire. They define what you want to achieve and are absolutely crucial for setting a clear target and measuring success. 

As the examples show, outcome-oriented goals provide a specific, tangible objective to work toward. There are no other metrics apart from answering the question of whether the goal has been achieved or not. 

Process-oriented goals (+ examples)

Unlike the previous category, process-oriented goals prioritize the actions and behaviors necessary to reach an outcome. Since the process part is rarely irrelevant to the outcome, these types of goals help you focus on the journey and the steps you need to take to reach that ultimate end-point. 

As the examples indicate, process-oriented goals are essential for tracking growth and ensuring that you are making progress.

Performance-oriented goals (+ examples)

Performance-oriented goals are centered on enhancing our skills and/or abilities. While achieving such goals, we concentrate on our personal growth and development. 

These goals are also focused on the process, but more specifically on our performance. They help us build the necessary skills and capabilities to achieve our desired outcomes. 

As the examples above show, performance-oriented goals prioritize the acquisition and refinement of skills, which will certainly lead to better outcomes and results in the long run.

Category #3: Goals based on aspects of life

The third category of goals revolves around the aspect of life you wish to place the emphasis on. Goals based on aspect of life can further be divided into: 

• Topic-oriented goals, and 
• Focus-oriented goals.

Let’s check out how topic and focus-oriented goals work in practice to help you get the picture of these two specific types of goals. 

Topic-oriented goals (+ examples)

Simply put, a topic-oriented goal is the one related to a specific aspect of your life — whether it’s your health, profession, personal life, finances, etc. Topic-based goals can be either short-term or long-term goals, but what differentiates them from other types of goals is that they are usually organized around one central theme. 

As seen in the examples above, all goals revolve around one specific area of life — health. However, you can come up with many topic-oriented goals for different aspects of your life (education, profession, etc.) and work on achieving them simultaneously.  

Focus-oriented goals (+ examples)

Similarly to topic-oriented goals, focus-oriented goals are linked with specific areas of your life. However, unlike topic-based goals, focus-oriented goals are the objectives you set out to achieve knowing they would impact several aspects of your life. 

As the examples above show, focus-oriented goals are usually bold, long-term objectives that require steady commitment and affect multiple areas of your life at the same time. 

Moving to California, for example, may affect both your personal and professional life since it would probably require you to change your job and be away from your family. 

How are all three categories of goals interconnected?

By their nature, our goals can be set in relation to different aspects of our lives, such as:

• Personal goals,
• Career goals,
• Financial goals,
• Relationship goals,
• Fitness goals,
• Academic goals,
• Spiritual goals,
• Family goals,
• Intellectual goals,
• Social goals, and
• You can name it goals.

Each of the above-listed goals can actually belong to each of the 3 main categories of goals, depending on our needs at the moment. 

In fact, whichever goal you set it would probably be: 

• Defined within a certain time frame, 
• Centered around a particular result, and 
• Related to at least one aspect of your life. 

Let’s say you have decided to pursue a career in marketing. Since such an objective requires ongoing effort and commitment, your goal would fall under the category of long-term goals. 

Also, being directed toward a specific end-point (getting a job in this field), the objective of beginning a career in marketing could be defined as an outcome-oriented goal. 

Finally, pursuing such a bold achievement would probably impact other areas of your life. You may have to obtain a college degree or even move to another city. So, your goal of changing careers fits the profile of a focus-oriented goal. 

Steps to achieve your goals

Achieving our goals is very important in life, as it comes with a sense of accomplishment, motivation, and a self-confidence boost. The combination of these further drives us to keep moving forward and set new goals, overcome new challenges, and grow.

To be able to do so, you’ll need to learn about strategic planning or a systematic and structured approach that significantly enhances your ability to achieve your goals. 

Now, let’s quickly go over the key steps to the effective strategic planning process.

Step #1: Make your goals SMART

Achieving your goals will require you to work SMART, not hard. In fact, the very process would require you to be smart at the beginning and set goals that are:

• Specific,
• Measurable,
• Achievable,
• Relevant, and
• Time-bound.

This framework helps you create a structure for achieving your goal and measuring your progress along the way — as simple as that.  

Turning your aspirations into actionable steps is easier once you define your goal by all the SMART criteria, as you’ll become more realistic with your expectations. 

That means you’ll need to create a timeline, break your goal into smaller, more achievable, and measurable sub-goals, and work your way up towards achieving them. 

Step #2: Specify and track milestones (and celebrate their completion)

Now that you have a defined SMART goal and a list of sub-goals, it’s time to establish the relation between the timeline and the completion of each sub-goal. 

You should look at sub-goals as certain milestones and adapt your timeline accordingly. For example, here’s what your SMART goal and your first sub-goal can look like:

Now, if you decide to track your progress along the way, you could set time estimates for each of your sub-tasks and see exactly how long it took you to complete them compared with the initial plan. 

Clockify, for example, lets you track progress and compare your real execution time and previously made estimates. So, in case you misjudge how long it takes you to create 20 social media posts, you can immediately adapt the rest of your timeline in accordance with this time extension. This way you’ll set a more realistic target for the next milestone. 

The thing is, milestones matter because they act as reference points and keep us grounded. So whenever our circumstances or priorities change, the only way to stay on track is to change what being on the right track means as well. 

Step #3: Address all the dependencies (a.k.a. potential pain points)

Dependencies are elements or factors that can influence the outcome of a goal — either facilitating or hindering progress. 

Take a look at the example of a goal that comes with the dependencies.

Create 10 videos for the new social media campaign by the end of the month.

So, for this example, your main dependencies (external factors) that are not entirely or at all up to you are:

• Video team’s availability,
• Content team’s availability, and
• Financial resources dedicated to video production.

As you can conclude, adequately identifying dependencies helps us grasp what the factors, resources, and conditions that our goal relies on are or that can influence its success. Failure to address any of them can hinder your progress or make the goal more challenging to attain.

Moreover, addressing potential obstacles helps in setting more realistic goals and time estimates for the execution of the said goals.

To effectively manage dependencies and their impact on your goal achievement, it’s vital to:

• Identify dependencies during the goal-planning phase, 
• Coordinate execution of certain tasks, and 
• Adapt and adjust your plan when dependencies change, or new ones emerge.

Step #4:  Use software to monitor and track your goals

Software usage plays a crucial role in goal-setting and can significantly enhance the efficiency, organization, and success of the goal-setting process. Since we’re talking about the effort and time invested in the said process, know that you can take a significant load off your shoulders if you start using a goal tracker app. 

Designed specifically for that purpose, goal trackers are, by far, the easiest way to monitor your progress, as well as a great reminder for the days when you’re feeling unmotivated to keep up pursuing your goal.

Apart from that, you can automate routine and recurring tasks that are necessary for your goals, hence freeing up both time and mental energy. Leveraging the power of technology here offers the advantages such as:

• Data-driven decision-making, 
• Efficient task management, and 
• Enhanced collaboration (if there are dependencies involved).

Bear in mind that defining which metrics you will use to track your progress is also vital, so think twice about how to measure success. Once you’ve done that, you’re on the right track to have a structured system that makes monitoring your goal progress easy (occasionally even fun).

Step #5: Re-evaluate, adapt, rinse, and repeat

Regularly review your progress to ensure you’re on track. That way, if you’re falling behind or facing unforeseen challenges, you can easily adjust your plan. 

Bear in mind that flexibility is essential to staying ahead of the curve, as we’re all aware life’s hectic and often on the go.

Also, try to learn from experience, for real — conduct thorough evaluations after achieving each goal or even reaching a milestone. That way, you can identify what worked well, but also what could be improved when setting future goals.

FAQs about goals

In case achieving goals still seems out of reach, take a look at some of the most frequently answered questions about goals we’ve singled out for you. 

How do I choose a goal?

If you’re not sure where to start when choosing your goal, here are some useful steps you can take to help you decide what your top priority at the moment should be:

• Reflect on your values,
• Categorize your goals,
• Set SMART goals — goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound,
• Create a prioritization system, and 
• Practice time management.

Be patient, and remember — consistency and adaptability are key to effective goal prioritization.

Also, bear in mind that adequately choosing and prioritizing between different types of goals improves over time as you learn to refine your approach. Moreover, your experience will provide insights and a better understanding of which criteria matter the most at the moment.

Which type of goal is the best?

First, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution and “the best overall goal.” Our circumstances and other external factors determine what is best to focus on pursuing at a specific moment.

What matters the most is that you:

• Align your goals with your values,
• Keep your priority goals in mind, and 
• Define the exact metrics for tracking your goal. 

How are values and goals connected?

When talking about goals, we must mention another concept — values. The two complement one another and can even be treated as dependencies. It’s because goals serve as specific steps you take to execute your values. While the latter represents your core beliefs and principles, your goals reflect the tangible expressions of those values. 

The connection between goals and values is a profound and intricate one and is rooted in the fundamental principles that guide our behavior. 

Having a defined set of values helps us notice and act on our aspirations. Answering the question, “What do I want to achieve?” becomes much easier if we are also aware of the answer to another one, “Why do I want to achieve that?“

Moreover, goals that are tied to your values are less likely to be abandoned when challenges arise. For example, if your values include empathy, compassion, and social responsibility, you’ll continuously set goals that have a positive impact on people around you.

To sum up, the alignment between values and goals is of the essence, as it encourages growth and boosts your chances of actually sticking to your goals once you set them. 

Conclusion: Goal-setting provides clarity and direction in life

Goal-setting is a powerful process that serves as a navigational compass, helping us chart a course toward our aspirations. 

As you can conclude from the article, whichever type of goal you decide to work towards, it would almost necessarily be time-bound, grounded in a certain result, and related to a specific area of your life. 

What matters on your way to completion is to create a structure for achieving your goal, track your progress, and adjust the initial plan when necessary. 

This way, you’ll uncover goal-pursuing as a truly transformative process that’ll provide clarity and direction in your life.

What’s your take on goal-setting and prioritization of different types of goals? Can you share any other tips and tricks? If you’d like to weigh in and share your thoughts on the topic, feel free to write to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me and get a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. And, if you liked this post and found it useful, share it with someone you think would benefit from it.

The answer always depends on the person you’re asking. Still, the common denominator will always be the quality of work — a tireless effort to achieve your goals with the utmost level of quality will always appeal to paying customers.

We’ve had the pleasure to chat with Oliver Sissons, one of the representatives behind Reboot Online, an SEO company whose prominence was built on working hard and delivering results. Reboot’s employees are also proud users of Clockify, so we decided to combine the best of both worlds and share a unique story about success and time management.

We’ve touched upon many topics, and the ones that will probably interest you the most are the following:

• What is Reboot Online, and what’s the secret behind their success?
• How does one master the art of time management and scheduling?
• How does Clockify help Reboot Online manage their hectic schedules?

Let’s dive in and hear more about it from Oliver, the expert in the field of SEO.

Reboot Online: The idea and the mission behind the company

In order to understand the entire story behind the success of the SEO company Reboot Online, we’ll have to rewind and go back to the roots.

That’s why we called Oliver Sissons, their head and director of SEO, to help fill in the blanks.

Reboot Online’s beginnings: Practices and methods

Reboot Online is a digital SEO agency that specializes in combining traditional PR techniques with modern-day SEO practices to boost companies in terms of:

• Brand awareness,
• Visibility,
• Google rankings, and
• Social media presence.

They’ve been around the block for more than a decade. First, Reboot Online started with a lot of technical SEO work. Then, along the way, they implemented digital PR, content, and social media into their repertoire.

However, despite their all-round path, the people behind Reboot Online built their in-depth knowledge upon a strong technical foundation of SEO — which is often referred to as “detective work”:

“We did a lot of Google penalty recovery — we would help clients that have been hit with a penalty and dropped out of the rankings — recover. During our audits, we would often see that crashes were caused by building bad links to the backlinks that led back to customer’s websites.”

Thus, the opportunity presented itself — offer link-building services in the package and help companies before the problem occurs. So, the business started growing, and before you knew it, their package combined multiple services:

“A big part of evolving was getting featured in mainstream press, newspapers, and trade organizations. Therefore, we started doing digital PR and then more recently we’ve actually started doing paid media and traditional PR, as well as to broaden the service we offer to clients in need.”

Reboot Online’s evolution: Navigating the path to SEO excellence

Success does not happen from simply doing the work. To succeed, you’ll need to do your work correctly. This premise may sound simple, but not every SEO agency strives towards perfection in their work.

On the other hand, Reboot Online prides itself on continuously evolving and finding ways to improve upon their work. They’ve managed to diversify their business operations by implementing different strategies and hiring experts from many different fields — from marketing experts to law practitioners in order to cater to their clients.

When it comes to the work itself, Oliver further notes that in order to be successful in SEO, you have to learn to delegate and adopt a data-driven mindset:

“I think the key to success in this field is having someone at the helm who’s organized enough to delegate properly and stay on top of deadlines — keep track of where time is going, how people are interacting with the clients and if they’re touching base enough and kind of discussing things with clients as they need to be.”

Since SEO generally boils down to crunching numbers and diving into complex analysis, it’s only natural that Oliver believes numbers can also tell a larger story of success:

“We’ve got an in-house data team that likes to find unique data sets for our clients, but also internally. They help explore how productive we are and recommend ways to improve our day-to-day operations.”

How does one master the art of time management and scheduling?

Since we were already on the topic of productivity and deadlines, we naturally wondered if there’s a secret to mastering time management in the field of SEO. After all, Reboot always seems to find a way to combine the creative and the objective while keeping everything up to standard.

Oliver believes that the answer probably lies in effective time allocation and proper dedication to their clients:

“As we started growing, we found that you couldn’t keep quite as close attention to how everyone (in the company) was spending their time. We started exploring ways that we could improve upon that. We’ve had some data-oriented people in the mix that came up with loads of ideas on how we can improve things and continue to make things more efficient.”

Aside from internal issues, Oliver also noted that proper time management skills were necessary in working with clients as well:

“You have to account for how much time you can offer each client and you need to make sure you’re delivering on your promise, but you also need to be careful that it doesn’t go too far and you’re spending too much time on any given client.”

Long story short — the journey eventually led to testing out time tracking software for boosting productivity.

Discovery of Clockify: Taking productivity to the next level

As previously mentioned, Oliver and his colleagues struggled to keep track of everything and everyone, especially when working on large accounts. The need to manage their time and tasks was evident, and they resorted to manual time tracking:

“In the early days we got by okay, because there weren’t so many of us. You could chat with everyone and stay connected. Once we grew, we experimented with manual time sheets and Excel files, but it did not pan out. That’s when we decided to make the switch to Clockify.”

So, their journey began and they quickly started noticing changes in their daily routines.

Clockify features that Reboot team enjoys the most

The selling point was Clockify’s intuitiveness, as Oliver puts it. There was no need to educate anyone on Clockify’s functionality and features — everything was simple, properly displayed, and ready to be used:

“You have a decent sized team and not everyone’s going to be willing to learn how to do some more advanced software stuff. So, having a tool that people can just jump into and get going with was important and that was the case with Clockify.”

Let’s see what Clockify features Oliver and his team use the most. 

Feature #1: Summary reports

Oliver noted that the numbers Clockify provided through Summary reports proved beneficial for their work with their clients. Having the ability to export data and showcase the results to their team and their clients was crucial to securing great client deals:

“I would say it’s helped us grow client accounts, as well. We are able to demonstrate the amount of time we’re spending to provide our services.”

Moreover, Oliver pointed out that Clockify’s Summary reports go a long way in showcasing the need for additional manpower when working on projects:

“You can showcase, for example, why we need more hours to obviously pour more energy and more resources into the client campaign. Therefore, in terms of business development, it’s been helpful, which was unexpected since we thought Clockify will only be useful for internal use.”

Feature #2: Pomodoro timer

Oliver also noted that using the Pomodoro timer — a time management technique based on stretches of focused work, which are then broken down by five-minute breaks — proved a great antidote to burnout. 

In fact, he quickly realized that making small breaks in the day, especially in crunch time, helped get the job done without additional stress.

“A lot of people have talked about how useful it’s been to be able to set smaller increments of time to get some tasks completed, but then actually take a step back and have a little break as well throughout the day.”

Feature #3: Integrations

Furthermore, he states that Clockify integrations with Chrome and Trello were a great bonus, as they were using both software at the time.

“The fact that we could integrate directly with the project management tools was super useful and convenient as well since it meant that we weren’t doubling up on pulling data between one tool into the other.”

How Clockify helped Reboot Online battle burnout

While talking about time management, Oliver touched upon the topic of career burnout and how common it is in the field. 

“Burnout is a real thing — If you’re spending too much time working on client accounts, it can lead to stress and overwork — you’re tired, you’re not as creative, which is a big issue if you’re a creative agency.”

However, using a time tracker helped Reboot Online employees establish a healthier work-life balance and eventually notice their levels of stress decreasing:

“So, I’ve found that by balancing how much time we’re spending on a given client, we can provide some guidelines to our team on how long they should spend on any given client. They don’t have that issue as much anymore. So the quality of life of the employees at Reboot has gone up quite dramatically.”

Who would Reboot Online recommend Clockify to and why?

As we wrapped up the interview, Oliver shared some thoughts regarding Clockify in general — he finds Clockify especially useful to SEO agencies:

“I would certainly recommend Clockify to, first and foremost, SEO agencies. Any agency team that is looking to provide more detailed reports to their clients and to ensure that they are working profitably, and improve productivity will benefit from using Clockify.”

However, even though SEO is his field, he pointed out that Clockify’s value extends far beyond any SEO agency’s work:

“Really though, anyone who is struggling to manage workloads or who is looking to increase their output and efficiency should look into Clockify. We are a team of more than 75 now, and we’ve seen Clockify have a positive impact on people in every department, from our web development and data teams, to our graphic design and HR ones.”

Final overview: Clockify helped bring people from different teams together

Finally, Oliver had additional words of praise for Clockify — since the tool has helped with scheduling and connecting people from different teams. 

Namely, some clients’ accounts require different experts and teams to work together in unison, which is essential in order to get the job done. 

“All these different teams that were spending time on an account, they wouldn’t always coordinate and know how much time had been spent on certain tasks. They couldn’t essentially account for the work they’ve done in their billing, which was a huge issue.”

In addition, team coordination was often lacking due to bad communication and not knowing how much time was spent on a certain task, that is until they started using Clockify:

“So, with a tool like Clockify, you can actually see between the teams, what other people are spending their time on and we could report back on how much the data team, for example, has spent on a client in a given month. Then, we could channel that to the content team, you know, tune up or dial down the amount of time spent on that side if needed.”

Conclusion: Time tracking has benefits beyond capturing the time

Oliver touched upon many topics in his interview with us, but the one point that captures the entire experience is the following — time tracking goes a long way in ensuring success.

The simple act of time tracking does not amount to much if it’s viewed from a data standpoint or as a simple timer. If we take Reboot Online as an example, the value of time tracking for them lies in how the collected data is used and analyzed — only then can one feel the true value of time tracking.

Do you want to share your time tracking story with us? Tell us how Clockify impacts your day-to-day at blogfeedback@clockify.me, and we might include it in future blog posts. Also, share this article with someone that might find it useful.

In the 2 years of my waitering, I never asked myself, “What is the first shift?” Or, rather, ”What does the first shift mean for my health, productivity, and overall well-being?”

Writing this article, I got a chance to think about the benefits, drawbacks, and write about this topic from my perspective.

In this guide, we’ll discuss:

• First shift definitions,
• Typical first shift jobs,
• Benefits and drawbacks of the first shift, and
• Tips for being more productive during the first shift.

Let’s look at how you can make your first shift experience better.

What is a first shift?

First shift is a work shift where employees get to work in the morning and finish in the afternoon. Sometimes called day shift or morning shift, the first shift is the most common shift in the world. 

First shift usually starts and ends during typical business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) — and that’s up next.

What are first shift hours?

First shift hours are work schedules that imply working from 8–9 a.m. to 4–5 p.m. Likewise, first shift hours are also known as morning shift hours or day shift hours. 

Employees on the first shift typically work 8 hours a day, with exceptions. For example, some workers — like those in the hospitality sector — have to arrive at work an hour or two before the start of operations to prepare everything for when the customers arrive.

For this reason, we can differentiate between early first-shift hours and traditional first-shift hours. To explain, early first-shift hours start between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. On the other hand, traditional first shift hours start around 8–9 a.m.  

What are typical first shift jobs? 

Some typical first shift jobs include:

• Pharmacists,
• Office workers,
• Postal employees,
• Construction workers,
• Store and hotel managers,
• Coffee shop and bakery employees,
• Electricians, plumbers, and cleaning staff.

Of course, there are other professions — but these are the ones where the first shift work schedule is most common. 

How does the first shift compare to the second and third shifts? 

First shift hours are common in companies that don’t necessarily have to be open around the clock, like construction sites and coffee shops. 

In contrast, second and third shifts are typical in businesses that operate 24/7. Some of these sectors may include:

• Retail,
• Healthcare,
• Manufacturing, and 
• Emergency services (fire departments and law enforcement).

According to sleep expert Matthew Walker, around 30% of people are morning larks and an estimated 30% are night owls. In short, morning larks are employees with high energy levels in the morning, and night owls are workers with more energy in the late afternoon and during the night. Everyone else — the remaining 40% — falls somewhere in between. 

As a result, early risers are better suited to work the first shift because that’s when they’re at their most productive. In contrast, the second and third shifts are best for folks who accomplish the most in the late afternoon and during the night.

Now, let’s recap all you have learned so far in an easy-to-read table.

Next, we’ll get into all the advantages of day shift time.

What are the benefits of working the first shift?

First shifters get to enjoy at least 5 powerful benefits of working the first shift, including how the first shift:

• Promotes meaning at and outside of work,
• Aligns nicely with the body’s natural clock,
• Provides a better work-life balance,
• Lets you better plan the week ahead, and
• Enhances productivity and alertness.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits.

Benefit #1: First shift promotes work motivation

One of the major benefits of the first shift is that first shifters can sustain relationships with their family and friends more easily — creating a boost in meaning and purpose at work. 

To make it more tangible, a 2022 study on non-standard work time found that employees who work traditional working hours (a nine-to-five) have more intrinsic motivation in contrast to workers working non-standard hours (night shifts or irregular schedules).

What does that mean? 

Well, it simply means that employees on the nine-to-five schedule find their work more meaningful. As a result, if an employee is satisfied with their work life, they’re more likely to be happy with all other aspects of life — as they’ll spend more free time with friends and family.

Benefit #2: First shift aligns better with the body’s natural clock

According to a 2023 analysis on shift work hazards, researchers discovered that people working non-traditional work hours — like nights, weekends, and evenings — had disrupted their natural sleep-wake cycle. And that’s a cause for concern. Yet, it’s nothing that first shifters have to worry about.

A managing director at Festoon House and a first shift worker himself, Matt Little, believes that nothing beats a good night’s sleep for a more refreshing morning:

“First of all, first shift hours help with your mental and physical health. Second, a good first shift can help your body’s natural circadian rhythm. A good night’s sleep is good for your overall health, so you’ll wake up feeling fresh and ready to go.”

And that’s not all.

Another positive health effect of the first shift was uncovered in a 2021 study. In the paper, a group of Croatian researchers found that first-shift nurses were more restful than their night-shift counterparts. Also, first-shift nurses had more stable cortisol levels than their colleagues working irregular shifts.

In contrast, the same study discovered that nurses on irregular shifts experienced higher levels of cortisol and prolactin — hormones that mess up the body’s natural clock.

In any case, the first shift does wonders for employees who settle for the traditional nine-to-five.

Benefit #3: First shift provides more work-life balance

We all want more time off. But this time may just be lying there, waiting for you to pick it up. Yes, we’re talking about how the first shift schedule provides more me-time after a hectic day at work.

The CEO of a field service company Klipboard and a first shifter himself, Draven McConville, thinks that the first shift is about syncing your clock with others in your environment:

“The first shift entails integrating your life with the outside environment. Most of your buddies clock out at the same time as you, so you can stop using the ’sorry, I’m working’ defense. Like everyone else, you get to enjoy your evenings while telling tales and making memories. It’s the gratifying sensation of synchronization with life’s beat.”

The president at Mammoth Security, Eugene Klimaszewski, believes that the first shift provides more personal time after all the hustle and bustle of his security work:

“Wrapping up early means my evenings aren’t all about work. From family time to that new book I’ve been meaning to read — it’s Eugene Time.”

Benefit #4: First shift lets you craft better work plans

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” — Benjamin Franklin 

One of the biggest benefits of the first shift is that it allows employees to create better work plans for the workdays or workweek ahead.

For example, imagine getting to the office on a Monday morning, ready to tackle your first shift. In this case, you’ll be able to make bulletproof plans for the period ahead thanks to being completely alert and focused as a morning lark — provided you’re one.

A manufacturing consultant at Levantar, Mark Greenhouse, drives the point home on the importance of visualizing what first shifters need to get done during the workweek:

“You get to think about the shift and the week ahead. Is there any training coming up? Are key staff on holidays? Any important sales visits taking place? Are there any key reports and audits to be produced, are these all planned in?”

Furthermore, Mark Greenhouse explains how planning the work period ahead could solve problems in advance:

“You get a chance to review the production schedule and see if there are any ’problem’ orders coming up during the week and consider how you’ll deal with them.”

All in all, the first shift lets you craft better, more achievable work plans, both in the short and long term.

Benefit #5: First shift enhances productivity and alertness

According to a 2023 article in the Entrepreneur magazine, employee creativity is highest at night, but their productivity is at its peak in the morning. That’s great news for morning larks’ work productivity.

Entrepreneur Priyanka Swamy — who’s also the founder of Perfect Locks — talks about the benefits of starting your work early:

“Our brains work best in the morning when we’re more alert and focused. This means you’ll be able to tackle difficult tasks with a fresh set of eyes, potentially resulting in better work quality. It’s like riding a natural wave of energy that sets the mood for the rest of the day.”

A security expert Eugene Klimaszewski — whom we mentioned earlier — agrees with this idea. As a first-shift employee, he says he loves the peace that comes with early mornings:

“Clear-headed beginnings: That peaceful morning atmosphere? It’s like a secret weapon. It sharpens my thoughts and lets me dive deep into work without the usual distractions.”

What are the drawbacks of working the first shift?

Some of the greatest drawbacks of working the first shift are:

• Not practical for night owls, 
• Indicates a lack of instant team communication,
• Implies limited evening time,
• Suggests the possibility of getting stuck in traffic, and
• Implies fewer opportunities for pay raises.

Now, let’s explore each of those.

Drawback #1: First shift isn’t practical for late-nighters

The first shift isn’t practical for night owls or late-nighters, as it entails getting up early.

An entrepreneur Priyanka Swamy, whom we mentioned earlier, says that your natural clock could be caught off guard if you suddenly become an early riser:

“If you’re not a morning person by nature, it’s no surprise that waking up early can be a challenge. Your body’s natural circadian rhythm may take a bit of time to adjust to this new way of waking up. That initial groggy feeling can make it difficult to feel fully awake and alert, especially at the start of the day.”

Although he loves the first shift, a security expert Eugene Klimaszewski thinks that winter brings its fair share of second thoughts about the first shift, especially for late-nighters:

“Chilly starts: some mornings, especially in winter, make me yearn for a few more minutes under the covers.”

Drawback #2: First shift implies limited evening time

When I worked as a waiter, I usually served our customers during the first shift. But that always meant I had to go to bed no later than 10 p.m. Sometimes, I had to make painful compromises — my friends would stay up late, partying, but I was rarely lucky enough to join them.

An entrepreneur Priyanka Swamy says that avoiding evening socials is a byproduct of the first shift schedule:

“While early morning shifts give you plenty of time in the mornings and early afternoons, your afternoons may be shorter. This means that you may not be able to attend evening socials or attend events that take place later in the afternoon.”

Finally, you’ll be less likely to enjoy frequent nights out if you’re on the first shift — provided you care about late-night get-togethers in the first place.

Drawback #3: First shift indicates getting stuck in traffic

The fast-paced nature of the first shift is what you might expect — people rushing to get to the office, everyone’s trying to park in their favorite spots, and most people are generally full of energy.

Draven McConville, whom we mentioned earlier, explains how gridlock can push you to lose your patience:

“Being on the first shift will probably put you in the middle of rush hour traffic, which can be really annoying if you live far from your place of employment. We all experience the daily challenge of squeezing past a sea of brake lights, which puts your patience and radio station preferences to the test.”

Drawback #4: First shift implies fewer opportunities for pay raises

When a company provides the same compensation for all shifts, the employer may have issues finding workers to cover later shifts — like night shifts or irregular schedules.

As a result, pay differs based on which shift you work. For example, employees working between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. typically get a night pay differential, according to the US Office of Human Resources Management. This simply means that the workers in question receive a 10% increase on top of their rate of basic pay.

In contrast, first shifters don’t get to enjoy such benefits, as theirs is a regular work schedule.

Tips for working the first shift

Next, let’s dig into a few expert tips for making the first shift more productive and better for your overall well-being.

Here we’ll cover how to:

• Make time management your priority,
• Avoid staying up too late,
• Create the perfect morning routine,
• Eat healthy, and
• Nurture a positive work environment.

Let’s get into it.

Tip #1: Make time management your priority

If you’re not a morning person, but you’re still working the first shift, you need to manage your time like a pro. Easier said than done, sure — but hear us out.

We picked the brains of Jeff Mains — a seasoned entrepreneur and the CEO of Champion Leadership Group LLC — to better understand the importance of time management in working the first shift. Jeff says that tools and techniques are essential:

“Effective time management is key. Implementing well-defined processes, prioritizing tasks, and leveraging technology can streamline operations and reduce stress. Encourage your team to use productivity tools and techniques like the Pomodoro technique or project management software to maximize efficiency.”

Speaking of the Pomodoro technique, you can use Clockify Pomodoro Timer to track your work hours and breaks.

Here’s how the Clockify’s Pomodoro timer works:

• Start the timer,
• Work for 25 minutes,
• Stop working,
• Enjoy your 5-minute break, and
• Start the timer for another 25 minutes.

Yet, often, how and when you work won’t directly depend on your organizational skills but on the number of your incoming customers and your boss. But even in this case, you can use the Pomodoro timer for recurring tasks — when things are less crowded at work. For example, you can use the Pomodoro timer when you need laser focus to get some paperwork done.

Tip #2: Avoid staying up too late

We all need a certain amount of beauty sleep. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that adults require more than 7 hours every day to be rested, refreshed, and alert.

Other respected organizations follow suit. For instance, the National Sleep Foundation in the US recommends between 7 and 9 hours for adults aged 18 and 64.

You can easily tell how getting enough sleep applies to first shifters. In fact, I can remember my time being a waiter and occasionally not getting the prescribed dose of sleep. The next day would often turn me into a groggy, impatient, mind-clouded mess.

A first-shift schedule requires accountability, so sleeping in late can cause trouble at work too — as I sometimes had to learn the hard way.

An entrepreneur Priyanka Swamy speaks to the benefits of a regular sleep routine:

“A good night’s sleep is essential for a restful and productive day. Develop a regular sleep routine and a relaxing pre-sleep routine to tell your body when it’s time to sleep. Avoiding screen time before bed and creating a comfortable and restful sleeping environment can go a long way toward improving sleep quality.”

Tip #3: Create the perfect morning routine

I didn’t have a consistent morning routine in my job as a waiter. I would just storm out of bed and get to work without even preparing myself physically and mentally for the day.

Now, my daybreak ritual consists of meditation, a quick stretch, and reading a physical book — emphasis on physical. These 3 simple morning habits have made me more productive in my first shift hours and rekindled my inner creativity.

An interesting article in the New York Times suggests that, before you start working, you should meditate for just a few minutes. Even 3 minutes is just fine. 

For example, you can try a mantra meditation that’s been proven to:

• Benefit your mental health, and
• Reduce hypertension.

To that effect, you can simply repeat “in” as you inhale and “out” as you exhale. Every time a thought pops up, just refocus on the breath. 

For illustration, an entrepreneur Matt Little suggests the surprising benefits of doing a set of practices consistently:

“To make the first part of your day easier, make the most of the sunrise with a few morning rituals. Eating a healthy breakfast, getting some exercise, and getting some sun in the morning are all great ways to start your day. Schedule your tasks the day before so you can get started right away.”

Whether you want to go on a run, meditate, or do some light stretching, you can use Clockify’s mobile app timer to track your morning routine:

If your personal timekeeping is at a high level, you can then create a more structured first shift schedule around that. As a result, you’ll be able to achieve both personal and professional SMART goals faster.

Tip #4: Eat healthily

One Finnish study found that repeatedly eating healthily increases engagement at work, where work engagement is defined as “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption.”

In other words, if you eat healthy meals, you’re more productive. 

A first shifter Draven McConville thinks that getting a nutritious first meal makes all the difference for your body and mind:

“With a healthy breakfast to energize your body and stimulate your mind, let your morning routine be the crescendo as the sun rises. It’s the crucial buildup to a brilliant day.”

To drive the point home, health expert at Nutrition Insights LLC, Kelsey Costa, lists a few items that comprise a nourishing meal:

“A balanced breakfast should include a mix of fiber-rich carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. To ensure all macros are well-represented, consider options such as eggs, avocados, soy products, nut butter or nuts, seeds, hummus, low-fat Greek yogurt, oatmeal, chia seeds, berries, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and sprouted grain toast.”

On the other hand, Kelsey Costa also explains what you should avoid eating when working the first shift — or any shift, for that matter:

“Avoid highly processed foods like store-bought muffins and scones, white bread, instant oatmeal, ’fruit-on-the-bottom’ yogurt, processed meats (like bacon and sausage), and low-fiber cereals. These selections are usually high in added sugar or unhealthy fats and low in essential nutrients, which can lead to inflammation, energy crashes, and hunger pangs before noon.”

Tip #5: Nurture a positive work environment

Even if you implement the first 4 tips, you may still continue to struggle with your first shift schedule. That’s why it’s critical to create a nurturing workplace where you respect others and others show the same respect back.

The entrepreneur and fellow first shifter we mentioned earlier, Jeff Mains, says that creating a nourishing atmosphere can boost morale and motivation:

“To make the first shift more comfortable and productive, it’s crucial to foster a positive work environment. This begins with strong leadership that sets clear expectations, provides support, and encourages open communication. Employees should feel valued and heard, which in turn boosts morale and motivation.”

For instance, managers need to feel in tune with their employees by:

• Lending a helping hand, 
• Showing empathy when mistakes are made, and
• Doing everything to show that the employees’ work is essential to progress.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the first shift

Many people have different questions about which shift fits their productivity and well-being best. So, we collected a list of questions and answered them in more detail below.

Which work shift is best?

The best work shift is the one that factors in things like the employee’s:

• Sleep schedule, 
• Financial needs, 
• Productivity and energy levels, and
• Life commitments and personal preferences.

Ultimately, employees have to consider all personal and professional implications of working the first, second, or third shifts. 

Is first or second shift better?

The first shift is better if you want more time to socialize in the afternoons. 

Likewise, you may enjoy the first shift more if you don’t have any trouble getting up early and going to bed early.

In contrast, second shifters typically sleep in late and want more time to party into the night. 

What are common shift types?

Common shift types include:

• First shift (or morning shift) — starts around 8 a.m. and ends around 5 p.m.,
• Second shift (or afternoon shift) — starts around 4 p.m. and ends around 1 a.m.,
• Third shift (or night shift) — starts around 11 p.m. and ends around 7 a.m.,
• Rotating shift — changes over time and includes 8–12 hour periods per shift,
• Swing shift — happens between daytime and overnight shifts for prolonged periods,
• Split shift — divides an 8-hour shift into 2 or more parts, and
• 2-2-3 schedule — 4 teams working for 2 days, resting for 2 days, and then working for 3 days, with each employee performing a daily 12-hour shift.

Sum-up: Working first shift hours aligns better with your body’s clock

The first shift is the most widespread work schedule, commonly involving working between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

To wrap up this article, we suggest implementing the following 5 tips to make your first shift a more comfortable and productive experience:

• Eat healthily,
• Avoid staying up too late,
• Stick to your morning routine,
• Make time management a priority, and
• Nurture a positive, supportive work environment.

With all this knowledge under your belt, you are now a professional first shifter — congrats!

Got any tips, suggestions, or questions on working the first shift? Drop us an email at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to have your questions answered or your suggestions and tips featured in future updates of the post. Also, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone who might benefit from reading it.

9:10 a.m., Monday — the work is piling up, the tasks are never-ending, and all you want is a break.

Maybe some people are just built differently and capable of enduring the everyday work struggles, but not us. We use humor to cope with days riddled with stress and piles of paperwork.

So, what’s the best way to combine stress and humor? Memes!

We’ve created some of the best teamwork memes for all of you who are currently procrastinating at 16:30 p.m. instead of wrapping up the day.

Stay tuned and browse through the following categories:

• Teamwork memes,
• Team building memes,
• Office life memes,
• Welcome to the team memes, and
• Deadline memes.

Let’s dive into the world of humor.

Best memes about teamwork

“Teamwork makes the dream work” was the name of that one book whose author claims you’ll fulfill your dreams only by working in teams. Well, we all know that’s not always the case, but we can still dream, right?

Jokes aside, teamwork has its pros and cons, and you’ll surely recognize some in the following memes. Disclaimer — we use memes to harbor positive team connectivity, not negative.

Also, an important tip — studies have found quantifiable positive physiological benefits in laughter. Incorporating laughter into your everyday routine is no easy task, but hopefully, these memes can provide a relief.

Team building memes

Simply put, team building is a double-edged sword — you’ll either have a great time attending it, or you’ll find it challenging at the least.

However, we can all agree that they are a great method to promote and foster teamwork and let loose in the process. Here are some memes to materialize the overall experience all of us have felt at some point during team building.

Office life memes

Going into the office on a daily basis is a rather unique experience. It’s a special place where deadlines, coffee breaks, and the occasional chaos come to combine.

Still, whether you like the office life or not, that is where you’ll spend most of your time with your colleagues and you’re bound to get caught up in the occasional and humorous mess. Here are some memes to take the edge off.

“Welcome to the team” memes

Starting a new job can be stressful, especially if it’s your first one and you’re just entering the world of adults. In most cases, your colleagues will welcome you with open arms, but you should still be prepared for what’s about to come. Maybe the following memes can paint a clearer picture.

Deadline memes

The art of last-minute creativity — deadlines. We’ve all struggled with meeting them and wrapping things up at the last minute, but we’ve never stopped for a minute to laugh about them.

Well, here are some memes that capture the essence of looming deadlines.

Teamwork fail memes

Finally, the last segment is dedicated to situations when collaboration takes a humorous turn. From struggling to meet deadlines to forgetting to attend meetings — let’s take a quick look at some of the memes that encapsulate all the funny moments when teamwork fails.

Conclusion: Laughter is the best medicine

Choose your fighter:

• Sit in a corner and contemplate the stressful workweek behind you, or
• Laugh your way through it.

On a serious note, finding ways to cope and deal with stress on an everyday basis is of crucial importance for your mental health, especially if your job description is demanding.

So, when you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, take a 5-minute breather and browse through some memes — it’ll do wonders.

Why laugh alone when you can share the experience with a friend or a coworker? Feel free to share this blog with someone you talk to on a daily basis. Also, if you have a suggestion for a meme we can use in future posts, make sure to message us at blogfeedback@clockify.me

But, boosting productivity is easier said than done, given the multiple distractions all around us — from ringing phones, noisy workplaces, to other work interruptions. So, how can you maximize your focus, efficacy, and productivity?

Luckily, we have a solution (or two).

We have compiled over 100 productivity quotes from thought leaders, successful entrepreneurs, and productivity experts to provide you with a valuable resource. From time management to goal setting, from overcoming distractions to staying consistent, these quotes cover a wide range of productivity-related topics.  

Let’s get started.

Top 10 productivity quotes

Increasing your personal productivity can help you successfully pursue your goals related to “health, wealth, and happiness — and the time to enjoy them,” according to John Whitefield Kendrick, productivity expert and author of Personal Productivity.

Not surprisingly, productivity is important for organizations too.

The best companies, according to research by Bain & Company, are 40% more productive compared to the rest. As a result, the profit the best companies earn is 30% to 50% more than what their competitors earn.

Perhaps this is why wise individuals from different walks of life have offered insights on what to do and what not to do to maximize productivity throughout history.

In this section, we have curated a selection of the top 10 productivity quotes that offer valuable guidance for anyone looking to maximize their efficiency and accomplish their goals. 

1. “There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker 

The above quote serves as a reminder that true productivity isn’t about doing more or being busy. For instance, while meetings keep us busy, not all meetings are productive. In fact, a survey titled The State of Meetings 2019 conducted by Doodle shows that two-thirds of all workplace meetings are a waste of time or are unnecessary.

It’s important to evaluate tasks and determine which ones to prioritize, streamline, or even eliminate. 

2. “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster. We may be very busy, and we may be very efficient, but we will also be truly effective only when we begin with the end in mind.” — R. Stephen Covey

In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, American author, educator, and businessman Stephen Covey warns us about the dangers of pursuing the wrong objectives when being productive.

Covey’s quote encourages us to step back, assess our direction, and make sure we are on the right path when we take up tasks. This kind of introspection helps us prioritize effectiveness over mere efficiency.

3. “Productivity is not about eureka moments, your big break, pulling off all-nighters, and drinking Red Bull all day. If you want to achieve things in life, it’s about aiming for daily progress. You want to exercise, work, read, learn, study, every single day.” — Darius Foroux

Productivity expert and author Darius Foroux emphasizes that productivity is not about sporadic bursts of intense effort or waiting for that one big breakthrough. 

Instead, productivity is all about making small, consistent efforts that become part of our lifestyle. Progress and growth come from building productive activities into our daily routine, whether it is work, exercise, reading, learning, or studying.

4. “Actually, the most productive time I’m in is when I have the freedom to make a creative mess; you too. I need room to be crazy, to make some mistakes, to brainstorm, to be chaotic, to go a little off the edge. That is going to be your most productive time.” — David Allen

While some structure is necessary in life, David Allen, a productivity consultant, speaker, and author, suggests that a rigid framework is not always necessary to be productive.

In fact, he says he is at his productive best when he has the space and freedom to make mistakes, explore different ideas, and be a little “crazy.” If too much order has made you unproductive, go ahead and experiment! Who knows, you might produce your best work this way.

5. “Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” — Franz Kafka

This interesting quote attributed to Franz Kafka suggests that productivity is not about doing the same things and hoping for progress.

It implies that as you learn the art of being productive, you gain the ability to accomplish things that were previously beyond your reach. This can mean acquiring new skills, achieving difficult-to-reach goals, or tackling complex problems that you were unable to address previously.

6. “In coaching hundreds of business owners and executives, we found 3 common drains on our productivity — we are overworked, we multitask, and we procrastinate.” — Margaret H. Greenberg and Senia Maymin

According to executive coaches and authors, Margaret H. Greenberg and Senia Maymin, the top 3 productivity drains are overworking, multitasking, and procrastination.

If these are the challenges you face in your journey to becoming productive, you can devise strategies to overcome them. For example, avoid overworking by setting reasonable limits on working hours.

You can overcome procrastination by understanding its root cause, setting specific deadlines, and breaking your tasks into smaller, manageable steps. To avoid multitasking, prioritize your tasks and focus on one task at a time. Remember to eliminate as many distractions as possible.

7. “The 90/90/1 rule helps you create vast amounts of productivity. It’s a simple rule — for the next 90 days, spend the first 90 minutes of your work day on the single most game changing opportunity. Nothing else. Zero distractions.” — Robin Sharma

Looking for a technique to eliminate distractions and exponentially increase your productivity? Maybe you can try the 90/90/1 method that productivity guru Robin Sharma recommends.

It is a straightforward rule that recommends focusing on one vital task for the first 90 minutes each day for the next 90 days. By focusing on just one task at a time and doing it well, you can make substantial progress. And, the 90-day commitment ensures you build a sustainable habit of prioritizing the most important task. 

8. “You cannot mandate productivity, you must provide the tools to let people become their best. ” — Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs’ quote stresses the importance of creating a conducive work environment that promotes employee productivity. Instead of micromanaging or imposing rigid rules, companies need to focus on providing necessary tools and resources to empower people to perform at their best.

9. “Scientists now know that the brain is incapable of paying attention to two things at the same time. What looks like multitasking is really switching back and forth between multiple tasks, which reduces productivity and increases mistakes by up to 50 percent.” ― Susan Cain 

Juggling multiple projects, replying to emails while on a call, or scrolling through social media during office meetings ― sounds familiar? Well, it’s time to cease and quit (multitasking, that is) if you want to be productive.

Susan Cain’s quote reminds us that switching between tasks not only makes us less productive but also makes us more error-prone.

10. “Improved productivity means less human sweat, not more.” — Henry Ford

Henry Ford, known for his innovations in the automotive industry, was all for streamlining processes and reducing waste. Ford’s idea is that by optimizing workflows and using innovative methods, we can achieve higher productivity. 

What this means is that true productivity is not about working longer or harder, but finding smarter and more efficient ways to accomplish tasks.

Quotes about productivity and efficacy

We already saw the top 10 quotes above explaining that efficacy is more important than just being busy.

Prioritizing efficacy ensures that your efforts are directed toward what truly matters, leading to sustainable and impactful productivity.

Let’s look at some wise sayings to understand the importance of efficacy.

11. “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” — Peter Drucker

12. “Effectively delegating to others is perhaps the single most powerful high leverage activity there is. Transferring responsibility to other skilled and trained people enables you to give your energies to other high leverage activities. Delegation means growth, both for individuals and organizations.” — R. Stephen Covey

13. “When I talk about productivity, I talk about effectiveness. Because productivity doesn’t suggest that you get the right things done. It just means that you get a lot of stuff done. But that’s not what matters. Effectiveness, however, refers to getting the right things done.” — Darius Foroux

14. “Inevitably we find ourselves tackling too many things at the same time, spreading our focus so thin that nothing gets the attention it deserves. This is commonly referred to as “being busy.” Being busy, however, is not the same thing as being productive.” — Ryder Carroll

15. “So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard.” — Caterina Fake

16. “It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” — Henry David Thoreau

17. “Most people spend 50% of their time on tasks that have no relevance to their work and they wonder why they’re not getting ahead.” — Brian Tracy

18. “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” — Thomas A. Edison

Productivity and time management quotes

We cannot ignore the importance of time management when talking about maximizing productivity. In fact, effective time management and productivity are two sides of the same coin.

Making the best use of time, which is a finite resource, involves prioritizing tasks based on their importance. It is also about tracking your time diligently to ensure there are no time wasting activities.

Here are some quotes from renowned thinkers on how to manage your time effectively to be more productive.

19. “If you don’t measure your time, it’s tough to stop procrastination or improve your productivity. Because if you want to manage your time better, you have to know where it goes first. How do you know your time? Keep an activity log. An activity log is exactly what you imagine — an hour by hour record of what you’re doing throughout the day.” — Darius Foroux

20. “One of the most insidious of time vampires is Mr. Have-you-got-a-minute. He disarms you with ‘have you got a minute?,’ ‘I just need a couple minutes of your time,’ or ‘I just have one quick question.” — Dan. S. Kennedy

21. “To Eat that Frog, is a time management term that means to do your worst task first. Every morning organize your tasks, and choose the biggest and worst tasks to do first. By doing this you will eliminate the opportunity to push it back throughout the day and not complete it.” — Brian Tracy

22. “Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year — and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” — Tony Robbins 

23. “Early rising not only gives us more life in the same number of years, but adds, likewise, to their number; and not only enables us to enjoy more existence in the same time, but also increases the measure.” — Caleb. C. Colton

24.  “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” — Jim Rohn

25.  “Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week.” — Charles Richards

26. “Determine never to be idle… It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” — Thomas Jefferson

27. “Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.” — Thomas Edison

Quotes on productivity and consistency

As the saying goes, “Rome was not built in a day”, which means we need to put in consistent efforts over a period of time to become productive and achieve the desired results. 

Whether it’s starting a business, learning a skill, or completing a project, being consistently productive ensures that you make progress toward your goals. 

Let’s look at some quotes on consistency from productivity experts and business leaders.

28. “If you want to be productive, the most important thing is consistency.” — Darius Foroux

29. “Both good and bad days should end with productivity. Your mood affairs should never influence your work.” — Greg Evans

30. “Productivity is the sum product of hard work, discipline and intelligence.” — Anonymous

31. “Over the long run, the unglamorous habit of frequency fosters both productivity and creativity.” — Gretchen Rubin

32. “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the unsuccessful ones is pure perseverance.” — Steve Jobs

33. “If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do.” — Samuel Butler

34. “Success is the sum of small things done day in and day out.” — Robert Collier

Quotes for success at work

It goes without saying that you are expected to be productive at your workplace. As a key element of success at work, productivity allows you to accomplish tasks, meet objectives, and excel in your role.

Nevertheless, being productive at your workplace is not an easy task. However, the following quotes from different experts can throw light on how to be productive at work, and if you are a manager, how to encourage your employees to be more productive.

35. “I take time blocking seriously, dedicating 10 to 20 minutes every evening to building my schedule for the next day. Sometimes people ask why I bother with such a detailed level of planning. My answer is simple: it generates a massive amount of productivity. A 40 hour time-blocked work week, I estimate, produces the same amount of output as a 60+ hour work week pursued without structure.” — Cal Newport

36. “If you manage employees, one of the best things you can do to increase productivity is to be sure they know you appreciate their hard work. Appreciation can be anything from verbally acknowledging the great job they did to taking them out to lunch to celebrate a job well done. Employees who feel valued in their positions are happier at work and work hard to do their best for you.” — Emily Price

37. “First, one tries to identify and eliminate the things that need not be done at all, the things that are purely a waste of time without any results whatsoever. To find these time wasters, one asks of all activities in the time records: ‘What would happen if this were not done at all?’ And if the answer is, ‘Nothing would happen,’ then obviously the conclusion is to stop doing it.” — Peter Drucker

38. “When you let the meeting dictate your flight, you often end up taking a flight at an inconvenient time that throws off your schedule and productivity. While it won’t work for every situation, try to find the flight that fits within your schedule best and then set up your meetings around the flight rather than the other way around.” — Emily Price

39. “There’s a large body of research that proves working long hours is counterproductive. Working too much and the stress that goes along with it can lead to depression, sleep problems, impaired memory and even heart disease.” — Darius Foroux

40. “Understanding your employee’s perspective can go a long way towards increasing productivity and happiness.” — Kathryn Minshew

Quotes on productivity and attention span

Research shows that our attention spans are lesser than that of a goldfish (which has an attention span of 9 seconds).

The problem is, if you cannot focus on the tasks at hand, you cannot be productive. So, how to develop the ability to focus and become more productive? Here are some eye-opening quotes from leaders and productivity experts that can help.

41. “I began to discover that by focusing deeply on just one important thing at a time — hyperfocusing — we become the most productive version of ourselves. I began to view attention as the most important ingredient we can add if we’re to become more productive, creative, and happy.” — Chris Bailey

42. “If there are nine rabbits on the ground, if you want to catch one, just focus on one.” — Jack Ma

43. “If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” — David Allen

44. “How you want to spend your time is your business. But please don’t tell me you don’t want to be 26% more productive by just changing one unimportant thing in your life: Your smartphone behavior.” — Darius Foroux

45. “The best people on the planet in terms of creativity and productivity are not spending their finest hours addicted to distraction. They are doing work that matters.” — Robin Sharma

46. “Where your attention goes, your time goes.” — Idowu Koyenikan

47. “Don’t worry about breaks every 20 minutes ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks actually improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks, on the other hand, leads to stress and fatigue.” — Tom Rath

Quotes on productivity and meditation

What do Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Jeff Weiner, and William Ford have in common (apart from being famous in their respective fields)? All of them rely on meditation to stay calm and boost productivity. 

This is because meditation is known to train your mind to stay focused on the task at hand. This enhanced concentration allows you to work more efficiently and with fewer distractions, resulting in increased productivity.

These quotes can help inspire you to take up meditation each day to stay focused and productive.

48. “When people think of ways that work to enhance employee productivity, their first thought often goes to sophisticated tools and platforms . . . However, I believe there is a tool with a much lower barrier to entry that may improve employees’ productivity by enhancing their well-being. That tool is mindfulness.” — Suzanne Taylor

49. “Meditation brings many benefits: It refreshes us, helps us settle into what’s happening now, makes us wiser and gentler, helps us cope in a world that overloads us with information and communication, and more. But if you’re still looking for a business case to justify spending time meditating, try this one: Meditation makes you more productive. How? By increasing your capacity to resist distracting urges.” — Peter Bregman

50. “If you are able to become 30% more mindful and focused because of your 20-minute daily meditation, you can focus on what’s in front of you for about 69% of the day instead of 53%, the average. If your work day is 8 hours long, your meditation practice will save you over 76 minutes each day, because you will be focused that much more in a day.” — Chris Bailey

51. “One skill that everyone should master to be more productive is morning meditation. Out of all the world-class performers that I’ve interviewed, 80 plus percent have some type of mindfulness or meditation practice, whether that is sitting down with palms on lap and meditating, running for 10/20/30 miles, or listening to the same song. These are all forms of mindfulness training and it’s a prerequisite foundational skill I think for operating at a very very high level.” — Tim Ferris 

52. “Meditation is a tool — remember, it’s like exercising the brain. I’m working to teach myself the ability to constantly be present in the moment — to turn off all the distractions and be able to focus singularly on what is happening now.” — Ramsey Robertson

Quotes on creating a productive environment

The physical environment can play a vital role in enhancing or lowering productivity. Whether it’s through the use of color, artwork, motivational quotes, or a view of nature, a well-designed space can stimulate creative thinking and problem-solving.

For instance, an organized layout with ergonomically designed furniture can reduce physical discomfort and fatigue, allowing you to work for longer periods without distractions. 

No wonder many productivity experts encourage you to create an environment that’s conducive to productivity.

53. “I have designed my entire workplace to be practically and psychologically supportive. I won’t name each of the 50 + objects, knick knacks, little signs, etc. . .  Each of them is there to trigger productivity and performance bolstering thoughts. I think that you can surround yourself deliberately with things selected to reinforce positive and productive responses.” — Dan S. Kennedy

54. “If you look at B performers or C producers, they really don’t pay much attention to their environment and get easily distracted. There are phones going off, maybe there’s lots of noises, maybe there’s news in the background, or maybe there’s a messy environment all around. It’s important to install tight bubbles of total focus to x100 productivity.” — Robin Sharma

55. “We’re designing environments that make us crazy. It’s not just our quality of life that suffers. It’s our health, our social behavior, and our productivity as well.” — Julian Treasure

56. “I like to ensure that I have music and art all around me. My personal favorite is old maps. These maps, or art pieces, serve as something to inspire both humility and achievement. This simple environmental factor helps my productivity and the overall quality of my work.” — Evan Thomsen

57. “A positive work environment is the foundation for productivity and employee well-being.” — Dax Bamania

58. “Man can work anywhere and under any condition, but working in a very beautiful place under very beautiful conditions will surely create superior things!” — Mehmet Murat ildan

59. “You may think having a cluttered desk isn’t that big of a deal. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Disorganization can stunt your professional growth and decrease your productivity.” — John Rampton

60. “A work-only zone does wonders for your productivity. So, I prefer working at the office now. I spend 8 focused hours there, then I go home to be present with my family.” — Derek Sivers

61. “Tech companies are famous for providing freedom for engineers to customize their environments & experiment with new tools… allowing for this freedom helps creativity and productivity.” — Alex Stamos

Short quotes about productivity

Looking for some short quotes on productivity? We’ve got you covered.

These short and sweet quotes provide a quick dose of motivation and inspiration. They are easy to read and digest, making them ideal for a quick pick-me-up when you need a productivity boost.

62. “Tools, apps, or hacks don’t work if you lack the right mindset because productivity is a way of living.” — Darius Foroux

63. “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

64. “There is no man living who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.” ― Henry Ford

65. “It’s not always that we need to do more but rather that we need to focus on less.” ― Nathan W. Morris

66. “Focus on being productive instead of busy.” ― Tim Ferriss

67. “Never confuse movement with action.” ― Ernest Hemingway

68. “If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” ― Bruce Lee

69. “Procrastination is the thief of time. Collar him!” ― Charles Dickens

70. “Starve your distraction and feed your focus.” ― Anonymous

Productivity and goal-setting quotes

Goal-setting is important for many reasons. It gives you a clear sense of what you’re trying to achieve, helping you stay on track with important tasks. It also helps you decide what tasks are most important, so you can focus your efforts where they matter most.

What do productivity leaders and experts have to say about goal setting? Let’s take a look.

71. “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar

72. “The real value in setting goals is not in their achievement. The acquisition of the things you want is strictly secondary. The major reason for setting goals is to compel you to become the person it takes to achieve them.” — Jim Rohn

73. “All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on a goal which was high, one which sometimes seemed impossible.” — Orison Swett Marden

74. “It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

75. “A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” — Greg S. Reid

76. “The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” — Bill Copeland

77. “People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It’s important that people look forward to coming to work.” — Elon Musk

78. “Set your goals — without goals you cannot measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated because there are no obvious victories. Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving.” — Marvin J. Ashton

79. “One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.” — Michael Korda 

Motivational quotes for productivity

Sometimes, we all need a quick boost of motivation to get going on our productivity journey. 

In this section, we explore a collection of quotes carefully curated to provide that extra push needed to maintain focus and drive in the face of challenges. By offering insights, encouragement, and a fresh perspective, these motivational quotes can help you maintain your productivity levels, even when the going gets tough.  

80. “The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, and productivity. You can be, too.” — Norman Vincent Peale

81. “The only reason I’m able to do all the things I do and to keep on top of a busy schedule without getting too stressed is because I stay fit.” — Richard Branson

82. “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” — Dale Carnegie

83. “The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” — Oprah Winfrey

84. “Don’t think ‘I’ve got this many days to achieve this’, but instead ‘How much can I do in each of these days.” — Muhammad Ali

85. “Productivity doesn’t have to be complicated. It can be easily boosted through a manageable combination of the right tools, resources, and habits to make the most of your time.” — Caroline Ghosn

Funny quotes about productivity

The pursuit of productivity can often be stressful and serious. Which is why we are injecting a little humor into the equation. Laughter, as you know, is the best medicine — whether it is uplifting your mood, promoting relaxation, or relieving stress.

These funny quotes will lighten the mood but also remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. 

Let the laughs begin!

86. “My productivity is overwhelming!” — Jason Statham

87. “Doing nothing is very hard to do. You never know when you’re finished” — Leslie Nielsen

88. “I can’t wait to start blaming my normal lack of productivity on it being summertime.” — Anonymous 

89. “Coffee has given me unrealistic expectations of my productivity.” — Darynda Jones

90. “Nothing makes a player more productive than the last minute.” —John Kessel

91. “The secret to productivity on Saturdays? A well-timed coffee break … or five.” — Anonymous 

92. “Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at the moment.” — Robert Benchley

93. “Work is the greatest thing in the world, so we should always save some of it for tomorrow.” — Don Herold

94. “We will continue to have more meetings until we figure out why no work is getting done.” — Anonymous 

Quotes about productivity hacks

Most of us wish there was some kind of a magic wand that could help us instantly improve our productivity and efficiency. Of course, there are tools and apps that you can use to take care of repetitive tasks, set reminders, and collaborate, but there’s no magic wand.

However, the following quotes talk about productivity hacks that can be helpful. Check them out.

95.  “Replace ‘just do it’ with ‘just plan it.’ You will be more productive if you build in some time to plan your work. How about 10 or 15 minutes either at the start or at the end of the day to plan?” — Margaret H. Greenberg and Senia Maymin

96. “Save yourself from being bombarded with distracting messages from Facebook groups, Instagram posts, or Twitter updates by turning off those account notifications.” —  Emily Price

97. “A cluttered life means a cluttered brain. And with a cluttered brain, you can’t get stuff done. I prefer simple work and living environments. A desk, a laptop, and a notebook. Keep it simple. You don’t need any fluff.” — Darius Foroux

98. “Give your brain the time it needs to identify the three to five most important things you can do in the coming week to be effective. Consider your goals, what could set up your manager or colleagues for success, and important personal activities like exercise. Schedule these priorities on your calendar for the coming week.” — Stephen Covey

99. “When things pop into your head that you’re going to need to think about, deal with, do something about, you need to make sure you get those out of your head and capture them because your head is a terrible office. So you need capture tools. So, mine are low tech for the most part. No batteries, no Wi-Fi required. A pen and a little pad.” — David Allen

100. “Smart vacations lead to greater happiness and energy at work and, therefore, greater productivity, intelligence, and resilience.” — Shawn Achor

101. “We all have a personal recipe for productivity. One person may need six cups of autonomy and just a pinch of collaboration. Another person may require heaps of sociability and noise, with just a teaspoon of occasional privacy.” — Neil Blumenthal

102. “Ironically, while many of us spend hours every day using small mobile devices to increase our productivity and efficiency, interacting with these objects, even for short periods of time, might do just the opposite, reducing our assertiveness and undermining our productivity.” — Amy Cuddy

Closing thoughts: Let the productivity quotes be your guide to success

These quotes serve as a reminder that productivity is not just about working harder but working smarter, managing time effectively, and maintaining a positive mindset. 

Remember that the insights and motivation within these quotes can be your constant companions as you embark on your journey toward greater productivity and success.

Some productivity quotes may resonate with you more than others, and that’s perfectly fine. Pick the ones that empower you and have them framed to create a productive environment.

Have you found a powerful quote or two on productivity that has struck a chord with you? Or maybe you have tried some productivity hacks that have really worked for you. Do share them with us by writing to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me and we will do our best to feature them in our upcoming blog posts. If you loved our blog post, feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues.

Luckily, time and attendance apps are specifically designed to help employers track work hours and attendance of their employees in an easy way.

If you need help choosing the right time and attendance tool for your needs — we’ve got you covered. Additionally, to give you a first-hand experience, I’ve personally tested each of the tools below using their free trials.

So stay tuned as in this blog post, we’ll:

• Explain what parameters we used when choosing the best time and attendance apps,
• Give you a list of the best time and attendance apps on the market, and
• Provide you with all the important information about these tools like their prices, features, pros and cons, and more.

How did we pick the best time and attendance apps?

In order to give you a list of the best time and attendance apps on the market, we had to put ourselves in an employer’s shoes for a moment. 

We had to think about what parameters a time and attendance tool would have to meet in order to be indispensable for our business.

After some consideration, we selected 8 time and attendance tools based on the following parameters:

• Ease of use — a time and attendance app should be easy to use. In general, a tool is considered easy to use if it has a clear user interface (UI) design and intuitive features that a user knows how to use as soon as they see them. 
• Useful features — a time and attendance tool should have features necessary for accurate time and attendance tracking, such as a clock-in/out system or reporting options.
• Integrations — a time and attendance tool should be able to integrate with other tools such as project management software, for instance. This enables you to track time on each project/task directly from the project management tool and optimize your business’ workflow.

What are the best time and attendance apps?

As promised, here is a list of 8 best time and attendance apps that we’ve selected for you based on said criteria to help you track your employees’ time and attendance effortlessly, so let’s see them.

Clockify — best for tracking attendance and time off

Clockify is a free time tracking tool that lets you track work hours across projects. It has everything an employer needs in terms of time tracking capabilities — from tracking employee attendance and billable hours to recording work hours via timer or manually, using timesheets.

What do you get with Clockify?

If you need a tool that offers easy time and attendance tracking, Clockify has several features that you may find useful, such as:

• Timer that your employees can use to track work hours in real-time with a single click,
• Timesheet where your employees can add time manually and fill in all their work hours in one go, 
• Attendance report where you can check each employee’s attendance as well as their capacity and overtime, and
• Auto tracker to automatically track the time you spend across apps, websites, and documents and get a detailed review of your activity.

What’s great about Clockify’s timer is that your employees can easily start tracking time as soon as they begin their work. 

Alternatively, if your employees prefer to log their work hours manually, they can use the Clockify’s Timesheet feature. 

I personally prefer using the timesheets instead of a timer in Clockify as I’m used to filling my work hours manually at the end of the day. Of course, how you track time will depend on your needs.

Apart from being able to see how much time your employees spend on work, in Clockify, you can also track their vacations and time off.

With its Time off feature, you can:

• See who’s away and when,
• Manage time off accruals and check balances,
• Define time off policies, and
• Request and approve employee time off.

Why is Clockify best for tracking attendance and time off?

Clockify offers various options, such as tracking employee hours via timer and timesheets or the ability to track your employees’ time off. With Clockify, you can also manage employee attendance and track billable hours.

That’s why we can safely say that this application truly is an all-in-one time tracking solution for employers.

One of the newest features that Clockify offers is the Kiosk feature. With it, employees can clock in and out from a shared device using a PIN code. 

By using Clockify’s Kiosk, employees can track their time in an even easier and more efficient way. They can clock in and out from any device — be it a tablet, computer, or phone — and track their work hours with just one button. These devices (a tablet, computer, or a phone) are always located somewhere where they are accessible to all workers, e.g. at the entrance to the workplace.

Later, the employer can see the tracked time and attendance of their employees using the Attendance report feature.

With Clockify’s Attendance reports, you can see your employees’ daily work hours, breaks, overtime, and time off, and know:

• Exactly how much time they spent on work, 
• When they were present or absent, and 
• How many overtime hours they worked.

Clockify’s pros

Here are some of Clockify’s key advantages:

• It’s easy to set up and use,
• It sends automatic reminders via email if employees forget to log time, and
• It integrates with 80+ web apps such as JIRA, Asana, Trello, Plaky, and more.

Clockify’s cons

To see some of the disadvantages of using Clockify, look at the following list:

• It doesn’t have an option to capture a photo when an employee clocks in and out when using a kiosk,
• The Time off options are only available in paid plans, and
• You can’t send expenses from Clockify to QuickBooks.

What’s new in Clockify

In August of this year, Clockify introduced the option of starting/stopping the timer via widget for Android users.

Then, in September, Clockify added more new options such as exporting projects in CSV/Excel and tracking breaks via Mac and iOS devices.

The latest Clockify’s upgrade is the ability to choose and switch between projects/tasks via Kiosk, available from October this year.

Best fit for: Freelancers, businesses of all sizes

Time Doctor — best for automatically tracking attendance

Time Doctor is a time tracking tool that helps employers and their employees get more done each day.

What do you get with Time Doctor?

If you want to reduce the time you spend on time monitoring so that you can focus on  more important tasks, Time Doctor is the right tool for you.

Time Doctor offers a lot of features that can help you track your team’s time and attendance and maximize their productivity, such as:

• Automated time tracking to track your employees’ work hours and see how much time they spend on projects,
• Manual time tracking so that your employees can add their work hours manually,
• Productive/unproductive websites and applications to track how much time your employees spend on websites and applications you marked as productive/unproductive, and
• The Attendance Report where you can check your employees’ attendance and see when each of your employees started working.

With Time Doctor’s Automated time tracking feature, you can track your employees’ work hours as soon as they input their current task and start the timer. 

On the other hand, your employees can also track their time manually. However, you need to give them permission to do so in the settings first.

In regard to employee attendance tracking, Time Doctor offers the Attendance Report feature where you can:

• Keep track of who is late, absent, or present,
• See each employee’s shift start time and actual start time, and
• Compare actual hours worked vs. expected hours.

This allows you to accurately track time and compensate your employees because you’ll know exactly how much time each of them actually spent working.

Why is Time Doctor best for automatically tracking attendance?

While I’ve been trying out Time Doctor and exploring its functionalities, one of the options that caught my eye was the Automatic attendance tracking option.

With it, you can get real-time attendance updates, which I found quite useful. You can see which of your employees is currently:

• Absent,
• Late, or
• Present.

With Time Doctor’s Automatic attendance tracking, you can quickly review who is actively working on their tasks and who is in a meeting, for example.

Moreover, you can also see which of your employees is active if you need someone to take up an urgent task or project.

Another useful Time Doctor option is the Projects and Tasks report. With it, your employees can see how much time they spend on each project and task and have a clear overview of how they allocate their time.      

In addition, an employer can also use these reports to see if a particular task is taking too much time away from one of their employees. This helps them decide whether they need to assign another employee to help them out, for example, so they can complete the task faster.

Time Doctor also offers the Screencasts option that employers can use to make screenshots or screencasts of employees’ screens at random intervals during work hours. 

Time Doctor’s pros

Here are some of the main advantages of using Time Doctor:

• It reduces the time employees spend on unproductive websites and apps,
• It integrates with various business tools such as Asana, ClickUp, HubSpot, Zapier, and more, and
• It allows employers to track employee overtime and help their employees maintain a work-life balance.

Time Doctor’s cons

To see some of the drawbacks of using Time Doctor, check the list below:

• Some employees may feel pressured if they are being monitored while working,
• Its idle time alerts can be distracting, and 
• Its user interface design looks a little outdated.

What’s new in Time Doctor

Some of the most recent Time Doctor features were released last year. They include options like real-time attendance email notifications and the Billable Hours Report.

Time Doctor also announced new features for 2023 such as Time Doctor Breaks for improved time tracking.

Best fit for: All teams and industries

When I Work — best for building schedules

When I Work is employee scheduling and time tracking software ideal for employers who want to track employee time and attendance but also easily create employee schedules.

What do you get with When I Work?

When I Work provides features necessary for employers who are looking for a simple way to track the time and attendance of their employees, such as:

• Time Tracker that employees can use to clock in/out when they start/finish their shift,
• Timesheets that employers can use to see their employees’ clock in and out time but also their total paid hours, and
• Scheduler where employers can make shifts and schedule their employees accordingly. 

With When I Work’s Time Tracker feature, you can have a clear overview of each employee’s work hours and see who’s scheduled and who’s clocked in. 

For example, when an employee is scheduled for the day but has not clocked in yet, their shift will appear gray on the time tracker. On the other hand, if they clocked in and out for the shift, it will appear blue on the time tracker (which also indicates that the shift has been completed).

This allows you to better visualize who has clocked in and who has not and check your employees’ attendance quickly.

To get more information on your employees’ work time, you can use the Timesheets feature. With it, you can keep a record of your employees’ clock in and out time, breaks, and time off. You can also edit their timesheets and add their work hours later on in case an employee forgot to clock in, for example.

Employees can also add and edit their own timesheets (if the pay period is still open). However, you need to give them permission to do so in the settings first.

Why is When I Work best for building schedules?

Compared to some other time and attendance tools on the market, in addition to time tracking options, When I Work also offers many useful scheduling options.

With its Scheduler feature, you can create shifts and schedules for your employees in a matter of minutes. As soon as you click on the Scheduler option, you’ll be able to see all your employees’ schedules but also edit and customize your employees’ shifts. 

To edit shifts according to your business’ needs, in When I Work, you can:

• Assign shift to a particular employee,
• Decide its start and end time,
• Save it as a shift template, or
• Customize it further by choosing a specific color for each employee’s shifts so you can visualize them even better.

What I like the most about this feature is that it operates on a drag-and-drop basis. This means that you can drag shifts across the schedule and move an employee’s shift to another day, or reassign shifts by clicking on a shift and dragging it to another employee.

This allows employers to quickly create schedules and know exactly when each of their employees is working which shift. 

By tracking employee attendance and creating shifts accordingly, you’ll be able to create schedules that work for your employees but also keep your business performance high.

When I Work’s pros

Let’s see some of the main benefits of using When I Work below:

• It’s especially useful for shift-based workplaces like restaurants or cafes,
• It integrates with other business tools such as Gusto, Paychex, QuickBooks Online, Zapier, and more, and
• It offers missed clock-in reminders to regulate attendance and reduce employee absenteeism.

When I Work’s cons

These are some of When I Work’s key disadvantages:

• To use time and attendance features, you’ll need to pay an additional $2 on average per user, which can be expensive if you have a lot of employees,
• It could have more in-depth reports, and 
• It lacks phone support (When I Work’s customer support offers live chat and tickets only).

What’s new in When I Work

When I Work’s most recent updates were presented to their users in the summer of last year.

Some of these updates include the Attendance Notices section and the option of sorting employees in the Scheduler for better organization.  

Best fit for: Teams of any size and for any industry

On The Clock — best for small businesses

If you need a time and attendance tool that’s cost-effective and filled with time tracking capabilities, On The Clock may be the right solution for your business. 

What do you get with On The Clock?

On The Clock is a simple time tracking tool designed to help businesses grow by providing employers with time tracking features such as:

• The Punch-In feature that employees can use to track their time as soon as they start their workday,
• The Check-In feature that allows employees to let employers know when they arrive at work (employers receive alerts via email/SMS when an employee has checked in),
• Time Cards that employers can use to keep a record of their employees’ work hours, make certain corrections and adjust the time, and see employee paid hours for each pay period, and
• The scheduling feature that employers can use to create shifts and schedule employees.

To enable employees to use the Punch-In feature, the employer first has to create an employee’s profile with their personal details and a unique password.

As soon as your employee receives an email or a text message with their username and password, they’ll be able to use them to log in to their On The Clock account. 

Once they log in, they’ll be able to choose whether they want to:

• Punch in, or
• Go straight to their time card and edit their time manually (under the condition you gave them permission to do so beforehand).

If you want to be notified via email/SMS once an employee starts working, you can allow them to use the “Check-In” option by toggling it on in settings. 

This is useful if you have salaried employees who may not be required to punch in but you still want to know when they’ve started working.

Why is On The Clock best for small businesses?

On The Clock is perfect for small businesses because it’s cost-effective and rich in useful time tracking and attendance features.

With On The Clock’s flexible pricing, you get access to powerful time tracking features that can help you:

• Reduce the time you spend on employee time tracking, 
• Get the necessary transparency and increase accuracy, 
• Increase employee accountability, and
• Even manage paid time off. 

Furthermore, On the Clock offers GPS time tracking, so employees can easily clock in and out from multiple locations.

Tracking employee GPS when on the clock also helps you better understand your company’s daily operations, as it allows you to:

• See where your employees are located in the field, and
• Know when they are moving between client sites.

This way, you can prevent employees from punching the clock from unassigned locations. You can also use GPS reports to analyze the time employees spend in transit so you can find the most efficient route and improve the employee’s journey.

On The Clock’s pros

Here are some of the main advantages of using On The Clock:

• It offers advanced GPS features and real-time location tracking to help employers manage employees at multiple locations, 
• It’s cost-effective and easy to use, and
• It integrates with other business tools such as Gusto, Quickbooks, Paychex, ADP, and more.

On The Clock’s cons

To see some of On The Clock’s drawbacks, take a look at the list below:

• It can be buggy so the clock-in/clock-out button must be clicked multiple times sometimes,
• It could have more detailed reporting options for each pay period, and
• It rarely introduces new features.

What’s new in On The Clock

In certain cases, it may happen that an app releases new features and updates on a less frequent basis. On The Clock may be such an app as some users have reported that it could have “more regular releases of new features.” 

In response to one of the user’s reviews, On The Clock’s customer support mentioned that On The Clock introduced a new feature that “alerts you when employees are approaching overtime.” They left this response in January 2020. 

Best fit for: Small businesses

Harvest — best for tracking time capacity

Harvest is a time tracking software that can help you accurately track your employees’ time. It can also streamline your invoicing process.

What do you get with Harvest?

With Harvest, you get access to a multitude of features that you can use for simplified time tracking such as:

• Timer that your employees can use to track their work hours across projects by starting/stopping it as soon as they start/finish their work,
• Timesheets where your employees can add and edit their work hours manually, and
• Automatic timesheet reminders to help you encourage your employees to fill out and submit their timesheets by the timesheet deadline.

Although Harvest doesn’t have a lot of attendance tracking options, it does provide detailed insights into how your employees are doing each week. It allows you to see how much time they’ve tracked and how that compares to their time capacity. In Harvest, you can set that number to be anything between 0 and 60 hours per week/employee.

This is useful for employers who want to know if their employees are working the exact number of hours they’re supposed to work, or less or more than that.

In addition to the time tracking capabilities, Harvest also offers the Invoices feature that can help you track billable hours and create and customize invoices for your clients.

Why is Harvest best for tracking time capacity?

Apart from tracking employee time and attendance, Harvest also provides the ability to set and track employee time capacity.

With Harvest, you can:

• Set the total number of hours per week that each employee is available to work, and
• Track time capacity on a team or individual level.

If you want to track a capacity on a team level, you can do it by setting a default capacity in your settings.

Keep in mind that setting a certain time capacity in Harvest will not prevent your team from tracking time above their set capacity. Therefore, they will not always work for the exact number of hours you previously set for them.

However, this option is still very useful as it allows you to track how much your employees are working and organize their workload more efficiently. It allows you to see:

• Who’s overworked, and
• Who can handle more on their plate.

By monitoring your employees’ time capacity, you can spot how often they work over their set capacity and analyze whether that’s really necessary. This can help you prevent employee burnout.

Tracking your employees’ time but also paying attention to whether they are overworked or maybe stuck on a certain task is very important. It allows you to keep your employees productive, thus making your business more productive overall.

Harvest’s pros

To see some of the good sides of using Harvest, read the list below:

• It integrates with 50+ business tools such as Asana, Trello, Slack, Google Calendar, PayPal, Zapier, and more,
• It offers easy time tracking via timer or timesheets, and
• It provides time capacity options to help employers track how much their employees are working. 

Harvest’s cons

Here are some of the disadvantages of using Harvest:

• It lacks GPS location tracking options,
• Its paid plan is a little bit expensive, and
• It doesn’t provide in-depth attendance reporting.

What’s new in Harvest

On January 13 this year, Harvest announced new updates for iOS and Android users.

One of these updates is the option of adding frequently used tasks tagged as Favorites to the home screen for faster time tracking. Another update is improved insights where employees can now see all their tasks and time charts right from the home screen.

Harvest’s latest update is new versions of browser extensions that allow tracking time inside Asana via Harvest, as announced in October this year.

Best fit for: Teams of all sizes, across all types of industries

Buddy Punch — best for monitoring time off

Buddy Punch is employee time clock software intended for employers who are looking for an easier way to schedule employees, track their time, and do payroll.

What do you get with Buddy Punch?

Buddy Punch provides employers with many time tracking and attendance features essential for easy time tracking, such as:

• The Punch in feature that employees can use to track their work hours by punching in/out as soon as they start/finish working,
• Time Card where employees can enter their time manually by adding date and hours worked,
• The scheduling feature that employers can use to create shifts and schedule their employees, 
• The GPS feature that employers can use to track where their employees are when they clock in or clock out in real-time, and
• The time off tracking feature to track employee PTO.

A great thing about Buddy Punch is that your employees can punch in using several different methods, such as:

• Username and Password to log in,
• QR Code Scanning to scan a QR Code,
• Pin/Kiosk to enter a unique 4-digit PIN, and
• Facial Recognition to use their face to punch in/out, depending on which method you enable in settings.

For example, if you want to track your employees’ attendance by using facial recognition in Buddy Punch, you need to upload your employees’ pictures first. Then, when an employee goes to punch time, their face is compared to that of the image related to their profile. 

This way, you can improve your attendance tracking and eliminate the possibility of so-called “buddy punching” — employees working together to punch in/out time for each other without authorization. 

Why is Buddy Punch best for monitoring time off?

In contrast to some other time and attendance apps, Buddy Punch offers a lot of different options necessary for monitoring employees’ time off.

With Buddy Punch’s time off options, your employees can:

• Enter their time off into their time card and request it, or
• Add their time off without requiring your approval if you want to automate your PTO management process.

One of the interesting Buddy Punch’s time off features is the Accruals feature. This is useful if you want to allow your employees to earn time off over time. 

With the Buddy Punch’s Accruals feature, you can:

• Create rules for when PTO accrues (per pay period, hours worked, or yearly), and
• Specify which of your time off types should be included in accruals (sick days, vacation, holidays, or personal time).

You can also use Buddy Punch’s PTO Summary Report to get a review of PTO balances from all your employees. This way, you can see each employee’s PTO summary, including:

• How much PTO an employee has accrued,
• How much PTO was carried over,
• How much PTO has been used, and
• How much PTO an employee has available.

Note that in Buddy Punch, you can create both paid and unpaid time off types for your employees.

Tracking your employees’ time off (either paid or unpaid) is crucial as it helps you keep a more accurate record of their attendance.

Buddy Punch’s pros

Here are some key advantages of using Buddy Punch:

• It integrates with several different business tools such as Zapier, Gusto, Paychex, QuickBooks, and more, 
• It offers time off tracking options, and
• It provides great customer support.

Buddy Punch’s cons

To see some bad sides of using Buddy Punch, look at the list below:

• It is much easier to approve time cards and review employee activity through the web app versus the mobile app,
• It can be quite slow at times, and
• Its UI design is a little bit dull compared to some other apps.

What’s new in Buddy Punch

Some of the most recent features Buddy Punch presented to their users are the Facial Recognition option and Overtime Alerts for employers to set custom alerts when employees reach a certain amount of time. 

These features were all added to the app last year.

Best fit for: Businesses of all sizes

Jibble — best for detailed reporting

Jibble is a time tracking software that facilitates employee time and attendance tracking but also offers detailed reporting options for advanced analysis. 

What do you get with Jibble?

You can track your employee time and attendance with ease with Jibble’s time tracking features, such as:

• The clock in/out feature that your employees can use to track their time by clocking in/out as soon as they start/finish their workday,
• Timesheets that your employees can use to track their time by adding and editing their time entries manually,
• Live Locations that employers can use to follow an employee’s location throughout the workday from the point of clock in to the point of clock out, and
• The Time Off feature to track employees’ time off and create custom leave policies, assign those policies to specific employees, and track your employees’ leave balances.

With Jibble’s clock in/out option, your employees can track their work hours effortlessly by activating the time clock.

On the other hand, if they prefer using timesheets to track their time manually, they can do that in Jibble too.

With Jibble’s Timesheets feature, your employees can add time and edit their time entries (provided you gave them permission to do that beforehand). 

They can do it by choosing a start and end time, as presented in the image below.

In Jibble, employers can also use various attendance options such as face recognition or GPS location to accurately track their employees’ attendance, whether they’re working in or out of the office.

Why is Jibble best for detailed reporting?

Jibble lets you track your employees’ time and attendance. Apart from that, you can also get a lot of useful insights into your team’s activities and tracked time with the help of its reporting options.

With the Jibble’s reports feature, you can:

• See all your teams’ activities/tasks (an employer can create activities and customize each by adding a specific color),
• See your projects and clients, and
• Get hours breakdown to see each employee’s tracked time and billable amount for each day, week, or month. 

Besides the Tracked Time Report option, Jibble also offers the Attendance Insights Report option. Here, you can monitor your employees’ day to day attendance statistics and learn more about their work habits.

By looking at your employees’ attendance reports, you can see:

• Your employees’ expected days of work,
• Their tracked days of work (total number of days worked),
• Their time off,
• Their overtime,
• Absentees (total number of days absent), and more.

With attendance insights reports, you can analyze inconsistencies in your employees’ attendance and time behavior. However, to be able to use this option, you need to upgrade to some of the paid plans. 

Jibble’s pros

Here are some of the biggest advantages of Jibble:

• It integrates with numerous business tools such as ADP, Airtable, Asana, Basecamp, Evernote, Google Calendar, and more,
• It provides detailed reporting options, and
• It allows employees to track their time even when offline. 

Jibble’s cons

These are some of the main disadvantages of using Jibble:

• To be able to use certain attendance features, you’ll have to upgrade to some of the paid plans,
• You can’t download reports in PDF, and
• It lacks more advanced scheduling options. 

What’s new in Jibble

In September of this year, Jibble launched the Automatic Selfie Capture feature to enable auto-selfie as part of the face recognition process.

During the same month, Jibble also introduced the option of exporting reports directly from Jibble’s mobile app for even easier access to information.

Best fit for: Teams of all shapes and sizes

Deputy — best for businesses with multiple locations

If you need an efficient time tracking app to track employee time and attendance, Deputy might be the right choice for you. It can also help you create shifts for your employees across multiple locations.

What do you get with Deputy?

Deputy has many features that are vital for effortless employee time and attendance tracking, such as:

• The clock in/out feature that employees can use to track their time by clocking in when they start their shift and clocking out when they finish it,
• Timesheets where employers can track their employees’ work hours, approve timesheets, and export them for payroll,
• The scheduling feature that employers can use to create shifts and schedule their employees, and
• The Reports feature to generate different reports such as the “Attendance Report by Employee,” the “Attendance Report by Location,” the “Leave Management” report, and others.  

With the Deputy’s clock in/out option, your employees can start tracking their time as soon as they start their workday. 

Another interesting Deputy’s feature is the Timesheets feature. Whenever employees clock in and out of work via Deputy, Deputy’s software automatically creates a digital timesheet for that tracked time.

This allows employers to have all their employees’ timesheets in one place and:

• See the status of each timesheet (e.g. approved or pending),
• See whether each employee has tracked time, and
• Edit timesheets, if needed.  

In Deputy, you can also enable the touch-free facial verification feature or a GPS location stamp to verify your employees are in the right place, at the right time, and track their attendance correctly.

Why is Deputy best for businesses with multiple locations?

Deputy offers a lot of interesting tracking options that you can utilize to monitor where your employees are whenever they clock in and out.

This is ideal for businesses that have employees working on multiple locations as it helps them precisely track employee attendance.

For instance, with Deputy’s Locations feature, you can: 

• Create several different ‘locations’ based on your business’ workplaces (that is, their geographical locations),
• Give each location a name and enter the address, and
• Edit each location by adding shifts, entering departments or roles that you want to schedule that shift for (e.g. Front Desk, Cleaner, etc.) as well as the names of employees who work in that specific location.   

This way, you’ll be able to know exactly who works where and when as soon as your employees start tracking their time via mobile app.

To see an example of what it looks like when you open one of these locations to check your employee’s attendance, look at the image below.

Deputy’s pros

These are some of the main benefits of using Deputy:

• It integrates with many other business tools such as Gusto, BambooHR, ADP, Paychex, Zapier, and more,
• It offers the News Feed feature where employers can post an announcement to share with the whole team or send a private message to selected individuals (it is also displayed in the form of a post), and
• It’s very user-friendly.

Deputy’s cons

Let’s see some of the biggest disadvantages of using Deputy in the list below:

• It could integrate with more productivity tools,
• It doesn’t provide the ability to have several different pay rates for each employee (in case one employee has multiple jobs that are paid differently), and
• It lacks phone support (Deputy’s customer support offers tickets and email support only).

What’s new in Deputy

Five months ago, Deputy announced a new clock-in and clock-out experience for iOS and Android users. 

Deputy added new Shift Details options, such as a more detailed display of shift information, as well as a comment box for employees to answer shift questions previously set by the employer.

Best fit for: Small and medium-sized businesses

Wrapping up: Using time and attendance apps helps businesses increase efficiency and productivity

To run a successful business, you need to pay attention not only to how well your employees perform but also to whether they started work on time, whether they use their working hours efficiently enough, whether there are cases of time theft, etc.

In addition, tracking employee time and attendance is crucial for businesses as it helps them increase employee productivity, accountability, and payroll accuracy.

Nowadays, using an app to keep track of employee work hours and attendance is a must. 

Therefore, we hope this blog post provides you with enough useful information to help you decide which time and attendance app you should choose for your business. 

What are your favorite time and attendance apps? Which ones help you the most to track your employees’ work hours accurately and easily? Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to be featured in this or one of our other articles. Also, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think could benefit from it.

In this blog post, we will take a closer look at what back charges are and how they work, with some real-world examples.

We will also highlight their drawbacks and benefits before listing 6 smart strategies to maximize your chances of success with back charges.

What is a back charge? 

Back charges are the billings one party (such as a retailer or a contractor) sends to another party (such as a wholesale supplier or a subcontractor) if they incur losses as a result of the second party’s actions or mistakes. 

However, to issue back charges, the two parties should have a legally binding contract in place that specifies what situations attract back charges.

In their book titled Construction Accounting Deskbook, authors Louis P. Miramontes and Huge L. Rice define back charges in the context of construction as:

“Billings for work performed or costs incurred by one party that, in accordance with the agreement, should have been performed or incurred by the party to whom billed. Owners bill back charges to general contractors, and general contractors bill back charges to subcontractors.”

While typically seen in the construction industry, back charges are also common in retail, manufacturing, and finance industries. 

For example, consider this real-life scenario — a retail store orders a batch of 500 designer bags from a wholesale supplier and specifies that the bags should arrive by a certain date for a planned promotion.

However, the bags arrive 3 days later than the agreed-upon delivery date. As a result, the retailer misses the promotion window resulting in a loss of sales amounting to $1,000. Expressing disappointment over the delay, the retailer requests the wholesaler to compensate for the loss in revenue by sending an invoice for $1,000. 

In other words, the retailer is using back charges as a means to recover the lost revenue from the wholesaler.

A credit card company can also issue back charges to a customer if the latter fails to pay their dues on time. In the context of credit cards, you may have also come across the term ‘chargebacks.’ 

We don’t blame you if you’re wondering if chargebacks and back charges are synonyms. The following section throws light on the topic.

Back charges and chargebacks: What’s the difference?

Unlike back charges that are used in several industries, chargebacks are typically used in the credit card industry. The chargeback process aims to protect consumers against fraudulent, unwanted, or incorrect credit card charges, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

To understand more about the difference between back charges and chargebacks, we contacted Francis Fabrizi, AATQB (Association of Accounting Technicians Qualified Bookkeeper) at Keirstone Limited.

According to Fabrizi, the distinction between the terms revolves around who issues the charges and who settles them. Opposed to back charges, where the responsible party (a merchant, a vendor, a customer, or a subcontractor) makes the payment directly to the party claiming back charges, chargebacks are usually settled by banks only after an unsuccessfully resolved dispute:

“Chargebacks are typically used to resolve disputes between merchants and customers when the customer has already tried to resolve the issue with the merchant directly and has been unsuccessful.”

Fabrizi explains how chargebacks typically work with an example. Let’s say a customer buys a product from a store with their credit card and finds that the product is defective. They then ask the store to refund the amount, and the merchant refuses to do so. The customer now files a complaint with their bank, which issues a chargeback to the customer to refund the amount.

The bank later recovers the amount from the merchant. 

Similarly, a customer can also dispute incorrect or unwanted charges issued by their credit card issuer. In this case, the issuing bank (the bank that issued the credit card) reverses the charges temporarily while they investigate the matter.

How do back charges work? 

Let’s see how back charges work in practice with an example from the construction industry. 

A building contractor (one party) enters into an agreement with a subcontractor (another party) for the electrical wiring of a building.

If the subcontractor fails to finish the work within the agreed time, it results in project delay as the other tasks are dependent on the completion of electrical work. These delays can translate into additional costs for the contractor who may need to retain labor for a longer period of time than originally planned.

In this situation, the contractor can bill these additional costs of labor as back charges to the subcontractor.

In general, back charges help:

• Allocate costs fairly, 
• Promote accountability, 
• Facilitate dispute resolution, and 
• Enhance project management. 

By holding parties accountable for their actions, back charges promote transparency and financial fairness.

Now, you might wonder if back charges are a legal right. The next section focuses on the legal aspects of back charges.

Are back charges a legal right?

As there are no specific laws related to back charges, they are typically regulated by the contract between two parties, such as:

• The contractor and subcontractor,
• The retailer and wholesaler,
• The credit card company and consumers, or
• The manufacturer and distributor.

Properly drafted contracts that are mutually agreed upon are legally binding. This means that if one party violates the terms of the contract, the other party has the legal right to take action, such as seeking back charges or initiating legal proceedings. 

However, in the construction industry, there are some laws, such as the Prompt Pay Act that indirectly affect back charges. The Prompt Pay Act ensures contractors and subcontractors get paid on time. 

Many states (Colorado, Texas, New York, Illinois, Maryland, and South Carolina, to name a few), have adopted a trust fund model where the money owners pay to the contractor is held in trust. The contractor can only use the trust fund to pay the subcontractors for the work performed. 

In other words, the contractor cannot withhold the trust funds as back charges for any deficient work performed by the subcontractor in another contract.

It’s important to note that most US state laws give contractors or subcontractors the right to deny payment when another party fails to perform the agreed tasks. For example, if the subcontractor fails to provide the right materials as agreed upon, resulting in defects in the building, the contractor can issue back charges to the subcontractor.

Now, you might be wondering how much a party can claim as back charges.

According to the National Law Review, the party seeking back charges (in the above example, the contractor) can only bill an amount equal to what they spent to rectify the work that was done incorrectly. 

What is an example of a back charge? 

Some of the common reasons for claiming back charges include:

• Delays,
• Property damage,
• Defective materials or workmanship, and
• Lack of compliance with safety and health regulations at the job site.

We will discuss real-world examples for each scenario to help you better understand how back charges work.

Example #1: Back charges for delays

In the above section, you saw how failure to complete work on time can result in back charges. Back charges can also be incurred if a supplier delivers goods late or a customer fails to make timely payments for services or goods they purchase. 

In addition, credit card companies can also impose back charges whenever cardholders fail to make their credit card payments on time. These charges are the penalty for not adhering to the payment due date specified in the agreement.

Back charges can also be used by wholesale and retail sellers when another party delays payments. For example, XYZ is a wholesale seller of condiments. John runs a retail store and regularly buys condiments from XYZ, so the wholesale store sends invoices to John on a monthly basis.

However, in July, XYZ delivered the condiments to John as usual but missed billing for a few items. As a result, XYZ’s owner added these items as back charges to the bill they sent to John in August.

Example #2: Back charges for property damage

These are the expenses incurred by one party as a result of property damage caused by another party. The charges are typically invoiced to the responsible party and are used to recover the costs of repairing the damage.

For example, if a hotel guest causes damage to a hotel room, such as broken furniture or vandalized property, the hotel can issue back charges to recover the cost of repairs or replacement of damaged items.

Example #3: Back charges for inadequate workmanship

One of the common causes of back charges is poor workmanship. 

Shea Connelly Development (SCD) hired Revive as a subcontractor for two construction projects, one at Park Place and the other at Glendale.  

SCD claimed that Revive’s work at Park Place was not up to standard, so they fired Revive from that project. SCD said that they had to hire another subcontractor to rectify Revive’s poor quality of work at the Park Place project. As a result, they would deduct the amount they spent to fix Revive’s work from any payment they owed to Revive.

Here’s another scenario from the real estate industry. Let’s say a property owner has hired a property management company to maintain their apartment building. The contract between these two parties specifies certain responsibilities and quality standards.

After a routine inspection of the apartment building, the property owner discovers that there are issues, such as broken security equipment and unrepaired damage to the building’s exterior.

The owner contacts the property management company to inform them of the issues and asks the company to rectify the issues within a certain date. But, the company fails to do so despite reminders.

The property owner rectifies the issues by hiring another company and calculates the costs of fixing the issues. The owner then bills these expenses to the property management company as back charges.

Example #4: Back charges for safety issues

Let’s say a food supplier enters into a contract with a food processing company to deliver certain food ingredients of the highest quality. 

The supplier delivers the ingredients and as it is the first batch of ingredients, the food processing company conducts a thorough quality inspection. The company finds that some ingredients are contaminated which can lead to health hazards. 

The food processing company issues back charges to cover the costs of conducting quality checks and disposing of contaminated products.

Back charges for safety issues are also common in the construction industry.

London-based Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd, a contractor, hired Bathgate Realisations Civil Engineering Limited, a subcontractor for concrete works for a construction project.

Multiplex also hired another subcontractor, BRM Construction, to design the slip-form rig (construction equipment that continuously pours and shapes concrete) that was used for the concrete work performed by Bathgate.

At a later date, Multiplex terminated its contract with Bathgate which had gone bankrupt and hired a new subcontractor. After inspecting the work done so far, the new subcontractor said both the slipform rig and concrete work were defective and unsafe. 

Multiplex claimed the cost of replacement of these unsafe equipment and concrete work as back charges of over £12 million (approx $14.6 million) from both BRM and Bathgate.   

Advantages of back charges  

Back charges can have many advantages in certain situations — especially in construction and contractual relationships where issues need to be addressed promptly. Here are some of the most common advantages of using back charges.

Advantage #1: Back charges could help with cost recovery

According to Tom Zauli, senior vice president and general manager at SOFTRAX, the top benefit of back charges is that they help a company recover revenue that might otherwise slip away:

“The main benefit to back charges is that the process allows a company to retrieve revenue that would otherwise be lost.”

Back charges can provide a level of protection in case a subcontractor or vendor fails to meet their obligations. These charges are a way to recoup costs that can run into millions in the case of complex projects.

To increase your chances of recovering back charges, make sure to always invoice other parties promptly and accurately. 

Advantage #2: Back charges promote accountability and responsibility

Back charges can help promote accountability by discouraging breaches of contract and deterring subpar work. This encourages all parties involved — be it vendors, subcontractors, credit card issuers, or customers — to act responsibly to avoid back charges.

For example, a food manufacturer enters into a contract with a retailer to supply food products on time. Thanks to the inclusion of the clause on back charges, the manufacturer knows if they don’t supply good quality products or fail to deliver them on time, they will be hit with back charges.

As a result, the manufacturer takes extra care to avoid delays or quality issues.

Similarly, the retailer understands the need to diligently monitor the quality of products and track the expenses, if any, of addressing delays or defective products. This vigilance ensures that they can rightfully seek back charges should the other party fail to meet their obligations.

Advantage #3: Back charges can result in improved project management

By tracking and documenting back charges, project owners and accountants can gain insights into the total receivables and payables. Account receivable refers to the money customers owe to a company and account payable is the money a company owes to its vendors or creditors.

Project owners can also notice the areas where costs are escalating due to errors or omissions on the part of vendors or subcontractors. They can then address these areas to optimize project cost management.

Advantage #4: Back charges can help prevent disputes

According to Tom Zauli, back charges can play a vital role in preventing the common causes of disputes in the business world: 

• Poor quality work, 
• Project abandonment, 
• Fraudulent activities, and 
• Payment-related issues.

Citing the example of the construction industry, Tom explains that back charges deter subcontractors from doing anything other than the best job:

“As a deterrent, a back charge would need to be included in the subcontractor’s contract, ideally with the subcontractor acknowledging the potential for back charges. How this could play out is that the back charge clause keeps a subcontractor on time in meeting an aggressive deadline, because they realize that any delay on their part would result in a back charge.”

Tom also highlights the importance of “clear and timely communication” to resolve the matter that necessitated back charges.

Other than that, we should emphasize the importance of documentation as a tool for resolving disputes — both parties need to draft the contract terms clearly and document any deficient work meticulously.

For example, if one party can thoroughly document deficient work by the responsible party, it can justify the grounds for imposing such charges.

If there is a legal dispute related to the back charges, accurate and comprehensive documentation can help both parties substantiate their claims.

Advantage #5: Back charges help rectify quality issues

As we saw above, back charges can act as deterrents to poor quality work.  

These charges also provide a mechanism to address and rectify quality issues or deficiencies in: 

• Workmanship, 
• Materials, or 
• Compliance with contract requirements. 

This can help ensure that the project meets the desired quality and standards. By using back charges as a tool to deter poor-quality work, project managers can minimize the cost of quality (the total cost a company incurs to ensure the quality of its products or services).

Disadvantages of back charges 

Back charges do come with several drawbacks that can affect both parties involved in the contract. Here are some of the most common disadvantages of back charges.

Disadvantage #1: Back charges can lead to disputes

As you may recall from the earlier section on benefits, we highlighted how back charges can aid in dispute resolution. It might seem contradictory to mention that they can also be a source of disputes. 

Nevertheless, the accuracy of both statements depends on:

• The clarity of the contractual terms regarding back charges,
• How thorough the documentation is regarding back charges, and
• The way the back charges are implemented.

In the finance industry, disputes related to credit card charges (or chargebacks) are common, with the chargeback rate being 0.60%. This means that 6 out of 1,000 credit card transactions are disputed.

According to Fabrizi, given that back charges can lead to legal disputes and affect business relationships, they should only be used as a last resort after trying other means of resolving or preventing disputes:

“It is important to note that back charges can create a negative and adversarial relationship between the parties, leading to distrust and resentment. They can also be subject to legal disputes and challenges, especially if they are not supported by sufficient evidence or documentation, or if they violate the terms of the contract or the applicable laws and regulations.” 

As you can see, meticulous documentation is the key to preventing such disputes.

Disadvantage #2: Back charges can be difficult to recover

There are many reasons why back charges can be difficult to recover, such as:

• Delay in billing for back charges: When back charges are not sent in the current billing cycle, the receiving party could end up being unpleasantly surprised. The latter, in this case, may not remember the reasons for back charges or not be prepared to pay these charges.
• Insufficient documentation: Lack of documentation (or poorly maintained documents) can make it difficult for the party claiming the back charges to prove their claim. This is particularly important if the recipient files a lawsuit disputing the back charges. Generally, the burden of proving that the other party owes back charges lies with the claimant (the one claiming the back charges from another party).
• Lack of communication: If the recipient of the back charges comes to know about the charges only when they receive the bill, the likelihood of their being able to pay the amount immediately is low.

In addition, as back charges are often disputed, recovery can be a complicated process and can often involve lengthy legal battles.  

Disadvantage #3: Back charges can be misused  

The possibility of misusing back charges is high particularly when the contract terms are vague or poorly drafted.

A party may abuse back charges by inflating costs, alleging poor work quality without evidence, or adding additional charges that were not part of the original agreement.

Here’s another way of misusing back charges. Some contractors hire the same subcontractors for multiple contracts. These contractors add illegal clauses in the contract that if the subcontractor carries out deficient work in one contract, back charges will apply to all the other contracts. 

This means that if the subcontractor performs deficient work on the current project, the contractor can levy back charges for all other projects that the subcontractor carries out for the contractor. 

In some cases, back charges are used as a form of retaliation. If one party is dissatisfied with the performance or actions of another party, they may resort to issuing back charges as a punitive measure, even if the charges are not justified.

Disadvantage #4: Back charges can be a bottom-line killer

If the party that is at the receiving end of back charges refuses to make the payment, the one issuing these charges may have to end up covering these costs. 

For example, if a supplier refuses to pay back charges to a retailer for delayed delivery of goods, the latter has to bear these costs.

Even when vendors or subcontractors do agree to pay up the back charges, the ones claiming the back charges lose time and money in the pursuit of payment. Lengthy dispute resolution processes can lead to financial strain on the party seeking back charges, affecting project timelines and budgets.

We can look at the data from a study by Arcadis to get an idea of the costs and timelines. 

The study found that while the value of disputes in the construction industry reached an average of $54.26 million in 2020, these disputes took 13.4 months to resolve.

Tips on how to be successful with back charges 

Whether you are a business owner, project manager, or a vendor looking to issue back charges to another party, you can maximize the chances of recovery with these tips.

Tip #1: Draft a foolproof contract

Most disputes on back charges arise from poorly drafted contracts or a lack of understanding of what the contract entails.  

So, the first step to recovering back charges is to draft a foolproof contract that clearly defines the: 

• Scope of work,
• Expected quality standards,
• Timelines, and
• Payment terms. 

Most importantly, outline the conditions under which back charges can be applied (such as low-quality materials or failure to clean up the job site), the process for issuing them, and the associated costs.

Tip #2: Ensure ongoing communication

By keeping up a steady flow of communication, you can avoid misunderstandings and improve relationships with your vendors/subcontractors. Ongoing communication can also boost the chances of recovering back charges, if any.

Schedule regular project meetings with vendors, subcontractors, or other third parties as the case may be to review progress, address concerns, and discuss issues that may potentially lead to back charges.  

Open communication will also help prevent unpleasant surprises in the event of sending a bill on back charges, according to Tom Zauli.

“A company should have open and proactive communication with the customer/affected party during all parts of the back charge process, including why the charge is being incurred. Communication will help in setting expectations, stopping the matter from escalating, and keeping the customer relationship intact.”

Tip #3: Conduct regular quality checks

Periodic quality inspections can help ensure that work is being performed according to the specified standards. 

Moreover, if you find any deficiencies, you can create formal deficiency reports and share them with the responsible party. If the responsible party does not rectify the deficiencies within the specified timeline, you can use the reports as the basis for back charge claims.

Tip #4: Document everything

Maintain meticulous records of all project-related activities, such as work progress, change orders, and the results of your quality inspection.

Take photographs to document the status of work at various stages, especially if there are concerns about work quality or compliance.

This documentation is important for supporting any back charges.

Above all, don’t forget to document the communication you have had with your subcontractors or vendors including verbal agreements that may not be recalled accurately later.

Tip #5: Take a stepwise approach to claiming back charges

Although there are no specific laws that regulate back charges, it is important to know what steps to follow when claiming back charges. This can improve your chances of recovery in case of a dispute.

In the construction industry, the National Law Review recommends that the one claiming back charges should first provide a written notice of deficient work to the vendor or subcontractor. The notice should describe all issues related to the services or materials in great detail.

This process can also work in other industries and contexts.

If the contract defines a time period for the responsible party to rectify these deficiencies, ensure you provide them with the opportunity to do so. 

If the responsible party fails to take action despite your notice, be sure to inform them in writing as to what corrective measures you will take to address the deficient work.

While providing the responsible party the opportunity to be present when you carry out the rectification work, ensure you document the remediation process. For instance, you can take photos or videos of the repair work you carried out.

Once the rectification is complete, provide all the relevant invoices, cost estimates, and other documents to the responsible party.  

Tip #6: Track and invoice back charges promptly

Failure to promptly invoice back charges may result in the responsible party forgetting about the outstanding dues. Tom Zauli emphasizes the importance of prompt and accurate billing to maximize the chances of recovery of back charges:

“I encourage all companies to make sure all billing is done correctly and on time, having proper automation and controls in place in the billing process.”

One way to ensure the invoices are accurate and prompt is to use time tracking and invoicing tools, such as Clockify. 

Clockify lets you create projects for each contract or subcontract where back charges may apply. This helps track time and expenses accurately.

You can add time entries (both for billable and non-billable work) whenever you perform work related to a specific project or task in Clockify. The time entries can include hours spent addressing deficiencies, rework, or any other activities related to back charges. 

Apart from tracking time, with Clockify, you can also record expenses for each project you work on. For each expense, you can include detailed notes describing the work performed, the reason for the back charge, and any relevant supporting information, such as receipts. Expenses may include material costs, subcontractor costs, or any other expenses directly tied to the back charge issue.

This documentation is crucial for substantiating the back charges.

Later, you’ll be able to present all expenses in an invoice.

What’s more, you can generate customized reports related to each project or subcontract. These reports can serve as a comprehensive record of the time and expenses incurred — making it easier to present a clear case for back charges.

Conclusion: Documentation and cost tracking are the keys to back-charge success

Back charges can be a great way for businesses to keep track of their finances and make sure that everyone is held accountable. You can use back charges to prevent or resolve disputes and enhance project management. 

However, the caveat is that they should be used responsibly, keeping in mind the contractual obligations and applicable laws.

Ultimately the effectiveness of back charges depends on drafting clear contracts, meticulous documentation, and cost tracking. 

By following the tips we have listed above, you can improve your success with back charges. 

Still, we encourage you to seek legal advice before implementing back charges into your business strategy.

Do you have any tips on improving the chances of recovery of back charges? Perhaps you faced unique challenges when invoicing back charges. We invite you to share these tips and experiences with us at blogfeedback@clockify.me and we’ll make every effort to throw the spotlight on them in our next article. If you found this article enlightening, please consider hitting the share button and spreading the knowledge to others.

Over are the days of silent employees who bear the brunt of poor management and suffer from a staggering lack of career opportunities. Workers aren’t taking it any longer.

We know it sounds far-fetched, but bear with us.

In this article, we’ll explore:

• What quiet quitting is in 2023 and beyond,
• How to recognize the signs of quiet quitting,
• If quiet quitting is healthy, and more.

Buckle up as we dive deep into the exciting inner lives of quiet quitters. 

What is quiet quitting?

According to the Wall Street Journal definition, quiet quitting — also known as soft quitting and silent quitting — is the same as “not taking your job too seriously.”

In any case, quiet quitting is a new term that explains how and why employees do the bare minimum at work. In its simplest form, workers who quietly quit do not invest any more effort and time in their work than necessary.

Yet, quiet quitters beg to differ. 

For example, they may argue that they are simply making a healthy work-life balance. In fact, many quiet quitters think that setting firm boundaries and spending time on personally fulfilling activities doesn’t equate with disliking their job. In other words, quiet quitters often reject the notion that life should be all about work.

And that’s where the confusion arises — no watertight definition has so far been made for quiet quitting. As a result, this leaves plenty of room for different interpretations. 

Whatever the definition we prefer, this phenomenon is probably here to stay in one form or another. But where did it come from? Let’s explore the roots of quiet quitting.

Is quiet quitting real? What are its origins?

Although a viral topic, quiet quitting isn’t yet another news trend. In fact, experts think of it as one of the great workforce shake-ups of our time. 

Arguably, the first popular mention of quiet quitting comes from career coach Bryan Creely, who used to be a corporate recruiter. Creely posted a video on TikTok claiming that quiet quitting is about “doing the minimum amount necessary in order to still maintain your position.”

But that’s just one side of the coin.

HR professionals debate the origins of quiet quitting. Some say it comes from the Great Resignation — when dozens of millions of employees quit their jobs voluntarily and abruptly in 2021. Still, other experts claim that the Great Resignation started back in 2009, only to reach its peak during the recent pandemic.

Finally, some credit the economist Mark Boldger with coining the term back in 2009.

Interestingly, however, one conference paper states that quiet quitting had a predecessor in China. 

In 2021, the country’s hardworking and production-oriented culture was hit hard by Tang Ping (translated as Lying flat). This term suggests a breakup from the Chinese version of hustle culture — a workplace atmosphere where the focus is on intense ambition, success, and productivity at the expense of rest and work-life balance.

Be that as it may, who is to blame — or credit — for the widespread nature of soft quitting? 

Whose fault is it that employees are quietly quitting?

We want to discuss an issue as old as time: Do problems arise due to bad management or bad employees? 

The truth is that leaders have a lot more responsibility than their employees when it comes to quietly quitting.

An article by Harvard Business Review brings home this point. The authors state that their data indicate that “quiet quitting is usually less about an employee’s willingness to work harder and more creatively, and more about a manager’s ability to build a relationship with their employees where they are not counting the minutes until quitting time.”

In other words, if the manager isn’t engaged at work, this will negatively affect employees. As another in-depth investigation by HBR suggests, “approximately two-thirds of managers are either not engaged or actively disengaged in their work and workplace.”

On the flip side, data from the Pew Research Center suggest that 62% of employees say they are very satisfied with their supervisor or managers. Yet, only 34% of employees are happy with their salaries, and a mere 33% state they are satisfied with their opportunities for developing new skills.

In any case, quiet quitting often happens because employees feel they are wasting their time and effort in a toxic work environment. This term describes workplaces where constant conflict persists between employees, managers, and across both of those groups.

Speaking of toxic environments, time management and productivity coach Alexis Haselberger says that she doesn’t view soft quitting as a bad thing per se:

“I don’t think quiet quitting is a totally negative thing, but rather a reasonable backlash to toxic productivity and capitalist culture.”

If that wasn’t mindblowing, wait until we meet quiet quitting’s look-alikes. That’s next.

Quiet quitting vs. quiet firing vs. quiet cutting

Quiet quitting is as real as its dark counterparts: quiet firing and quiet cutting. 

In simple terms, quiet quitting is all about:

• Interacting with fellow coworkers only when necessary,
• Avoiding to fully take part in meetings, and
• Doing the bare minimum at work.

But unlike quiet quitting, quiet firing and quiet cutting are coming after the employee. In other words, it’s the manager, supervisor, or employer who is actively working to create unbearable work conditions.

Let’s expand more on quiet firing and quiet cutting.

For simplicity’s sake, quiet firing is about giving the employee minimum benefits and wage to force them to quit voluntarily. So, the manager or employer makes the job so unrewarding that the employee has no other choice but to leave. Less obviously, an employee in this situation will likely get passed over for a well-deserved promotion.

With quiet firing, employers intentionally create a hostile work environment to drive employees out.

In fact, some companies have recently made headlines for their practice of quiet firing. Sadly, many employees don’t see it coming. As a result, they find themselves in a difficult situation when it happens.

On the other hand, quiet cutting means that a company reassigns its current employees to roles that don’t exactly fit their skill set. The goal? To push workers into performing work tasks that the company needs to do to reduce hiring costs — without any care for the employee’s needs.

For example, a manager may inform an employee that the company has eliminated their job role. Yet, they go on to say that the employee is staying in the company and given a day or two to choose between a few equally unfavorable job titles for the same pay. 

With quiet cutting, companies aren’t really laying off personnel, but they are cutting their costs for sure. As a result, workers are pushed into miserable working conditions.

—

Now that we’ve touched on the gloomy siblings of quiet quitting let’s refocus on our main topic. In fact, how widespread is quiet quitting really?

How common is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting is spreading like wildfire. 

To back up that claim, employee engagement statistics for the US and Canada suggest that only 33% of the workforce is actively engaged in the workplace. As you can imagine, the remaining 67% could potentially be quiet quitters in the making.

Likewise, the employment platform Monster has revealed similarly disturbing data. They claim that 60% of employees stated they’re quietly quitting or at least thinking about it. The reason? Underpaid labor!

In a similar fashion, late 2022 data from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) unequivocally proved that quiet quitting is rising rapidly. In fact, the authors of the study claim that as many as 51% of HR professionals are worried about employees softly quitting their jobs.

After so much convincing data, the short and sweet answer is a resounding yes — it looks like quiet quitting is just taking off. 

So, what can managers do to recognize signs of quiet quitting? We’re so glad you asked, because we’re now going to focus on just that!

What are the signs of quiet quitting?

Writing for Forbes, Bryan Robinson, Ph.D., stresses that quiet quitting costs companies $150,000,000 every year. Well, that looks like money they shouldn’t be throwing away.

So, it pays to notice the signs of quiet quitting as early as possible — and address them.

If you pay attention, you can easily spot a few prevalent red flags in quiet quitters’ behavior. 

To explain the signs of quiet quitting, we spoke to HR reps, productivity experts, and career coaches.

In a nutshell, the most telling signs of quiet quitting include:

• Isolation,
• Taking longer to do anything work-related,
• Employee disengagement, and 
• Taking an unusual number of sick days.

Let’s explore each of these red flags in more detail — supercharged with expert advice.

Sign #1: Isolation

When employees isolate themselves from other team members, that’s a surefire path to disaster team-wise.

To avoid teams falling apart, the manager has to assess if each individual worker’s attendance at mandatory meetings looks like a potential sign of soft quitting — or if the employee is genuinely interested in contributing.

One way to notice signs of team disintegration is when an employee rarely has anything to add or they are visibly impatient to see the meeting end.

Founder of The New Workforce — a collaborative platform for teams in various industries — Kraig Kleeman speaks to the importance of recognizing when employees are disinterestedly moving away from coworker gatherings:

“Employees who gradually distance themselves from team activities and social interactions within the workplace may quietly quit. They may eat lunch alone or avoid team events.”

In other words, merely tolerating gatherings isn’t proof of soft quitting. For example, shy people often avoid socializing with coworkers, but that isn’t evidence they are quietly quitting. 

Yet, if some workers repeatedly skip joint activities, this can be a sign of quiet quitting.

Sign #2: Taking longer to do anything work-related

Deadlines are among the first victims of quietly quitting. In fact, quiet quitters sometimes neglect their job duties to the extent that they always need a few extra days to complete their tasks.

Deadlines are just one piece of the puzzle. Here are some other silent quitting indicators, according to Chris Wong, executive coach and consultant:

“Common signs of quiet quitting are taking longer to complete tasks, taking longer to reply to emails/voicemails, increased absences.”

When employees consistently need more time to get a task done, managers should start an open conversation on why that is. If the manager keeps on noticing the same issues with failing to meet due dates, then a thorough analysis is necessary to establish the level of employee motivation.

Also, employees may consistently forget to get routine tasks done — tasks they had previously completed diligently. 

Sign #3: Employee disengagement

When employees quietly quit, they often only focus on their work. In other words, quiet quitters tend to avoid taking part in coworkers’ projects. Likewise, volunteering isn’t an option.

In a nutshell, a distinctive sign of quiet quitting is — chronic disengagement.

General recruiter at Jooble, Victoria Potapenko, thinks that employee disengagement takes many forms:

“An employee experiencing quiet quitting no longer strives to excel, assist colleagues, or prove themselves as a valuable team member. Additionally, they do not converse with their manager about their future career ambitions.”

Even more specifically, not speaking up during team meetings could be a sign of quiet quitting. 

Founder of The New Workforce we referenced earlier, Kraig Kleeman, thinks that managers can notice subtle cues in whether the employee has lost interest in their work:

“A decrease in asking questions or seeking clarification on tasks can indicate that an employee has lost interest in their work. They may go through the motions without trying to understand the bigger picture.”

Sign #4: Taking an unusual number of sick days

When an employee softly quits, they sometimes take an unreasonable amount of sick days. In turn, this results in employee absenteeism — the habitual absence from work. 

Simply put, an employee may be dishonest about how many sick days they actually need to recover — over and over again.

Working at CAKE.com, Human Resources Generalist Ena Popović believes that a manager can tell if an employee is misusing their sick days:

“One way is that the worker is taking sick leave far more often than the rest of their colleagues. In fact, they may be avoiding to speak about their current health. Also, a continued poor quality in work produced — such as decreased productivity and proactivity — before taking sick leave can be a telling sign.”

But things don’t end here. Ena Popović thinks that managing emotions is equally vital: 

“Emotional distancing from work and a lack of motivation to acquire new knowledge and skills can also constitute red flags.” 

Quiet quitting examples

Examples are the best way to learn about anything. Go figure, right?!

In this segment, we’ll explore a few real-life scenarios of quiet quitting. 

Let’s start with how employees may distance themselves from volunteering opportunities.

Example #1: Employee neglects to volunteer for new tasks

Part of every modern-age job is to occasionally help out a coworker by volunteering to do a tiny task here and there. It’s what everyone expects. 

Yet, quiet quitting takes that sense of companionship away.

Productivity coach Alexis Haselberger emphasizes that not volunteering for extra activities at the office may be a good example of quiet quitting: 

“An example of this may be an employee who works hard during work hours and gets all their deliverables completed on time, but who isn’t volunteering for extra labor.”

Still, teamwork is often at odds with this way of operating at work. In fact, team members may occasionally need their coworkers to lend them a hand on extra tasks. And this inability to contribute to the team by doing an additional assignment here and there constitutes one of the biggest drawbacks of quiet quitting.

Example #2: Employee doesn’t show dedication to work

Recruitment expert Travis Lindemoen, who also runs the accompanying nexus IT group, talks about the downward spiral of quiet quitting:

“A few years back, I was working on a project with a colleague, let’s call him Mike. At first, Mike was enthusiastic and full of ideas, but over time, he started becoming quieter in meetings, missing deadlines, and seemed disengaged. One day, I asked him how things were going, and he confessed that he was feeling overwhelmed and undervalued, but he didn’t want to make a fuss.”

Travis Lindemoen stresses this as a classic example of quiet quitting. And he isn’t alone.

Executive coach Chris Wong believes that the failure to bring up new ideas can be a solid illustration of quietly quitting:

“A simple example of quiet quitting is an employee who previously brought up new ideas or willingness to improve processes but suddenly does not bring any new ideas and/or takes longer to complete tasks as they don’t have the same sense of urgency or desire to complete work.”

Example #3: Employee fails to show enthusiasm

Enthusiasm isn’t required to do your job well. Yet, it can be a useful trait as it motivates employees to perform better. 

To that effect, expert Kraig Kleeman believes that the shift from proactive to passive employee happens in a flash:

“A simple, rather blatant example of quiet quitting could be an employee who used to be proactive in seeking out new projects and challenges but has recently become passive, only doing what is explicitly assigned to them. They no longer volunteer for extra tasks or contribute innovative ideas to improve processes, showing a lack of enthusiasm for their role.”

Whatever the signs and examples of quiet quitting, most managers want to understand how to prevent quiet quitting from ever happening. 

We’re diving deep into this topic next.

How to prevent quiet quitting

As with any other workplace phenomenon, you can nip quiet quitting in the bud with a few decisive actions. 

But how? 

We picked the brains of a few experts to learn exactly that.

And yes — here you’ll find advice on what employers and employees can do to help.

Tip #1: Eliminate unnecessary tasks 

The first one sounds like common sense — because it is. Likewise, this piece of advice is mostly meant for employers. But, how employers implement this suggestion directly impacts the performance and workload of their employees.

Leadership coach Ayanna E. Jackson believes that you can always trim some unnecessary tasks:

“Take a moment to assess: What should we stop? What doesn’t need to continue? What do we need to do less of? Many times leadership is in perpetual ‘add mode’ to the complete detriment of their employees. We don’t stop to think: What wasn’t successful that we need to stop? Where are we short-staffed and the staff that remains is doing work that doesn’t need to be done?” 

Ayanna E. Jackson continues by saying that we should be wise about choosing our priorities:

“Everything isn’t important or a priority, but we’re so focused on productivity, especially in light of remote work, that we end up with employees doing the bare minimum – quiet quitting – by nature of our own work practices.”

Likewise, executive coach Chris Wong thinks that managerial staff should carve out time to revisit cumbersome procedures:

“A simple example of quiet quitting is an employee who previously brought up new ideas or willingness to improve processes but suddenly does not bring any new ideas and/or takes longer to complete tasks as they don’t have the same sense of urgency or desire to complete work.”

If done correctly, this employer behavior can benefit the employee, freeing up more mental energy and time to complete other mission-critical tasks. In other words, the number of quiet quitters in the organization is likely to drop when employers understand that revisiting employee workloads helps everyone become more productive.

Tip #2: Pay workers what they deserve

According to a 2023 analysis by ADP Research Institute, 42% of female and 46% of male respondents claim they are underpaid. That’s a striking statistic, suggesting that employers need to up their pay game to increase worker satisfaction.

Managing director of Marketing Signals, Gareth Hoyle, says that employers need to show their staff that they are appreciated and valued:

“I know we’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. But if your workers are on low pay and working really hard, they may want to leave to find better pay elsewhere. If you’ve noticed a decline in work from your workers, you could implement a bonus scheme so that workers receive points each time they do something well, which can equate to money.”

When managers notice top-performing workers, they should consider giving them a raise. In turn, the employee will feel more satisfied and the overall productivity of the team will likely increase. And yet, it’s not all about money — and that’s up next.

Tip #3: Recognize and praise employees

To build trust and boost morale, managers should regularly praise and reward employees who’ve done their job well. 

In line with that, general recruiter at Jooble, Victoria Potapenko, believes that recognition doesn’t always equate to more money:

“It’s not always about monetary incentives. Sometimes, employees need recognition, acknowledgment of their contributions, and positive feedback from their managers. During meetings with employees, go beyond discussing work-related matters and take the time to thank them for their efforts and praise their achievements.”

Speaking of praise, recruitment expert Travis Lindemoen brings home the point on the power of a simple sign of gratitude:

“Recognize and appreciate your team’s efforts. Sometimes, quiet quitting happens when people feel undervalued. A simple ‘thank you’ or acknowledging their hard work can go a long way in boosting morale and preventing quiet quitting.”

But, it’s hard to establish who has put in extra effort.

On that front, apps like Clockify show you how each team member contributes to the team by looking at who is more efficient at completing tasks. As a result, this may be a signal for management to provide positive feedback and praise the employee in question.

For example, the assignments report in Clockify helps you compare scheduled versus tracked time to understand timekeeping trends better.

What’s more, the assignments report lets users:

• See the progress for multiple projects of one client, and
• Compare between the progress pace of different teams and individual employees.

By carefully learning which employees perform better than others, managers can easily decide who to openly praise. Apart from that, management can also make corresponding decisions on raises and bonuses for top-performing workers.

Tip #4: Conduct regular check-ins

Healthy communication between supervisors and employees always goes a long way.

For example, a survey by SHRM suggests that regular check-ins help calm anxiety among employees.

Kraig Kleeman from The New Workforce is convinced that frequent meetings with supervisors — or HR staff — can yield immense benefits:

“Schedule one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss their workload, challenges, and career aspirations. This provides a platform for them to voice any concerns or frustrations and allows you to address issues proactively.”

In fact, these meetings should take place once per week and last for about 15-30 minutes. These regular check-ins can serve as an outlet for the manager and employee to discuss:

• Recent accomplishments and issues,
• Career development, 
• Ideas and plans, and even
• Personal situations of the employee (if the employee thinks it’s appropriate). 

Tip #5: Be open and honest to your coworkers

This one applies to employees and employers alike. 

According to a report by Michigan State University, “transparent communication is the act of both good and bad information being shared upward, downward, and laterally in a way that allows all to see the why behind the words.”

However, managing director Gareth Hoyle thinks that not every single person will be candid in their day-to-day communications:

“Not everyone will be open and honest with you through fear of repercussions. Try creating a culture where workers feel happy to come to you or another manager with any issues so that they can be resolved quickly without turning into resentment.”

To wrap up, general recruiter Victoria Potapenko thinks that open and honest communication is the cornerstone for resolving problems:

“Engage in clear and frequent communication with your employees. Discuss their concerns openly and express your willingness to support and assist in task distribution. Silent dismissal often evolves from burnout issues.”

In other words, quiet quitting also arises when employers don’t offer support to their employees and engage in clear communication with them. You can easily avoid such situations — by keeping communication transparent. 

Tip #6: Grant time for career development

A 2023 survey by the American Psychological Association suggests that the vast majority of US employees (91%) think it’s quite important to work at a job with consistent growth opportunities. 

No surprise there!

But what is surprising is the survey’s finding that a mere 47% of employers offer those  opportunities.

Leadership coach Ayanna E. Jackson presses on the point that employers need to provide the space for employees to develop themselves:

“Employees are constantly asking for career development, promotions, skill building. We love stretch assignments. What don’t we love? Giving time to do it. Leadership has to actually give employees the time and space to learn and grow. This means taking 1-2 hours a week to attend the training – uninterrupted.”

If you want to better track how your coworkers are progressing on their career development path, we advise using a time tracking system. 

For example, Clockify’s scheduling feature allows you to create milestones. You can use this functionality to track how your employees are advancing in their professional development.

Apart from that, you can choose the amount of time you think workers need to complete a professional development goal. That way, employers and employees can learn how much time they need approximately to learn a certain skill or adopt new knowledge relevant to their job.

Tip #7: Send employee engagement surveys

Occasionally, managers have to get some hard-hitting advice from their direct reports.

Every month or so, supervisors and other managerial staff can send out surveys to test if widespread disengagement is ravaging their workforce. Such surveys typically include questions on:

• Job satisfaction,
• Employee commitment and motivation,
• Company fit, 
• Sense of purpose in the workplace, and others.

To ask these questions regularly means to make educated guesses about what employees are up to.

But don’t take our word for it. 

HR consultant at face2faceHR, Rachel Weaven, thinks that employee engagement surveys can be a handy tool to check the pulse of the workforce:

“When companies are busy making products and keeping customers happy, then a ‘quiet’ employee can often be overlooked, which is where engagement surveys come into play. Whilst some people don’t fill them in, there is a chance as a business you can monitor the morale and culture of the company through these.”

Similarly, the director of Kincentric — a company that focuses on employee experience and culture — Kamela Lupino, believes that it’s not just employees who benefit from employee engagement surveys:

“Organizations reap full benefits when they listen to employees (and act on what they hear). It’s ultimately up to executives to drive a consistent employee experience that creates an engaged workforce.”

Tip #8: Understand sick leave patterns

According to the US Bureau of Labor, almost 8,000,000 employees took sick leave in January 2022 alone. Yet, not all sick days are spent on recovering from an illness — some employees abuse their sick leave and spend that time on other things. 

If one employee takes sick days more often than others, this can signal to the manager that the employee is lacking in motivation — or quietly quitting.

So, what can you do about it?

For starters, you can use a time tracking software to create a sick leave policy. With Clockify’s PTO and vacation tracker, you’ll be able to set an exact number of days employees can use for sick leave (and other types of leave, too). 

Then, simply keep track of the number of sick days an employee takes — and then liken it to others in the company.

Likewise, a sound time tracking system lets you compare accrued days versus used days. That way, managers can tell if somebody is misusing their time off.

Frequently asked questions about quiet quitting

Next, we’ll explore a few frequently asked questions about quiet quitting, including the ones on:

• Triggers of quiet quitting,
• Intentions behind quiet quitting,
• Health concerns with regard to quiet quitting, and more.

Let’s get into each of these.

What triggers quiet quitting?

The single biggest trigger for soft quitting is job dissatisfaction. 

But that’s just one big umbrella term that means many things. 

Namely, a concrete trigger is a lack of employee recognition. In fact, such managerial behavior sets the stage for quiet quitting. When employees feel overworked and undervalued, they are more likely to softly quit their jobs.

Similarly, when people lack flexibility in the workplace, they tend to slowly incline towards the so-called quiet quitting period (more on that later).

Another powerful trigger for quiet quitting is when employers disregard the need of their employees to focus on:

• Travel,
• Family, 
• Passion projects, and
• Other areas outside of work.

On the other hand, when employees don’t feel trapped in their job role, they are more likely to contribute to their company’s bottom line.

Is quiet quitting intentional?

Quiet quitting is the employee’s natural and deliberate response to toxic work situations and low incentives.

Strategic HR advisor and CHRO at Plotline Leadership, Tim Toterhi, thinks that quiet quitting is definitely a willful decision to act in certain ways: 

“Quiet quitting is the act of doing exactly what you were hired to do as promised — no more, no less. It’s a matter of opportunity cost. An employee can work more for free and hope for an eventual reward. Or they can devote that extra time to family, friends, hobbies, or a side hustle that actually pays.”

Is quiet quitting lazy?

When the recent pandemic triggered quiet quitting among those below 35 — Millennials and Generation Z — elderly workers thought of it as mere laziness. Yet, there’s more to it than meets the eye. 

In fact, a 2023 research article on reimagining quiet quitting suggests that quiet quitting was “an enhanced way of dealing with job stress, disengagement, and burnout.”

So, it would be unfair to suggest that quiet quitting is about younger generations being lazy. In contrast, quiet quitting is a new workplace revolution that puts employees’ needs first. Of course, that’s not to say that there aren’t any lazy people slacking off at work — but they are not necessarily quiet quitters.

Is quiet quitting healthy?

Since quiet quitting entails doing the bare minimum at work, it’s a safe bet to assume that it also reduces stress and burnout. An antidote to hustle culture, quiet quitting can free up space in the day to spend time with family and friends — but also work on passion projects.

Still, whether quiet quitting is healthy really depends on the individual. For example, some employees may be quietly quitting due to a lack of meaning at work.

For instance, doing the bare minimum might suggest the employee has lost a sense of meaning at work. To that effect, an interesting 2023 HBR article pointed out that “meaningfulness is more important to us than any other aspect of our jobs — including pay and rewards. When we experience our work as meaningful, we’re more engaged, committed, and satisfied.”

However, a lack of meaning can negatively affect a person’s well-being. For example, a 2022 article in the MIT Sloan Management Review points out that a lack of meaning can create “feelings of discontent, emptiness, and sadness.”

So, yes, quiet quitting can be unhealthy if it promotes the loss of meaning at work.

What is the quiet quitting period?

Quiet quitters don’t become quiet quitters overnight. It happens over weeks or months of piling up dissatisfaction with various areas of work. 

But when quiet quitting starts, the end often isn’t in sight.

HR advisor Tim Toterhi, whom we mentioned earlier, is confident that quiet quitting doesn’t have a specific expiration date:

“There is no set period. Employees quietly quit as soon as they realize that many companies have devised HR processes to take advantage of employees. They hire you for a role and immediately expect you to do more than they pay you for. Check your job description. No doubt, you’ll see a convenient phrase listed in the responsibilities section — the old ‘other duties as assigned.’”

Similarly, HR consultant Rachel Weaven thinks that the quiet quitting period depends on the company culture:

“I don’t think there is a timescale when it comes to quiet quitting — it depends on the culture of the business. Signs to look out for will be staff disengaging from conversations to do with the business, sticking to their core hours, and maybe unwilling to do tasks that sit outside of their job descriptions.”

Sum-up: Quiet quitting happens when employees feel unrecognized and non-incentivized 

Quiet quitting is a loaded term. Yet, that doesn’t mean that quiet quitters are as quiet as they used to be. In fact, they are increasingly voicing their concerns.

And for good reason.

In this article on quiet quitting, we covered the signs and examples of quiet quitters, including:

• Isolation,
• Minimal questions,
• Less stress and burnout,
• General disengagement, and
• Taking longer to do anything work-related.

But let’s also recap a few words of advice from the experts we spoke to. Most of them seem to think that managers should:

• Pay workers fairly,
• Recognize their employees consistently,
• Conduct regular check-ins, 
• Grant time for career development, and
• Remove unnecessary tasks and workloads.

Finally, always keep in mind that work productivity is a 2-way street. In other words, the employee and the employer have to invest efforts to make things work. Both sides will be better off for it — we promise!

Got any tips, suggestions, or questions on quiet quitting? Drop us an email at blogfeedback@clockify.me for a chance to have your questions answered or your suggestions and tips featured in future updates of the post. Also, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone who might benefit from reading it.

Whether you’re just starting your own manufacturing business or are looking to venture into the field of cost accounting, understanding manufacturing costs and knowing how to accurately calculate them is crucial for success. 

In this comprehensive guide, we will explain what manufacturing costs are and delve into: 

• The different types of manufacturing costs,
• The step-by-step process of calculating them,
• Examples of manufacturing costs, and
• The benefits of calculating manufacturing costs.

Let’s get started.

What are manufacturing costs?

Manufacturing costs, also called product costs, are the expenses a company incurs in the process of manufacturing products.

Manufacturing costs include:

• Direct costs and 
• Indirect costs. 

Accurate cost calculation helps companies identify the processes or materials that are driving up manufacturing costs and determine the right pricing of products — the keys to remaining profitable.

That’s not all.

According to McKinsey’s research, cutting down manufacturing costs, in addition to boosting productivity, is the key for manufacturing companies to remain competitive.

Now, let’s explore both types of costs in more detail.

What are direct manufacturing costs?

Direct manufacturing costs are expenses that can be attributed directly to the production of a specific product. They include costs related to: 

• Direct materials: these are the tangible inputs (or raw materials) used in the manufacturing process. For instance, the cost of the screen and electronic components would be considered direct material costs if these materials are readily traceable to the finished product (for example, glass used to make light bulbs). 
• Direct labor: this involves the wages and benefits paid to workers who are directly involved in assembling or creating the product, such as welders, assemblers, and machine operators. For example, the wages of assembly line workers working on the smartphone production line fall under direct labor costs. In addition to basic wages, direct labor costs will also include overtime pay, payroll taxes, and benefits (health insurance, workers’ compensation, retirement plans, and contributions to social security or pension funds).
• Expenses directly linked to the manufacturing process or the manufactured product: costs associated with the use of utilities like electricity, water, and natural gas that are directly tied to the production process also qualify as direct costs. 

What other costs should you include when computing the cost of direct materials? 

According to Zaher Dehni, EA-certified tax professional at Taxfully, you will also need to consider:

• The procurement price of raw materials (the cost involved in finding suppliers, storing raw materials, and so on),
• The cost of shipping the raw materials to the production site, and 
• Any pertinent duties (a form of tax) associated with importing raw materials.

When you add up all these direct costs, you get the Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS), a term used in accounting when preparing the company’s financial statement.

What are indirect manufacturing costs?

Indirect manufacturing costs include all other expenses incurred in manufacturing a product except direct expenses.

These indirect costs, also called factory or manufacturing overheads, include costs related to property tax, insurance, maintenance, and other indirect operations that support the production process.

According to a study conducted by McKinsey, these indirect costs account for 8% to 12% of the overall manufacturing costs.

Now that you are familiar with the components that constitute manufacturing costs, let’s move on to the process of calculating these expenses.

How to calculate total manufacturing cost?

Calculating the total manufacturing cost involves calculating the costs of:

• Direct materials,
• Direct labor,
• Other direct expenses, and
• Factory overheads.

Here is the simple formula to calculate the overall manufacturing cost:

Manufacturing cost = the cost of direct materials + direct labor + other direct expenses + factory overhead (manufacturing overheads)

Let’s go through all the steps for calculating total manufacturing costs. 

Step #1: Calculate the cost of direct materials

To calculate the cost of direct materials you need to know the cost of inventory. Let’s see how to find out the value of inventory.

First, collect cost information. Start by making a list of all the direct materials that are used to make the specific product and obtain the cost information for the direct materials you have identified. 

Next, calculate the value of the existing inventory if the manufacturing company already has a stock of materials from a previous period.

Then, add up the cost of new inventory — this is the cost of raw materials you purchase to manufacture the product.

Now, add the value of existing inventory to the cost of purchasing new inventory to calculate the cost of direct materials. 

From this, subtract the remaining inventory after manufacturing the product. This gives you the value of direct materials used, according to M.C. Shukla, the author of Cost Accounting: Texts And Problems.

Step #2: Compute the cost of direct labor

To calculate the direct labor cost, you will need to know the following:

• The total number of employees working on the production line,
• The total number of hours each employee works, and
• The hourly rate of labor.

To obtain these details, you can refer to the company’s employment records that has a list of all the employees and their hourly rates. 

Tracking the number of hours each employee works on the production line can be tricky. This is where a manufacturing time tracking app, such as Clockify, comes in handy. 

With Clockify, workers can quickly clock in and clock out.

As employees use Clockify to clock in and out, employers gain insights into the total number of hours each employee worked on each production line. You can also see the total number of hours worked by the entire team.

Once you know the number of hours worked by employees, you can calculate the cost of direct labor with this formula:

Direct labor = Hourly labor rate / the total number of hours worked on the production line by all employees

For instance, let’s say the hourly rate a manufacturing company pays to its employees is $30.

Here are the number of hours each worker worked:

• Worker 1— 6 hours
• Worker 2 — 7 hours
• Worker 3 — 9 hours

So, the direct labor cost per hour is:

$30 (hourly labor rate) / 22 (total number of hours worked) = $1.36

While this is a simplified view of direct labor calculation, accountants also include the benefits, overtime pay, training costs, and payroll taxes when calculating the hourly rate.

Step #3: Add up the other direct expenses

The next step is to calculate the costs of utilities (electricity, water, or gas) that are directly used in the manufacturing process (for example, fuel used to operate the production equipment).

Step #4: Calculate the indirect costs (manufacturing overheads)

To calculate the indirect manufacturing costs you first need to identify all the indirect costs associated with the manufacturing process. 

These costs typically fall into categories such as: 

• Rent, 
• Utilities, 
• Depreciation, 
• Maintenance, 
• Supplies, 
• Insurance, and 
• Indirect labor (e.g., supervisors and quality control staff).

Once you identify the indirect costs, get detailed expense data for each of these overhead cost categories for a specific period, such as a month or a year. You can track expenses by looking at your invoices, receipts, and records of all expenditures related to manufacturing overhead.

Be sure to allocate overhead costs to the respective cost centers (specific departments, processes, or machines in the manufacturing facility that contribute to the manufacturing costs). 

For example, you can allocate depreciation costs of refrigerators to the department that uses them. 

Here is the breakdown of overhead costs of company Z that makes smartphones:  

Calculating the overhead cost for manufacturing one unit

While the calculation above gives you the total overhead costs, you will need to calculate the overhead cost for manufacturing one unit by using this formula:

Overhead cost of manufacturing one unit = Total overhead cost / number of units manufactured

For instance, if company Z makes 20,000 smartphones, the overhead cost (total indirect expenses) of manufacturing one smartphone:

$59,000 / 20,000 = $2.95

Knowing the overhead cost per unit is helpful in understanding what the manufacturing overhead costs will be if the company plans to double their production (in other words, make 40,000 smartphones) in the future, for instance.

Step #5: Calculate the total manufacturing cost

The last step is to calculate the total manufacturing cost by adding up all the above components: 

• Direct labor, 
• Direct materials, 
• Other direct expenses, and 
• Factory overheads.

You will do that by using the total manufacturing cost formula we mentioned above:

Total manufacturing cost = Direct labor + direct materials + other direct expenses + manufacturing overheads

If this process of calculation looks complex, fret not. 

According to Francis Fabrizi, AATQB (The Association of Accounting Technicians Qualified Bookkeeper) at Keirstone Limited, there are specific tools that can help you streamline the calculation process:

“Some of the most popular options include:

• “Manufacturing ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems that provide a comprehensive set of tools for managing all aspects of the manufacturing process, 
• Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) that offer real-time data on the manufacturing process, and 
• Cloud-based cost accounting software which is a cost-effective way to track and manage manufacturing costs.”

The challenges of calculating manufacturing costs

Fabrizi also talked about the common challenges manufacturers face when calculating the costs of production. In his experience, the most common challenges are a lack of accurate data and the complexity of costing methods.

“Lack of accurate data as inaccurate data can lead to incorrect cost calculations, which can have a negative impact on the bottom line. Some costing methods are more complex than others which can prevent them from tracking and managing costs, making it difficult to get a clear picture of all of the costs involved in the manufacturing process.”

Fluctuation of costs is yet another challenge that makes it harder to calculate manufacturing costs accurately, according to Fabrizi.

What are examples of manufacturing costs?

Manufacturing costs are typically grouped under three categories:

• Direct materials, 
• Direct labor, and 
• Manufacturing overhead. 

Let’s look at them in more detail.

Example #1: Direct materials 

Here are some examples of direct materials that contribute to manufacturing costs:

• Raw materials: these are the materials used in the production process. Raw materials become part of the finished product, such as wood used to make furniture, steel to manufacture appliances, or plastic used to make toys.
• Components: the cost of the individual components and semi-finished goods that are assembled to create the final product. For example, some car manufacturers buy individual components, such as car engines from other companies and assemble them. Semi-finished goods are those that have undergone some initial manufacturing steps but are not considered final products. An example is the fabric that has been cut and partially sewn into garment pieces but is not a complete piece of clothing yet.
• Packaging materials: the cost of materials used for packaging the finished product, such as boxes, labels, and other packaging materials.

Example #2: Direct labor  

Direct labor costs include the wages and benefits paid to employees directly involved in the production process of goods or products. 

Here are some examples of the different types of employees whose wages and benefits come under the category of direct labor costs:

• Assembly line workers: these are the employees who work on assembly lines, putting together various components to create the final product. For example, in an automobile manufacturing plant, assembly line workers are responsible for assembling different parts of a car.
• Machine operators: workers who operate machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing process. For instance, in a textile factory, machine operators oversee the operation of weaving machines or looms.
• Welders: skilled workers responsible for joining metal parts together through welding processes.
• Painters and finishers: workers responsible for applying paint, coatings, or finishes to products, such as furniture or metal components.
• Electricians and technicians: skilled technicians who install, maintain, and repair electrical systems and equipment used in manufacturing processes.

Example #3: Other direct costs

These are the expenses that are directly tied to the production of goods but may not fall into the categories of direct materials or direct labor. Here are some examples of other direct costs in manufacturing: 

• Energy costs: these include the costs of electricity, natural gas, and other forms of energy used to power machinery and equipment during the manufacturing process. For example, the electricity used to run machines in a steel mill.
• Tooling and setup costs: costs related to the setup of machinery and equipment for specific production runs, including the cost of tooling, fixtures, and molds.
• Subcontractor costs: manufacturing companies often outsource certain aspects of production or certain components to other companies. The fees paid to these subcontractors are examples of direct manufacturing costs. For example, an automotive manufacturer can outsource the production of car seats to another company.

Example #4: Indirect manufacturing costs (factory overheads)

Here are some examples of indirect manufacturing costs:

• Factory rent: the cost of renting the manufacturing facility where production takes place is an example of an indirect manufacturing cost.
• Utilities: expenses related to electricity, water, heating, and cooling used in the administrative office are considered indirect manufacturing costs.
• Depreciation: the reduction in value of manufacturing equipment over time is a form of indirect manufacturing cost.
• Taxes: indirect manufacturing costs will include the taxes that companies pay on the commercial property they use for manufacturing. Taxes will also apply to any equipment, machinery, computers, furniture, and tools used to manufacture the product.
• Insurance: manufacturers need to buy several types of insurance policies to protect themselves from risks, such as property damage, employee accidents or injuries, equipment breakdown, customer liability, and natural disasters.
• Fuel: the cost of fuel used in office cars or other forms of transportation is also counted as indirect cost.
• Indirect labor: a manufacturing unit typically involves many employees who are not directly involved in the manufacturing process but support the process indirectly. The wages paid to these employees will also come under factory overheads. Examples include supervisors, administrators, accountants, and human resources. 
• Indirect operations: there are many activities that do not directly involve physically transforming raw materials into the finished products but support the production process. Examples include maintenance, quality control, supply chain management, research and development, and so on. 

What are the benefits of calculating manufacturing cost?

According to the book Manufacturing Cost Estimating, the benefits of calculating the costs of manufacturing range from guiding investment decisions to cost control. Let’s take a closer look at these benefits.

Benefit #1: Assists in cost control 

Cost control, according to Fabrizi, is one of the top benefits of calculating manufacturing costs. 

“By tracking and monitoring costs, manufacturers can stay on top of their costs and avoid unexpected expenses.”

By calculating manufacturing costs, manufacturers can better understand the elements that are driving up costs while identifying the most economical way to manufacture a product.

For instance, if some raw materials are driving up costs, manufacturers can negotiate with other suppliers who may be willing to supply these materials at a lower cost.

Here’s an interesting case study on how manufacturing cost analysis helped a steel manufacturing company save costs. 

The company engaged a consulting firm to help them find out what factors were driving up manufacturing costs. By looking at the historic data on employee timesheets and purchasing costs, the firm was able to understand the areas that were increasing the total manufacturing costs. 

The consulting firm was also able to re-negotiate the manufacturing company’s contracts with poor-performing suppliers.

As a result, the steel manufacturing company was able to achieve a 10% reduction in manufacturing costs and save €1 million (approximately $1.7 million) annually.

Benefit #2: Helps make informed pricing strategies to stay competitive

By calculating manufacturing costs, companies can clearly understand the true cost of making a product. Based on this information, the company’s management can add a markup to determine competitive selling prices for their products.

For instance, Ford Motor Company has reduced the price of F-150 Lightning, its electric car, by $10,000. The company has been able to do so by consistently working on improving the efficiency of production and lowering manufacturing costs. For that purpose, the company used sensors to collect and analyze the cost of materials in real time to see how to optimize the costs.

As you can see, by collecting cost data and calculating it accurately, businesses can optimize cost management and set the right price for their products to gain a competitive advantage.

Benefit #3: Assess the profitability of a product

Calculating manufacturing costs helps assess whether producing the product is going to be profitable for the company given the existing pricing strategy.

According to a study titled The Impact of Cost Control on Manufacturing Industries’ Profitability, businesses can boost their profitability by controlling the costs related to:

• Labor, 
• Materials, and
• Overheads.

Manufacturing cost calculation gives an accurate view of the costs allowing companies to eliminate irrelevant costs and optimize resource utilization to boost profitability.

Benefit #4: Assists in “make or buy” decisions

With a breakup of all the costs of manufacturing, management can decide whether it is more profitable to purchase certain parts or materials from a vendor or manufacture them in-house.

As an illustration, let’s look at the findings of a case study titled Saving the Company with Contract Manufacturing. 

A manufacturing company initially purchased individual components from different vendors and assembled them in-house. As the company decided to assemble the components themselves, they found that the costs of managing the assembly line and the transportation were increasing significantly.

As a result, the company decided to outsource production to a contract manufacturing company (a company that enters into a contract with the manufacturer to make certain components) instead of assembling components in-house. This resulted in a 30% reduction in manufacturing costs.

The key takeaway of this case study is that understanding the fluctuations in manufacturing costs can empower companies to make informed and timely choices between outsourcing and in-house production. These informed decisions help in maximizing productivity and profitability.

Benefit #5: Guides investment decisions 

Manufacturers can compare the costs of making a product using different manufacturing processes. This helps them understand the most efficient process and the investment they need to make for the selected process.

For instance, if the manufacturing costs are too high, these costs can create a dent in the company’s profit. In this case, the management can decide to stop the production of some goods and invest in developing new ones that have a lower cost of production.

FAQs about manufacturing costs

Have more questions on manufacturing costs? We’re here to help. Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) and answers that address key concepts related to manufacturing costs.

What are material costs in manufacturing?

Material costs are the costs of raw materials used in manufacturing the product. These materials become part of the finished product.

What are manufacturing costs also known as?

Another commonly used term for manufacturing costs is product costs, which also refer to the costs of manufacturing a product.

Is manufacturing cost an asset?

Yes. Manufacturing costs are recorded as assets (or inventory) in the company’s balance sheet until the finished goods are sold. 

Wondering what assets and balance sheets mean?

A balance sheet is one of the financial statements that gives a view of the company’s financial position, while assets are the resources a company owns. These assets have value and the company can sell them to earn revenue.

As the manufacturing process involves raw materials and finished goods, all of these are considered assets. The materials that are yet to be assembled /processed and sold are considered work-in-process or work-in-progress (WIP) inventory. 

WIP inventory is the sum of the cost of labor, raw materials, and overhead costs involved in manufacturing the product. Francis Fabrizi explains that the goods that are waiting to be sold are recorded as assets and once they are sold, they are recorded as expenses:

“When a manufacturer begins the production process, the costs incurred to create the products are initially recorded as assets in the form of WIP inventory.  

When the finished products are sold, the manufacturing costs are no longer considered assets. Instead, they are transferred from the inventory account to the Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) account on the income statement.”

To sum up, finished goods that are not yet sold are considered assets.

What is manufacturing cost vs. non-manufacturing cost?

Manufacturing costs are directly associated with the production of goods. On the other hand, non-manufacturing costs are expenses incurred outside of the production process, such as: 

• Marketing, 
• Sales, and 
• Administrative expenses.

What factors are related to manufacturing costs?

Many factors can influence manufacturing costs, such as:

• Production volume,
• Labor costs,
• The skill level and efficiency of labor,
• Equipment efficiency,
• Raw material prices, and
• Overhead costs.

Conclusion: Take a step-by-step approach to calculating manufacturing costs

To sum up, manufacturing costs include a wide range of expenses, from direct materials and direct labor to indirect manufacturing costs.

These costs play a central role in determining product pricing, assessing profitability, and making strategic “make or buy” decisions. 

By diligently calculating and managing manufacturing costs, companies can enhance cost efficiency, maintain competitiveness, and improve their bottom line. 

We hope that the detailed explanations, examples, and FAQs provided here have shed light on the complexities of manufacturing costs and will serve as valuable resources for businesses in the manufacturing sector. 

What steps do you follow to calculate manufacturing costs? Feel free to share your insights with us at blogfeedback@clockify.me and we will feature them in our future posts. If you found our blog post informative, go ahead and share it with your coworkers, associates, and industry contacts.

With the businesses expanding, employers often use rotating shifts to tend to their customers’ needs at all times. Some of them also use rotating shifts because their business may require continuous production, for instance.

As its name says, a rotating shift involves employees working on schedules that change over a period of time. At times, they’ll be working the day shift, and other times, they’ll be working at night, for example.

To learn more about rotating shifts and how employers use them to operate 24/7 businesses, stay tuned because in this blog post, we’ll:

• Define what a rotating shift is,
• List some of the industries that use rotating shifts,
• Mention the most common types of rotating shift schedules,
• Suggest some tips on how to schedule rotational shift work, and
• Talk about the benefits and drawbacks of using a rotating shift schedule.

So, let’s start!

What is a rotating shift?

Rotating shifts are scheduled shifts that change or “rotate” over the course of time.

They may be of different lengths (generally 8-12 hours per shift) and may include:

• Day shift, 
• Evening shift, 
• Night shift, or 
• Weekends, depending on the business’ needs.

One of the main reasons businesses use rotating shifts is to provide better coverage for businesses, given that there is always someone available to keep the business running. Moreover, rotational shift work allows employees to have more flexibility in terms of their work schedules.

How does a rotating shift work?

A rotating shift schedule implies that employees take turns working on all shifts that are part of a certain shift system.

Let’s say you own a business, and you want to maintain business operations 24/7. So, you arrange a shift system for your employees that includes:

• A day shift, 
• An evening shift, and 
• An overnight shift.

For starters, you divide your employees into three groups where each group of employees works a different shift:

• The first group of employees works a day shift (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 
• The second group of employees works an evening shift (4 p.m. to midnight), and 
• The third group of employees works an overnight shift (from midnight to 8 a.m.).

The following table shows when exactly each group of employees works/doesn’t work:

With a rotating shift schedule, employee shifts may rotate on a:

• Daily basis: an employee may work the day shift, and then the next day they can change their shift and work the evening shift,
• Weekly basis: an employee works a day shift for a week, and the next week they can change their shift and work the evening shift that whole week, or
• Monthly basis: an employee may work a day shift for a month, and the next month they can change their shift and work the evening shift that whole month.

Rotating shift vs. fixed shift

The main difference between a rotating shift and a fixed shift is that when working a fixed shift, all employees have a consistent shift schedule. In other words, employees work specific hours and days each week.

Again, let’s say you divide your employees into three groups where each group of employees works a different shift (a day shift, an evening shift, and an overnight shift).

If you incorporate a fixed shift schedule into your business, this means that employees scheduled for the day shift can’t change their shift and work the evening shift the next day, for example.

Simply put, employees who work a fixed shift always work the same shift.

Still, fixed shift schedules do not provide much flexibility to employees as they always work the same hours, while with rotating shift schedules, employees have a chance to choose when they work.

What industries use rotating shifts?

Employers often use rotating shifts because the nature of their business requires employees to work 24/7. 

Such industries include:

• The healthcare industry,
• The manufacturing industry, 
• Emergency responders, 
• Military, 
• The hospitality industry, or 
• The transportation industry.

Let’s learn a little bit more about each of these industries.

Rotating shift industry #1: The healthcare industry

As they need their staff to be available for their patients 24 hours a day, hospitals and other healthcare facilities often use rotating shifts. They provide the necessary coverage in terms of staffing but also ensure that medical expertise is evenly distributed.

According to research on the impact of shift patterns on healthcare professions, rotating shifts are mainly used to “ensure the provision of high-quality patient care.” In other words, healthcare facilities use rotating shifts to allocate their staff in the most effective way, according to their patients’ needs.  

As another research on nurses’ experiences in rotating shift work also explains, rotating shifts are in fact unavoidable in the healthcare field, considering there are so many different patients all the time. 

Rotating shift industry #2: The manufacturing industry

According to research on the shift work practices in the United States, rotating shifts may be prevalent in industries with manufactured goods where those goods depend on “equipment or chemical reactions which cannot be started and stopped within the duration of a single shift.”

Since manufacturing industries usually involve continuous production, whether manual labor or machinery is used, employers who are part of such industries use rotating shifts to ensure their operations run non-stop.

By using rotating shifts, manufacturing companies can increase business productivity but also distribute shifts evenly among employees.

Rotating shift industry #3: Emergency responders

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, emergency responders are people who are “normally the first on the scene of an emergency.” 

They include people who work as:

• Firefighters, 
• Police officers, 
• 9-1-1 operators, 
• Paramedics, and others.

As emergencies such as fire, flood, or health emergencies cannot be predicted and require instant action, it’s important for emergency responders to work round the clock. This is one of the main reasons why they use rotating shift schedules.

Rotating shift industry #4: Military

The military incorporates rotating shifts for active duty service members and reserves to ensure that there’s always enough military personnel available. 

Moreover, according to an article published by the Air Mobility Command, having workers rotate shifts helps “raise a broader awareness of safety issues that affect the different shifts.” 

The said article also suggests that rotating shifts can help maintain “optimal job productivity” and allow workers to perform better by providing everyone with the same training opportunities.

Rotating shift industry #5: The hospitality industry

The hospitality industry includes various businesses such as hotels, restaurants, or event planning and catering services. Their goal is to provide customers with an enjoyable experience. Therefore, meeting customers’ needs at all times is vital.

That’s why hotels and restaurants, for example, often use rotating shifts as a way of ensuring there’s always a sufficient number of employees available to maintain high customer satisfaction.

Rotating shift industry #6: The transportation industry 

The transportation industry includes a wide range of services — from air, road, rail, and sea transport of people/goods to logistics firms that provide guidance for efficient transportation as well as storage of goods.

For example, some of the representatives of said industries are bus drivers and logistics operators who often work rotating shifts in order to be at their customers’ disposal at all hours. 

Types of rotating shifts (+ examples)

To explain rotating shifts in more detail, let’s look at some of the most common types of rotating shift schedules and their examples.

Type #1: The DuPont shift schedule

The DuPont schedule is a type of rotating shift schedule that consists of:

• 4 teams, 
• Two 12-hour shifts (both day and night), and
• A 4-week cycle. 

To be specific, each of the 4 teams works across two 12-hour shifts over a period of 28 days (4 weeks).

The 4-week cycle is divided into 4 weeks, and each week, employees follow a different shift pattern.

This is what the 4-week schedule for team #1 looks like.

Week #1: 

• Employees work 4 night shifts, and 
• Have 3 days off.

Week #2: 

• Employees work 3 day shifts, 
• Have 1 day off, and 
• Work 3 night shifts.

Week #3: 

• Employees have 3 days off, and 
• Work 4 day shifts.

Week #4: 

• Employees have 7 consecutive days off.

To understand the DuPont shift schedule better, look at the illustration below:

Keep in mind that even though there are 4 teams, not all of them start the week with the same shift pattern.

For example, while team #1 works 4 night shifts and then has 3 days off in the first week, team #2 starts the first week with 3 day shifts, has 1 day off, and ends the week with 3 night shifts. 

Although this type of schedule includes switching between day and night shifts, and the fact that shifts are 12 hours long, some employees prefer it because they get to enjoy a lengthy break at the end of each cycle (7 consecutive days off). 

Type #2: The Pitman shift schedule

The Pitman schedule includes:

• 4 teams, 
• 12-hour shifts, and
• A 2-week cycle.

There are two versions of this schedule:

• The Pitman fixed schedule, and
• The rotating Pitman schedule.

The Pitman fixed schedule

With the Pitman fixed schedule, 2 teams work only day shifts, while the other 2 teams work night shifts. 

For example, team #1 and team #3 always work the day shift, while team #2 and team #4 work the night shift.

To see how the Pitman fixed schedule works, take a look at the illustration below:

As we can see from the illustration above, team #1 (the day shift) has the following shift pattern: 

• Works 2 days,
• Has 2 days off,
• Works 3 days,
• Has 2 days off,
• Works 2 days, and
• Has 3 days off.

Team #2 follows the same shift pattern, but instead of the day shift, they work at night.

Meanwhile, the shift pattern for team #3 (the day shift) looks like this: 

• Has 2 days off,
• Works 2 days,
• Has 3 days off,
• Works 2 days,
• Has 2 days off, and
• Works 3 days.

Team #4 follows the same shift pattern as team #3, except they work at night.

The rotating Pitman schedule

On the other hand, the rotating Pitman schedule includes 4 teams that rotate between day and night shifts. In one cycle (first two weeks), one team works during the day, and in the next cycle (third and fourth week), the same team works at night. And, the team that worked at night in the first cycle will work the day shift in the next cycle.

Let’s explain this a bit further.

During the first week of a 2-week cycle, the first team works 2 day shifts, then has 2 days off followed by 3 day shifts. The same team starts the second week of a 2-week cycle with 2 days off, then they work 2 day shifts followed by 3 days off. 

In the next 2-week cycle, the same team will follow the same 2-2 3-2 2-3 pattern, but instead of the day shift, they work at night. 

Therefore, the shift schedule for the team #1 looks like this.

Week #1 and week #2 (a day shift): 

• Work 2 days, 
• Have 2 days off, 
• Work 3 days, 
• Have 2 days off, 
• Work 2 days, and 
• Have 3 days off.

Week #3 and week #4 (the night shift):

• Work 2 days, 
• Have 2 days off, 
• Work 3 days, 
• Have 2 days off, 
• Work 2 days, and
• Have 3 days off.

The following illustration shows the schedule for the first team:

The difference between the schedules for the first and second teams is that instead of the day shift, the second team starts working with the night shift.

The following is the schedule for the third team:

The third and fourth teams work on the first and second teams’ days off.

The Pitman schedule allows extended weekends every other week, which may impact employee motivation.

Type #3: The Southern swing schedule

The Southern swing schedule is a type of rotating shift schedule that involves:

• 4 teams,
• Three 8-hour shifts (day shift, swing shift, and night shift), and
• A 4-week cycle. 

To be specific, 4 teams work each shift in a 4-week cycle following a 7-2-7-2-7-3 work pattern.

In accordance with a 7-2-7-2-7-3 work pattern, each of the 4 teams works:

• 7 day shifts,
• Has 2 days off,
• Works 7 swing (day/night) shifts,
• Has 2 days off, 
• Works 7 night shifts, and
• Has 3 days off.

To understand the Southern swing schedule better, look at the illustration below:

Keep in mind that not all teams start the first week with the same shift pattern.

For example, while team #1 works 7 day shifts the first week, team #2 starts the first week with 2 days off and then ends the week with 5 swing shifts.

In regard to the swing shift we mentioned in the list above, this is a type of shift where employees, for example, start working later in the afternoon (e.g. 4 p.m.), work through the evening and end their shift late at night (e.g. midnight).

Although the Southern swing schedule allows employees to work shorter 8-hour shifts, some employees still find the Southern swing schedule difficult because they have to work 7 days in a row.

How best to schedule employees for rotating shifts

Creating a functional rotating shift schedule can be difficult, so we’ve put together some tips to help you schedule your employees for rotating shifts trouble-free.

Tip #1: Talk to your employees first

Before you start creating a rotating shift schedule, it’s a good idea to talk to your employees about which shifts they would prefer to work.

In search of some useful tips on the subject, we asked Jovana Kandic, VP of Customer Experience at CAKE.com, why she thinks being considerate is important when creating a work schedule. She told us that talking to employees about their preferences goes a long way toward creating a schedule that works for everyone.

“After all, these will be people who will rotate shifts, so it’s good to be familiar with their way of working and their preferences. Of course, there will always be different people who want different things, so the point here is not to fulfill everyone’s wishes, but to get an impression of how the team functions, whether it’s easier for them to change shifts on a weekly or monthly basis, how they cope with the third shift, etc.”

Asking your employees about their preferences can help you create a schedule that’ll be acceptable to the whole team, while giving them the opportunity to participate in the creation of the schedule itself.

Tip #2: Clearly determine the length and number of shifts

Another key step in creating a rotating shift schedule is determining the length and number of shifts you want to include in it.

Some common options for shift length include:

• 8-hour shift, 
• 10-hour shift, and
• 12-hour shift. 

The number of shifts you want to include in your schedule depends on how many shifts you need in order to cover the required hours. If you want your business to operate 24 hours a day, you may want to include, for example, three 8-hour shifts or two 12-hour shifts.

As Jovana also adds, determining shifts according to your business needs is crucial when creating a schedule:

“For example, if 24/7 coverage is required, first it is necessary to divide the day into shifts, decide when each shift starts and when it ends, and whether there are intermediate shifts or certain ‘overlapping’ shifts.”

When deciding how long the shifts will be, employers should also factor in employee work-life balance, if they want to reduce the risk of employee burnout.

Tip #3: Define the rules of rotation

To have a properly organized rotating shift schedule, you need to create one where employees can follow a set pattern and see how the shifts are distributed among them.

In this regard, our colleague Jovana also says that defining certain shift rotation rules helps in creating a clear schedule for employees:

“It’s important to define in which order the shifts are rotated, when shifts can be changed with a colleague, how many third shifts in a month or a certain period of time a person can have, how many times the same shift can be repeated in a row, and so on.”

Additionally, some shifts may require specific skills that only certain employees have, so you need to think about that too. 

For example, if there are two anesthesiologists working in a clinic, but there are several procedures that same week that require their expertise, the employer may want to schedule rotating shifts so that those two anesthesiologists are available at the required hours.

Tip #4: Share the schedule in advance

To give your employees enough time to plan their personal matters around their shifts, you need to share the shift schedule with them as soon as possible.

According to Jovana’s experience, it’s best to determine the exact date as the deadline for publishing the schedule:

“For example, we give it much earlier, like by the 15th of the month we release the schedule for the next month so that people can plan according to the shifts.”

Tip #5: Use scheduling software

To schedule rotating shifts even easier, you can use scheduling tools.

For example, employee scheduling software such as Clockify can help you streamline the scheduling process and also track your employees’ availability.

In Clockify, you can:

• Create shifts, 
• Schedule employees, and
• Check the capacity of your employees, and see who has too many hours assigned and who can take on more work.

Clockify’s scheduling software helps you monitor your team’s availability and make optimized schedules. You can see who’s working on what, who’s taken time off and when, and visualize everything on a timeline. 

Apart from being able to track your employees’ projects, in Clockify, you can customize working and non-working days per employee. This way you can know exactly who’s working the first, second, or third shifts this week.

Furthermore, with Clockify, you will be able to: 

• Define hours for a task/shift, 
• Choose a start time for a shift/task, or 
• Use the “repeat schedule every X weeks” option in case you want to set recurring schedules for your employees.

Tip #6: Revise shifts at least once a year

After you’ve been using a particular schedule for a while, you’ll be able to see all of its good points but also any potential problems or difficulties your employees have had with it.

Maybe everything is working well, and maybe something needs to be changed, and the best way to check that is to talk to the employees themselves.

Moreover, instead of waiting for employees to report problems first, it’s much better to take the initiative and set a date at least once a year for a group discussion. 

Jovana also agrees that setting time for a revision is a good strategy:

“If the team knows that there is a set time when the schedule is discussed, then they don’t have to stress about coming off as a complainer if they say there’s something they would like to change regarding the shifts. This way, they know when we revise it and have the opportunity to express their opinion then.”

Benefits of rotating shifts

In certain ways, rotating shifts can be beneficial to both employers and employees. We’ll mention some of these benefits in the text below.

Benefit #1: Rotating shifts ensure better customer experiences

From an employer’s perspective, one of the biggest benefits of rotating shifts is that their employees work round the clock and are able to meet customer demands at all times.

To get more insight on this topic, we reached out to Marshall Davis, President and Founder of Ascendley Marketing. As someone who has experience in managing small to medium-sized enterprises and a 24-hour coverage team, he thinks rotating shifts are necessary for a great customer experience:

“They provide 24/7 customer service coverage, an invaluable asset in the digital age. This setup facilitates a global reach by accommodating various time zones, thus increasing market share. Additionally, it allows for continuous workflows that maximize productivity.”

By providing 24/7 customer support, businesses put a high priority on their customers’ needs.

Benefit #2: Rotating shifts provide enhanced flexibility

By being able to change their shifts, employees have more flexibility regarding their work schedules. 

For example, employees who are parents may want to work more day shifts because it allows them to coordinate their schedule with their children’s school hours. This gives them more time to spend with their children.

With rotating shifts, employees can organize their time better and plan their personal matters accordingly.

Benefit #3: Rotating shifts allow employers to reduce labor costs

Rotating shifts help businesses cover more hours with fewer employees. 

Instead of covering specific shifts by having employees work overtime, employers can allocate the workload among employees and thus reduce overtime costs.

Drawbacks of rotating shifts

While rotating shifts bring certain benefits, this type of work schedule has its downsides too.

Drawback #1: Rotating shifts can have a negative impact on employee health

According to an article on the effects of shift work on employees’ lives, health-related problems are one of the main drawbacks of shift work as rotational shift work can disrupt circadian rhythms. 

Since circadian rhythms are based on “physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle,” constant switching between day and night shifts can interrupt natural processes such as releasing hormones that make us feel awake, sleepy, or hungry. As a result, changing shifts can force these processes to occur at times when the body is not genetically programmed or environmentally conditioned for that.

For example, when working night shifts, employees have to be awake during the night when they’re supposed to be asleep, which can be difficult for them to adjust to.

Marshal Davis also agrees that rotating shifts can put a strain on employee well-being:

“Inconsistent scheduling disrupts the body clock, which can lead to long-term health concerns.

Moreover, rotating shifts not only affect the physical health but also the work-life balance of employees.”

Drawback #2: Rotating shifts can be disruptive to employees’ lives

As rotating shifts imply that employees change shifts from week to week or month to month, this type of inconsistency can interfere with employees’ personal lives in terms of their routines.

For example, someone may be on a special diet and have to eat certain foods at certain times. This type of routine can be difficult to follow when working rotating shifts.

Moreover, some employees find certain stability in working fixed shifts, for example, and feel that switching to other shifts compromises that stability. 

Drawback #3: Rotating shifts can cause fluctuation in employees’ incomes

For most employees, having a predictable income is very important, and this is not always the case with rotating shifts. 

As employees who work rotating shifts may not always work the same number of hours, it can cause fluctuations in their incomes, especially for hourly employees.

In addition, not all shifts are always equally paid — e.g. night shifts are sometimes paid more than day shifts. This can also cause employees’ income to fluctuate, as it depends on the number and type of shifts they work during a given period.

Frequently asked questions about rotating shifts

If we’ve piqued your interest and now you want to know even more about rotating shifts, check out these frequently asked questions we’ve put together for you.

Are rotating shifts unhealthy?

To be straightforward — yes, rotating shifts can be unhealthy.

For instance, healthcare workers often work rotating shifts and thus experience various consequences — from poor sleep quality to increased stress.

According to research on the impact of rotating shifts on lifestyle and perceived stress among nurses, rotating shifts were associated with increased stress compared to fixed shifts. Also, fixed-shift nurses had longer sleep time compared to rotating-shift nurses.

As another research on the correlation between rotating shifts and the well-being of nurses further suggests, rotating shifts can also lead to emotional distress and increased fatigue.

However, with certain hacks such as packing your own healthy snacks while working night shifts or napping effectively, you can minimize the negative consequences of rotational shift work.

What is the 2-2-3 work schedule?

The 2-2-3 work schedule is a rotational shift schedule where each employee works a daily 12-hour shift in a rotational cycle of 28 days. 

This schedule usually involves 4 teams that: 

• Work for 2 days, then 
• Get 2 days off, followed by 
• 3 days of work. 

This is why it is called the 2-2-3 work schedule.

To get a better understanding of how the 2-2-3 schedule works, here’s an example:

As you can see from the illustration above, while team #1 works on Monday and Tuesday (week #1) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., team #2 works from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. 

Then, team #1 and team #2 have two days off, while team #3 and team #4 take over the shifts. 

After that, team #1 and team #2 return to work for 3 days — team #1 works day shifts while team #2 works night shifts for those 3 consecutive days. At the same time, team #3 and team #4 have 3 days off. 

The 2-2-3 shift schedule allows employees to work for two days every other week. This enables them to spend the rest of their week as they like, which is one of the reasons why some of the employees favor the 2-2-3 work schedule.

What is an 8-hour rotating shift schedule?

An 8-hour rotating shift schedule involves employees rotating shifts over a certain period of time while each shift lasts 8 hours. 

In this blog post, we already mentioned and explained one type of 8-hour rotating shift schedule — the Southern swing schedule. 

However, besides the Southern swing schedule, there are some other types of 8-hour shift schedules, such as the Continental rotating shift schedule, for example.

With the Continental rotating shift schedule, 4 teams go through three 8-hour shifts (day, swing, and night shifts) over a 4-week cycle.

To see an example of the Continental rotating shift schedule, look at the illustration below: 

As presented in the illustration above, the 4-week schedule for team #1, for example, looks like this.

Week #1:

• Employees work 2 day shifts, then
• Work 2 swing shifts, and 
• Finish the week with 3 night shifts.

Week #2:

• Employees have 2 days off, then 
• Work 2 day shifts, and 
• End the week with 3 swing shifts.

Week #3:

• Employees works 2 night shifts, then
• Have 2 days off, and 
• Complete the week with 3 day shifts.

Week #4:

• Employees work 2 swing shifts, then
• Work 2 night shifts, and 
• Conclude the week with 3 days off. 

Bear in mind that not all 4 teams start working at the same time.

For example, while team #1 works day shifts, team #2 has days off. At the same time, team #3 works night shifts, while team #4 works swing shifts.

With the Continental rotating shift schedule, during a 28-day period, there’s one week when employees have to work for 7 days straight, which some employees may find hard.

What is a 10-hour rotating shift schedule?

A 10-hour rotating shift schedule involves employees rotating through a series of shifts that are 10 hours long over a certain period of time.

This type of work schedule typically includes:

• 6 teams,
• 3 overlapping 10-hour shifts (one shift each week), 
• A 3-week cycle, and  
• 3 days off for employees each week.

An example of a 10-hour rotating shift schedule looks like this:

As presented in the illustration above, we can see that each team works:

• 4 consecutive 10-hour first shifts, 
• Has 3 days off, 
• Works 4 consecutive 10-hour third shifts, 
• Has 3 days off, 
• Works 4 consecutive 10-hour second shifts, and
• Has 3 days off.

With a 10-hour rotating shift schedule, all 6 teams need to work on the same day one day of the week, resulting in overlapping shifts on that day. For example, on the fifth day of the first week, all 6 teams are working. Team #1 and team #2 both work the first shift, team #3 and team #4 both work the second shift, and team #5 and team #6 both work the third shift. 

This provides double coverage, which is useful for businesses that need an additional labor force during busy days.

What is a 12-hour rotating shift schedule?

A 12-hour rotating shift schedule involves employees rotating shifts over a certain period of time while each shift lasts 12 hours.

Remember the DuPont and Pitman shift schedules that we’ve already talked about in this blog post? 

Well, those schedules are one of the most popular 12-hour rotating shift schedules. However, apart from them, there are some other types of 12-hour shift schedules, such as the 4-on-4-off schedule, for example.

The 4-on-4-off shift schedule includes 4 teams where employees rotate between day and night shifts over a 16-day period. 

To understand the 4-on-4-off shift schedule better, take a look at the illustration below:

As we can see from the illustration above, team #1 works for 4 days (day shifts) and then has 4 days off. Simultaneously, team #2 works for 4 days (night shifts) and then has 4 days off. 

The same goes for team #3 and team #4, except they start the workweek with 4 days off. 

Conclusion: Rotational shift work is demanding but also an invaluable asset for businesses

If you’re not already on a rotating shift schedule, there’s a good chance you’ll experience it at least once during your career.

However, if the time comes for you to work rotating shifts, don’t be discouraged by it.

With so many different types of rotating shift schedules such as:

• The DuPont shift schedule,
• The Pitman shift schedule,
• The Southern swing schedule,
• The 2-2-3 work schedule, and more, there must be some that’ll benefit you, at least to some extent.

On the other hand, if you are the one who needs to schedule rotating shifts for employees, we hope that our strategies – such as creating a clear schedule and defining rotation rules – will help you overcome any difficulties.

And in case you want to make it even easier for yourself to create a schedule, don’t forget to try out some of the useful scheduling tools.

Have you ever scheduled rotating shifts for your employees before? Maybe you have already found the right method that helped you incorporate rotating shifts into your business. Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me so we can try out your technique next. And, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think would be interested in reading it.

The reasoning behind this type of temporary employment lies in high-volume labor demand in certain regions, industries, and occupations, mostly during the holiday, summer, or winter season.

In the following article, we’ll dissect the topic of seasonal work and cover the following:

• What seasonal work is and how it differs from permanent employment,
• Types of seasonal jobs (the most common industries and occupations),
• Benefits and drawbacks of seasonal work, 
• Steps to find a seasonal job, and 
• Tips for seasonal workers.

What is seasonal work?

Put simply, seasonal work is a temporary need for more staff during the busiest seasons of the year. For example, hotels, restaurants, and bars in popular vacation destinations couldn’t handle the holiday season without additional staff.

To meet the need, companies employ temporary workers — it’s usually people who want to supplement their income that apply for the jobs — for a limited period, considered to be a season — usually lasting from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. 

By adequately adjusting the size and schedules of their workforce, both seasonal workers and businesses are reaping the benefits of the type of employment. Employers can continue running a successful business, while the seasonal workers gain both the desired money and experience.

What is the difference between full-time and seasonal work?

As the US Department of Labor covers more than a few nuances in rules and regulations for seasonal employment, the differences between full-time and seasonal work can be sorted into 3 main categories of laws:

• The length of employment and employment contract type,
• Employee benefits, and
• Schedule, work hours, and wages.

Let’s dive right into the specifics of each category.

Difference #1: The length of employment and employment contract type

The main difference between seasonal and full-time employment is the length of the employment contract — and, therefore, the employment contract type.

According to the Internal Revenue Service, only one thing’s applicable to all seasonal workers — their duties (per what constitutes a season) must end in less than 12 months, meaning the the law and the IRS cap the maximum duration to up to a year. 

There are also categories exempt from the rule — for example, seasonal work in the amusement and recreational establishments. In that case, the maximum period of a seasonal job contract can be 7 months.

Additionally, the seasonal work period can also be extended per the request of the employer. Just as there’s a set of different criteria for freelancers, contractors, and employees, the seasonal worker status is determined by the individual contract.

It’s also noted that working seasons (start and end dates) should be defined as precisely as possible, for the purpose of clear seasonal work agreements. 

Difference #2: Employee benefits

It’s important to mention the said employment contract type also determines whether an employee is entitled to benefits, such as:

• Medical and/or dental insurance,
• PTO, vacation, and sick leave, and
• Taxes, credit score, and pension plans.

Even though all seasonal workers’ earnings will count for their future benefits (e.g., retirement plans are based on the total wages, regardless of the exact type of employment), the IRS doesn’t require employers to provide current benefits to seasonal workers. As you can conclude, staying compliant and up-to-date with the requirements of seasonal employment is equally beneficial to employers and employees.

Difference #3: Schedule, work hours, and wages

Clear seasonal work arrangements are equally relevant to business owners and their employees, as they also define the expected work schedules.

Depending on the employers’ needs and the existing number of their permanent employees, what’s offered as a seasonal position can be just filling the gaps of extra shifts. This means that seasonal employees often work on a flexible or rotating schedule. 

The total number of hours worked can be any number agreed upon by both parties. And, unlike permanent employees — who are sometimes paid a salary and sometimes an hourly wage — seasonal employees are more often paid by the hour.

What are the types of seasonal work?

Even though an abundance of variations exists, we can categorize seasonal employment into the following 3 types:

• Freelancers targeting specific areas throughout the year,
• Agricultural, construction, and manufacturing jobs, and
• Tourism, hospitality, and retail jobs.

Let’s explain what those categories are, and which occupations they typically include.

Type #1: Freelancers targeting specific areas throughout the year

Seasonal employment can be especially attractive to freelancers on the lookout for new clients and opportunities. Even though many freelancers work the whole year from the same place, they can choose to include seasonal work in specific periods. 

For example, during the holiday season, freelancers who are graphic designers, event planners, or photographers have an abundance of seasonal work opportunities.

The very nature of the freelancing career choice implies the person isn’t tied to a specific company nor has a permanent employer. All their work with clients has a start and end date anyway, and they are familiar with income variability. Freelancers are also already used to not having the benefits that come with full-time employment.

As you can see, any type of freelancing requires embracing non-traditional work arrangements, just as seasonal work does. For this reason, freelancers often engage in temporary job roles during seasonal demand, and all the similarities make seasonal work a great (and popular) option for freelancers and even digital nomads. 

Type #2: Agricultural, construction, and manufacturing 

Another common type of highly seasonal employment revolves around physical labor needs in the following 3 categories:

• Agricultural work — includes farming, planting, harvesting, tending to crops and fruit, etc.,
• Construction work — includes landscaping, road construction and maintenance, public space renovations, etc., and
• Manufacturing — includes work in food production plants, storages and warehousing, production packing areas, etc.

Most of these jobs are popular and continuously in high demand during the season, as most positions don’t require specially trained skills or knowledge. Each task is project-based, so once the job is done, what constitutes a season is done for this category.

Type #3: Tourism, hospitality, and retail 

Peak travel seasons are characterized by a surge of employment opportunities in tourism, hospitality, and retail. Seasonal employment is especially important for popular vacation destinations and historical landmarks, due to the heightened number of tourists and visitors.

Some of the most popular positions include various hotel staff roles, servers and bartenders, tour guides, clerks, and others. The vast majority of those are tipped positions, so they present an amazing opportunity to earn the big bucks. 

What are typical seasonal jobs?

Now that we understand the categories of seasonal work, let’s list some common job roles that seasonal employment typically includes:

• Retail sales associates,
• Warehouse workers,
• Restaurant servers and bartenders, 
• Kitchen workers,
• Lifeguards and instructors, 
• Counselors,
• Workers on farms and fields,
• Gardeners and landscapers, 
• Construction workers,
• Event and resort staff, and
• Firefighters.

What are the benefits of seasonal work?

Seasonal work offers a wide range of benefits that can be attractive to different individuals and circumstances. We’ve already mentioned several beneficial aspects of the seasonal type of employment throughout the article, now let’s go into more detail.

Here are the 3 key advantages of seasonal work.

Benefit #1: Flexibility

Seasonal jobs often come with flexible work schedules. This can be beneficial for students, parents with young children, retirees, or any other individuals looking to earn extra income during specific times of the year. Embracing such opportunities provides having the flexibility to pursue other interests or commitments during the off-season.

Moreover, seasonal work is typically short-term, so it doesn’t require a long-term commitment. This is a serious advantage for employees who don’t want to commit to a full-time job or who are between careers.

Benefit #2: Career exploration and skill development

Seasonal jobs can provide valuable work experience and skills that can be added to your resume. This experience can be especially useful for those looking to enter a new industry or build their work history through gaining new knowledge or a set of skills.

Another thing worth mentioning is that seasonal work varies from year to year, allowing you to try different jobs and industries. This variety can be appealing to those who enjoy new challenges, especially while still defining their career choices.

Furthermore, seasonal employment can and will introduce you to new people and potential contacts in your industry of interest, which is certainly valuable for future job opportunities or business ventures.

Benefit #3: An opportunity to make new friends

We spoke with Zorana Jelicki, a software developer at Clockify, who’s experienced seasonal work for 2 summers. Zorana explained that the bonds she created with other people were what she cherished the most: 

“First, you meet new people and because you go through all of this together you make friends for life. Another really good thing about seasonal work is that you know it is going to end, so whatever made me tired or unhappy I knew was not going to last long, so really, I didn’t notice all those things.”

She adds that even working double shifts in a row couldn’t make them skip a hang-out session:

“We were working double shifts for 6 days, and I was having the time of my life. I was staying late having fun with friends and didn’t mind working again in the morning because we were all in this together covering up for each other.”

Benefit #4: Extra income and travel opportunities

Many people take on seasonal work to supplement their regular income or to save up for specific goals, such as holiday expenses or a vacation.

Adding to the point, some seasonal jobs, such as those in tourism or agriculture, may allow you to work in different locations, giving you the opportunity to travel or experience different places. There are also many programs designed to attract workers from other countries in the US but they would have to apply for a specific type of visa — J1. 

For example, there’s a Work and Travel type of program which is available to college students outside the US who are not enrolled in their final year of studies. The main purpose of this summer program is for students to experience the US culture through temporary job opportunities.

I was personally in this program during my third year of college, so I spent 4 months working in Alaska. After a period of 4 months, my visa allowed me to spend another month in the US, which I used to explore other states. 

It’s an understatement that the experience was a life-changing one, as it was literally an exploration of the new world for me.

As you can conclude, apart from widening your horizons, including such experiences in your resume will later showcase your openness to experience, motivation to grow, and receptivity to new ideas. 

What are the drawbacks of seasonal work?

While offering a whole range of advantages, seasonal work can also be a challenge. From cultural shock to the lack of employee benefits, there’s a reason why the majority of the global workforce opts for full-time employment. 

The suitability of seasonal work depends on: 

• Your individual circumstances (e.g. place of residency and the available opportunities), 
• Financial goals and plans for earning or saving money, and 
• Career goals and aspirations. 

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons and consider how seasonal work aligns with your overall lifestyle and objectives. Let’s check out what some of the major issues with seasonal work are.

Drawback #1: Lack of stability, regular income, and benefits

Seasonal jobs can often provide income only during specific times of the year. Consequently, this can lead to inconsistent earnings, making it difficult to budget and plan for expenses during the off-season. 

Moreover, such employees typically don’t have job security, as they may not be guaranteed a position in the next season. It’s an issue that creates uncertainty and financial instability.

We’ve already mentioned the lack of benefits, so let’s quickly revise the issue — many seasonal jobs do not come with benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, or paid time off. This lack of long-term job security can also make it challenging to save for retirement or plan for future financial stability. 

Apart from the finances, we ought to mention another aspect of stability that may be endangered — mental health stability. That’s because, depending on the industry, seasonal workers may encounter busy periods with high workloads and intense stress, followed by extended periods of downtime.

Now, we’ve asked Zorana to put in her 2 cents on the drawbacks of seasonal work as well. As she had some great experiences, she explains that knowing there’s an end of a seasonal job arrangement was the main con for her:

“The advantage and also the biggest disadvantage for me is that the seasonal work is going to end at some point. But one of the biggest downsides for this kind of seasonal work is you cannot know what exactly is waiting for you there, but you can look at it as an adventure and getting out of your comfort zone.”

Drawback #2: Lack of opportunities for career advancement  

Seasonal workers often have limited opportunities for advancement within the company where they are temporarily employed. There’s a greater chance that they may remain in entry-level positions, without the proper chance to move up the career ladder.

For this reason, whether they like it or not, employees who are pursuing a career may not find what they are looking for in temporary employment.

Drawback #3: Legal compliance with different employment laws

Legal compliance is crucial for both employers and employees in seasonal jobs. Ensuring that all relevant labor laws and regulations are followed helps protect the rights and well-being of workers and helps employers avoid an abundance of legal issues. 

To name a few examples, here’s what both parties ought to pay attention to:

• Wage and hours laws,
• Child labor laws, 
• Safety regulations,
• Insurance details, and
• State and local labor laws.

Do seasonal employees get benefits?

As mentioned earlier in the article, seasonal work arrangements differ from full-time, permanent employment contracts. So more often than not, seasonal employment contracts do not include a full range of benefits that comes with permanent employment.

Again, we are talking about health insurance, sick leave, PTO, retirement benefits, etc. Employers are generally not required to provide the same benefits to seasonal employees as they do for full-time employees. 

Considering that the majority of seasonal work arrangements are made for a couple of weeks or months only, it makes sense that employers rarely offer benefits.

However, the availability of benefits for seasonal workers can depend on factors such as: 

• The employer’s policies, 
• The duration of the seasonal position, and 
• Compliance with local laws. 

So it’s essential for seasonal workers to carefully review their employment contracts or agreements to understand the benefits, if any, that are offered.

How to find seasonal work?

If you know what your goals are and have identified your skills and interests, finding a seasonal job can be a straightforward process. Since the availability of seasonal jobs varies by location and time of year, it’s essential to stay persistent in your job search. 

You should be prepared to submit multiple applications and attend interviews, all with the hope of increasing your chances and landing a seasonal job that suits your needs and preferences best. 

However, if you don’t have a clue where to start, below are some ideas to help nudge you in the right direction. 

#1: Visit local businesses and job fairs

Many local businesses, especially retail stores, restaurants, and hospitality establishments, advertise seasonal job openings with signs that showcase they are accepting applications. Pay attention to those and, even if there’s no sign and you think would be a good fit, it can’t hurt to simply walk in and inquire about available positions.

And, don’t forget to keep an eye on job fairs, which would be the best-case scenario, as all the employers in need of temporary workers will gather there.

#2: Visit nearby employment agencies

There are also agencies specialized in connecting businesses with the staff they need, so they might be able to help you find a seasonal opportunity. Ask about their temporary listings and follow up if they don’t have available positions at the moment. 

Another pro tip from Zorana nicely explains why the idea is beneficial, as she also suggests finding agencies for seasonal work:

“If you want to work abroad, it’s best to contact some agencies that can help you with travel, finding accommodation, work opportunities, and thus potential employers. Another great way is to find someone who has already been there to help you with the process.”

#3: Ask for recommendations 

Ask around and let your friends, family, and professional contacts know that you are looking for seasonal employment. 

Do you know anyone who’s been a seasonal worker? Meet for a coffee and inquire about their experience, ask for recommendations and tips. It’s always good to hear someone else’s perspective.

And sometimes, personal connections are the best way to find out about quality job opportunities.

#4: Use the World Wide Web wisely

Research company websites, government agencies and their listings, and simply Google targeting the right keywords. Don’t forget to make use of job search websites such as Indeed, FlexJobs, CoolWorks, or LinkedIn, which have specific filters to help you find seasonal opportunities.

Tips for seasonal workers

Leaving a positive impression as a seasonal worker is crucial, as it can lead to references, future job opportunities, and a strong professional reputation. Here are some tips to ensure you make a lasting impression.

Tip #1: Get out of your comfort zone and be open to new experiences

Being open to new experiences enriches our lives, broadening horizons and fostering personal growth. It invites us to embrace uncertainty and venture beyond our comfort zones, allowing for valuable learning opportunities, which is the point for many seasonal workers. 

Tip #2: Expand your network as much as you can

Just go out there and meet new people, but remember that networking is not just about collecting contacts but also about building meaningful relationships. Be genuine, show interest in others, and offer support when you can. 

Over time, your expanded network can open doors to new opportunities and career growth, both within and beyond seasonal employment.

Tip #3: Go above and beyond to leave an impression

Leaving a positive impression is not only about the work you do but also about how you behave, respond to situations, and interact with others. Taking initiative, showing appreciation, and asking for feedback are just a few of the things your approach should include.

By demonstrating professionalism, a strong work ethic, and a positive attitude, you can leave a lasting and favorable impression. Not only that is almost a guarantee you’ll be invited to join the team when the season comes again, but it can also benefit your career in the long run.

Zorana had an interesting insight, adding that going above and beyond can also mean a lot during the application process:

“My best tip is just don’t take no as an answer. I had a friend who worked in a restaurant in 2015 and had a great time there. She told me about it and, because I didn’t have a great experience in the summer of 2015, I was determined to try and work in the restaurant she was working at. Me and my other friend went there 6 times and got ‘No, we don’t need more employees at the moment’ so 7 was our lucky number.”

Tip #4: Take responsibility for staying up to date and complying with the law

Even though it’s usually considered that compliance with the law is up to the employer only, the employment contracts are signed by both parties. That’s why employees, too, must pay attention and carefully examine all the details specified in the employment contract.

Moreover, employers have to deal with all their full-time and seasonal employees, while an employee only with their own. So, if you’re signing a seasonal employment contract, make sure you are on top of relevant laws and regulations as well. 

It’s the best way to ensure you’re aware of all the conditions, responsibilities, and potential benefits. On top of that, you can prevent any future misunderstandings and resolve potential issues, as some state or local laws may differ for seasonal workers.

Wrapping up: Seasonal work can result in long-term rewards

As you can conclude, seasonal work plays a dynamic role in today’s job market and offers a number of unique opportunities for both employers and employees. So whether you’re a student looking to earn extra income, a retiree seeking new adventures, or someone exploring a career change, the flexibility and valuable experiences that seasonal employment provides might be just what you need.

Surely, it comes with challenges such as job insecurity and limited benefits, but it offers the chance to develop new skills, expand your network, and enjoy a work-life balance that suits your needs. You can look at it as a stepping stone, a source of adventure, or a way to build your career, it’s up to you.

Are you a seasonal worker yourself? If you’d like to share any other tips and tricks, or perhaps some additional thoughts on the topic, feel free to write to us at blogfeedback@clockify.me. That way, you’ll get a chance to be featured in this or one of our future articles. And, if you liked this post and found it useful, share it with someone you think would benefit from it.

However, it’s a bit tricky to give a clear-cut answer in practice.

Another question may also pop into your head, such as why calculate yearly work hours. It’s something we’ll discuss later in this text, but let’s put it this way — knowing how many work hours per year we have will help you stay on top of your budget and plan your spendings (whether as an individual or a business owner), to name a few reasons. 

Stay with us because in this blog post, we’ll help you:

• Calculate your total annual work hours,
• Calculate your total annual non-work hours, and
• Convince you to start tracking your work hours by giving you legitimate reasons to do so.

Let’s jump right into it!

How many working hours are there in a year?

As mentioned, broadly speaking, there are 2,080 working hours per year — that’s 40 hours of work per week.

The calculation goes as follows: multiply 40 hours of work per week (which is a global norm) by 52 (number of weeks per calendar year), and you will get 2,080 hours a year.

The standard 2,080 work hours per year may fluctuate depending on whether it’s a leap year or not. In that case, there can be up to 2,096 working hours (260 to 262 working days within a year).

Still, a number of other factors may influence the calculation of your annual work hours, such as your work schedule, time off, holidays, overtime, to name a few. It’s quite unlikely that you would work throughout a calendar year without taking any time off, whether that’s vacation, sick or holiday leave. 

Let’s walk you through the steps for calculating your total annual working time. 

How many working hours in a year (based on your workweek)?

The Fair Labor Standards Act does not define the exact number of work hours a full-time or part-time employee must clock in, as it is solely established by the employer. Therefore, certain workers may work more or less than the standard 40-hour workweek and still be covered by the FLSA rules and regulations. 

Now, if you don’t work a “traditional” 40-hour workweek (2,080 work hours/year), look at the following breakdown of different work schedules to find out their respective annual work hours:

• 20-hour workweek: 20 hours/week x 52 = 1,040 working hours/year
• 25-hour workweek: 25 hours/week x 52 = 1,300 working hours/year
• 30-hour workweek: 30 hours/week x 52 = 1,560 working hours/year
• 35-hour workweek: 35 hours/week x 52 = 1,820 working hours/year
• 37.5-hour workweek: 37.5 hours/week x 52 = 1,950 working hours/year
• 45-hour workweek: 45 hours/week x 52 = 2,340 working hours/year
• 50-hour workweek: 50 hours/week x 52 = 2,600 working hours/year
• 55-hour workweek: 55 hours/week x 52 = 2,860 working hours/year
• 60-hour workweek: 60 hours/week x 52 = 3,120 working hours/year

Remember that the said calculations refer to working hours on a yearly basis and do not include any time off or holiday. For the purpose of calculating your total hours in a work year, along with your time off and holidays, you will have to follow the formula we provided in the How do you calculate work hours per year (+ steps) section. 

How many non-working hours per year (based on your workweek)?

Now that you know your total annual work hours, based on your work schedule, let’s find out how many hours you don’t work in a year, referring to the same work schedule we mentioned earlier.

To find out how many non-working hours there are in a year, whether that’s a 40-hour workweek or other “non-traditional” work schedules, you’ll need to subtract total hours worked based on your working week from the total hours per year (there are in total 8,760 hours per calendar year):

• 20-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 1,040 work hours/year = 7,720 non-working hours/year
• 25-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 1,300 work hours/year = 7,460 non-working hours/year
• 30-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 1,560 work hours/year = 7,200 non-working hours/year
• 35-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 1,820 work hours/year = 6,940 non-working hours/year
• 37.5-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 1,950 work hours/year = 6,810 non-working hours/year
• 40-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 2,080 work hours/year = 6,680 non-working hours/year
• 45-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 2,340 work hours/year = 6,420 non-working hours/year
• 50-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 2,600 work hours/year = 6,160 non-working hours/year
• 55-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 2,860 work hours/year = 5,900 non-working hours/year
• 60-hour workweek: 8,760 hours/year – 3,120 work hours/year = 5,640 non-working hours/year

Knowing the number of your non-working hours may aid you in planning free time, vacation, or just as a reference to make sure you maintain a good work-life balance.

How do you calculate work hours per year (+ steps)? 

As said earlier, there are factors that you must take into account before you start calculating your annual working hours. Regardless of your work schedule (and certain other steps throughout the calculation), you will have to subtract any time off you took for the given year, including:

• Vacation days,
• Sick days, and
• Holidays.  

Bear in mind that vacation days, sick days, and holidays are not fixed amounts, and they might depend on your company’s policies or even the state you live in. 

Now, to calculate the total working hours per year, look at the equation below:

Total hours in a work year = (Number of working hours per week x 52) – [(PTO days + number of paid holidays) x number of working hours per day]

To make sure you get the most accurate calculation of your work hours per calendar year, we’ve broken down the equation into 4 in-depth steps for better understanding.

Step #1: Track your weekly work hours and multiply them by 52

This is the first step to calculating your yearly work hours. Once you know how many hours you work per week, it’s easy to calculate your yearly total.

To calculate your weekly work hours, multiply the hours worked per day by the number of working days for that given week. Or, even more simply, make use of an automatic time card calculator to streamline the process of calculating your weekly hours.

A time card calculator records the start and end times of your work day, calculates your overtime for each day, and lunch break periods (which are deducted from the work hours automatically), too.

Finally, you can download your time card for personal archive or print it out and show it to your employer. Or, such as in this case, you can calculate your weekly hours hassle-free for the purpose of obtaining the total hours in a work year.

Now that you have the number of hours worked per week, multiply it by 52 (number of weeks per calendar year).

Let’s say you’ve tracked 35 hours of weekly work (including overtime), and when you multiply it by 52, you get:

35 hours of work/week x 52 = 1,820 working hours/year 

Of course, this is not the number of hours we are looking for since you will need to count in the time you took off, along with holidays, so let’s calculate those in the next section.

Step #2: Calculate PTO and holidays 

The next step towards calculating your working hours per year is to consider how many hours you were absent from work (only paid time off counts). This includes vacation time, sick leave, and paid public holidays. 

Don’t forget that, according to the US Department of Labor, no employer is liable for providing their employees with paid vacation leave including sick leave or holiday leave (basically for any time not worked). Also, the number of vacation days depends on the length of time spent with the employer. Namely, one-third of the private industry workers in 2021 received 10 to 14 days of paid vacation after the first year of employment, while 33% of private industry workers with 10 years of experience received between 15 to 19 days of paid vacation. 

As for public holidays, the number of paid holidays you get also depends on your employer. However, the US recognizes 11 annual holidays:

1. New Year’s Day (January 1),
2. Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January),
3. Washington’s Birthday (or Presidents Day; third Monday in February),
4. Memorial Day (Last Monday in May),
5. Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19),
6. Independence Day (July 4),
7. Labor Day (First Monday in September),
8. Columbus Day (Second Monday in October),
9. Veterans Day (November 11),
10. Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November), and
11. Christmas Day (December 25).

In addition, Inauguration Day (January 20) is also a public holiday, but it is held every four years and considered a paid holiday for federal employees living in the Washington, D.C. area only.

Now, to proceed with your annual work hours calculation, add up all the hours of paid time off you took, including holidays, and prepare for the next step in your calculation. 

Step #3: Multiply the number of total days you took off with the number of hours you work per day

If you, for instance, worked 8 hours a day (no overtime) and had 9 days of vacation that same year, you had a total of 72 hours of vacation time. 

Say you also had 11 paid holidays in that certain year and, again, worked 8 hours a day — you had a total of 88 hours of holiday time. 

The total number of hours you took off from work equals 160 hours a year (72 hours of vacation + 88 hours of holiday). 

Step #4: Subtract total time off from annual work hours

Now that you have all the numbers you need, subtract the number of hours you didn’t work for that year (160) from the total number of hours worked (1,820), just like in the equation that follows:

1,820 – 160 = 1,660 total hours/work year

Finally, your total annual work hours equal 1,660.

Why is it important to calculate how many work hours there are in a year?

Being aware of how much time you spend at work comes with many benefits. As a matter of fact, you’ll have spent roughly a third of your life at work. Calculating the exact number of hours you spend working each year may create a work-life balance that will make you prosper on and off the clock (among other things). 

Take a look at other benefits of calculating your total working hours per year in the section below.

Benefit #1: Knowing the number of your annual work hours helps you calculate your annual income

First and foremost, knowing how many hours you work in a calendar year will help you get a better insight into your earnings and keep tabs on how much money you spend. Hourly workers may greatly benefit from knowing how many work hours they clock in a year for the purpose of calculating their annual salary.

Whether you want to get valuable insight into your household income or make quality decisions for your business, calculating work hours is the path to successful financial planning.    

Benefit #2: Calculating annual work hours helps with maintaining a quality work-life balance

According to the World Happiness Report from 2023, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland take up the first three positions on this flattering list. One of the main reasons for their happiness is that they boast quality work-life balance thanks to their envious employment policies such as short working hours, long vacations, and parental leaves, to name a few.

Compared to almost half of Americans who don’t use up their full paid time off, the Scandinavias can serve as a great example of the importance of having a balanced work-life balance. Being aware of how many work hours you clock in, stopping yourself from overworking, and using your PTO regularly can follow an optimal quality of life. 

Bear in mind that working a traditional 40-hour workweek will equal a total of 2,080 work hours per year, which leaves enough time for you to live a balanced life. Anything more than that may require more effort and thorough planning in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Start tracking your work hours as of today, and rest assured your well-being remains unhindered.

Benefit #3: Determining work hours helps with calculating your hourly rate 

If you are paid a fixed salary rather than by the hour, you may want to know how much money you earn per hour. You can easily determine your hourly rate by dividing your annual income by the number of hours worked per year.

So, for instance, if you’ve calculated that you worked 2,080 hours in a previous year, and your annual salary for that year was $45,000:

$45,000 / 2,080 = $21,6 per hour

Being mindful of their annual work hours, salaried employees may determine their hourly wage more easily.

Benefit #4: Calculating yearly hours helps employers abide by labor regulations

As an employer, it’s crucial to understand your legal responsibilities towards your employees. Making sure you keep an accurate track of your employees’ work hours per year will help you do the following:

• Compensate your employees appropriately (whether that’s regular or overtime hours, bonuses or commissions),
• Give promised benefits (PTO, retirement plan, etc.),
• Determine labor costs,
• Differ between part-time and full-time employees, and 
• Provide employees with a harmonious life. 

By keeping a thorough record of your employee’s annual work hours, you avoid making wage and hour violations that result in punitive measures.

Benefit #5: Exact calculations make a great ally to the HR department

It’s old news that the HR sector deeply relies on the calculation of working hours for multiple reasons: determining wages/salaries, accounting for time off, differentiating between full time and part time workers, amongst others.

To get the most accurate calculations, HR managers can breathe a sigh of relief while using reliable time tracking software as their main tool for recording employee work hours. 

Recorded work hours later help HR specialists automate payroll, invoice clients, create PTO policies, manage employee scheduling, and much more. 

With Clockify, you just need to select the time range (Clockify gives you 2 options to choose from: ‘This year’ or ‘Last year’), and you can run detailed reports of employee work hours grouped according to projects. Furthermore, the tool automatically calculates pay (or cost) based on employee hourly rates.

So, yes, annual work hours play a huge role in HR operations, too.

Calculating work hours in a year: The bottom line

As you can see, there’s more to the story of calculating annual work hours than you might think. Since work hours greatly depend on the employee’s work schedule, there is no straightforward answer to the question How many work hours are there in a year. 

Sure, if you work a traditional 40-hour work schedule, your annual work hours come down to 2,080. But you would still need to account for time off and holidays to be able to get the right number. 

One way or another, we did our best to provide you with a detailed guide on determining your work hours alone. Also, we laid out notable benefits of calculating your annual work hours to stay on top of your work hours (for whatever reason).

Whether you are an employee or run a business, time tracking is an important part of both your work-life balance and overall success.

Do you calculate your annual work hours? What’s the most efficient way to do it? Let us know at blogfeedback@clockify.me, and we might include your thoughts in this one or one of our future articles. Also, if you liked this blog post, share it with someone you think could benefit from it.

To help you make sure you’re always on top of your fixed costs, in this article, we’ll cover:

• The definition of fixed cost,
• Common fixed costs examples,
• Formula for calculating fixed costs, and
• The difference between fixed costs and other types of expenses. 

What is a fixed cost?

According to the US Small Business Administration, “fixed costs are costs that do not change with sales or volume.” 

In other words, a fixed cost is any expense that remains the same regardless of the company’s sales and volume, such as rent, loan payments, leases, etc. These costs remain constant throughout time and can usually only be changed when renegotiated.  

A fixed cost is necessary for calculating the average fixed cost and total fixed cost. These elements can help companies:

• Calculate and predict monthly costs,
• Estimate the level of production efficiency,
• Determine profit stability, and 
• Make informed business decisions. 

What is the total fixed cost?

Total fixed cost (TFC) is the sum of all expenses that remain the same no matter the sales or production volume. To put it simply, it’s the sum of all fixed costs of a business. 

These costs remain constant throughout time. Thus, the main purpose of TFC is to help companies understand the expenses they have to cover to continue operating. 

Let’s say that you run a bakery and you want to calculate your monthly TFC. You should add up all of the fixed costs you have during the month, such as rent, utilities, employee salaries, marketing, and loan interest to get your total fixed cost.

What is the average fixed cost?

The average fixed cost (AFC) showcases fixed expenses needed to produce one product unit. AFC helps businesses understand their permanent expenses compared to the level of production. The main purpose of the average fixed cost is to help businesses understand how efficiently they’re using their fixed resources.

The average fixed cost is calculated by dividing the total fixed cost by the number of goods or services a business produces. 

As production and quantity increase, fixed costs are distributed to more units. As a result, each unit’s share of fixed costs becomes cheaper to produce, leading to more efficient use of fixed resources.  

Let’s get back to our bakery example and assume that your total fixed cost for a month is $2,500 and you produced 500 cakes. To get your AFC, you should divide $2,500 by 500. So, your monthly average fixed cost would be $5. 

What is an example of a fixed cost?

Fixed costs vary from business to business. Still, there are common fixed costs present in nearly every company. 

Example #1: Rent

Rent is a common fixed cost. Regardless of how much product you sell or produce, the rent you’re contractually required to pay remains unchanged while you stay within the same office or production space.

The only way you could affect this expense is by negotiating it with your landlord. So, if you suspect that this fixed cost is making your production less efficient, you can always contact your landlord and try lowering it. 

Example #2: Salaries of permanent full-time employees

Permanent full-time employees present a fixed monthly expense to your business. That’s because their salaries don’t automatically change when the company’s volume changes. 

Example #3: Depreciation

Depreciation is a drop in value that happens when items are used over time. 

Every piece of equipment and machinery loses its value after a certain period. This loss is a fixed cost you need to take into account.

Example #4: Loan payments

If you own a company, you likely took out a loan to help you start the business. 

These loan payments include principal payments and interest, and they don’t change as your business volume increases. 

Example #5: Lease payments

Lease payments are fixed monthly payments for renting assets. 

If you’re renting equipment or anything else that you use in your business operations, you have to include lease payments when calculating your total fixed cost. 

Example #6: Insurance premiums

Insurance is an integral part of any business operation. 

You likely have a contract with your insurance provider and have to pay a certain premium that doesn’t change with your production level — this is a fixed cost, too. 

Example #7: Regular maintenance 

If you have to pay for regular equipment maintenance, that’s another fixed cost to consider. 

Aside from equipment maintenance, regular maintenance of your website (and app, if you have one) is also a fixed cost you need to take into account regularly. 

Example #8: Licenses and permits

Depending on their nature, licenses and permits are typically fixed costs. 

Licensing fees for intellectual property, or the ones you pay to the government for operating in a certain line of business or performing specific services, usually come as fixed costs. 

That’s because business permits and licenses have a fixed fee you need to pay regularly no matter how your business operations go. Thus, they present a fixed expense.

Example #9: Subscriptions

Subscriptions (for software your business uses, for example), usually don’t change as your business grows unless you change your subscription plan. They present a fixed monthly or annual expense. 

Example #10: Property tax

If you own a production space or an office, you’ll need to include property tax as your fixed cost, too.

Not all taxes are fixed costs. But, property tax almost always counts as a fixed cost as it doesn’t change based on the occupancy of the property. 

What is the fixed cost formula: Calculating total and average fixed cost

The formula for fixed cost depends on whether you want to calculate the total or average fixed cost. 

Regardless of the type of fixed cost you’re calculating, your first step will be finding the period for which you want to calculate your fixed cost. 

Most businesses calculate their fixed cost for every month or 6 months. But you can also use a year as your period. 

How to calculate the total fixed cost?

Once you decide on the period you want to calculate your costs for, you can calculate the total fixed cost for that period by following these steps.

Step #1: Make a list of fixed expenses

Your first step in calculating the total fixed cost is listing all of your fixed expenses.

You should also take into account subscriptions and rents that are due after the time period you’re calculating your expenses for. That’s because you’re using them during that time despite the fact that you’re not actually spending any money on them during the calculation period. 

For instance, let’s say that the software you use comes with an annual subscription and you want to calculate your monthly TFC. In this case, you should divide your annual subscription by the number of months during a year to find the monthly fixed cost of your software subscription. 

Step #2: Find the total sum 

The total sum of all of your fixed costs is your total fixed cost:

Fixed cost 1 + Fixed cost 2 + Fixed cost 3 (…) = Total fixed cost

If you calculated your total amount and believe your fixed costs are too high, you can try to renegotiate some of them.

How to calculate the average fixed cost?

The average fixed cost depends on how many units you produce. That’s why the production quantity is essential for calculating this type of fixed cost. 

Step #1: Find the total fixed cost

You can use the calculation above to find the total fixed cost of running your business. 

Let’s say you own a company that manufactures earphones and want to calculate the average fixed cost of producing them.

Your total fixed cost during the year was $100,000.

Step #2: Take the number of units you produced

Once you calculate the total fixed cost, you should get the production quantity (the number of units produced) for the period you want to calculate your average fixed cost for. 

In our example, let’s imagine that you produced 50,000 earphones last year.

Step #3: Find the average fixed cost

Lastly, you should divide the total fixed cost by your production quantity:

Total fixed cost / Number of units produced = Average fixed cost

Now, let’s calculate the average fixed cost for our example:

$100,000 / 50,000 = $2

Your average fixed cost equals $2. 

If your average fixed cost is too high, you can lower it in two ways:

• By renegotiating some of your fixed costs, or
• By increasing your production quantity. 

Fixed cost vs. variable cost: What are the differences?

According to the Managerial Accounting and Cost Concepts book, variable costs are costs that vary in “direct proportion to changes in the level of activity.” 

Unlike fixed costs, which don’t change with production levels, variable costs change automatically when you make changes to production. The changes include:

• Increasing quantity, 
• Achieving higher production efficiency, 
• Reducing waste, or 
• Improving material sourcing. 

Common examples of variable costs include:

• Raw materials,
• Shipping,
• Production supplies,
• Commissions, and
• Packaging costs.

This table shows the main differences between fixed and variable costs:

FAQ about fixed expenses

To help you fully understand the term, we’ll go over some of the most common questions regarding fixed expenses and how they differ from other types of costs. 

1. Which is not a fixed cost?

Any expense that changes depending on production levels is not a fixed cost. 

Some common examples of costs that aren’t fixed are:

• Supplies for production,
• Shipping and delivery expenses,
• Packaging supplies,
• Raw materials, and
• Commissions. 

2. Is fixed cost relevant for break-even analysis?

Fixed costs are a crucial component of a break-even analysis. This analysis helps businesses determine their profitability by establishing their break-even point.

According to the US Small Business Administration definition, “the break-even point is the point at which total cost and total revenue are equal, meaning there is no loss or gain for your small business. In other words, you’ve reached the level of production at which the costs of production equals the revenues for a product.”

If your revenue is above the break-even point, your business is profitable. On the other hand, in case your revenue is below that point, you’re operating at a loss. 

The formula for the break-even point is:

Total fixed cost / (Sales price per unit — Variable costs per unit) = Break-even point

If the business becomes less profitable, renegotiating some of the fixed costs can help with the profitability in the long run.

3. What are overhead costs?

Overhead costs are indirect costs necessary for running a business, but are not directly related to production.

Overhead costs include:

• Administrative expenses,
• Accounting fees,
• Rent,
• Utilities,
• Legal fees, and
• Office supplies. 

4. Is salary a fixed or variable cost?

In most cases, salary is a fixed cost. That’s because it doesn’t change as the production or sales increase or decrease.

But, a portion of the salary can be a part of variable business costs. 

This happens when employee compensation includes bonuses based on production or sales levels, profit-sharing, or commissions, which depend on sales or production. In these cases, a part of the salary will be a variable cost. 

5. Are fixed costs indirect costs? 

Indirect costs are expenses that are not directly part of the production of a unit. 

Common indirect production costs are:

• Utilities,
• Equipment maintenance,
• Depreciation, and
• Rent. 

As indirect costs are not directly related to production, they tend not to change based on quantity or sales levels. Thus, most of them are fixed costs. 

6. Is fixed cost sunk cost? 

A sunk cost is any cost that already happened and can’t be retrieved. 

Variable and fixed costs can become sunk costs. For example, salaries or money spent on marketing and research are sunk costs.

But not all fixed expenses are sunk costs. For instance, equipment is usually not a sunk cost as equipment can be resold or rented out. 

On the other hand, all sunk costs are fixed as they can’t be changed with changes in production.

7. Is there a way to track fixed costs?

To successfully manage your fixed costs, you need to keep track of your expenses. Luckily, there are great tools and apps that make this process much easier.

For instance, Clockify is a time tracking tool that not only helps you track employee time and tasks but also enables you to have a clear overview of your expenses.

With the Clockify expense tracking app, you can easily record every expense relevant to your business as well as set budgets and run reports. 

With Clockify, you can track expenses by sum or unit and attach receipts related to your business. 

You can also add a unit number for each expense. Clockify makes staying on top of expenses much simpler by automatically calculating the final amount for that category based on the prices you input. 

You can also easily edit and delete existing expenses and view their receipts when you click on the attachment icon. 

Conclusion: Fixed costs exist regardless of production levels 

Fixed costs are a fundamental part of any business. 

Knowing their relevance, as well as how to calculate both average and total fixed costs, enables you to:

• Better understand the costs of running your business,
• See what costs can be renegotiated for more profitability, and
• Find the ideal production quantity for the most efficient use of your resources.

However, to make sure you’ve obtained the most accurate numbers for your calculations, you’ll need to carefully keep track of all of your expenses. Once you do, you can use calculations from this article to stay on top of your total and average fixed costs.

Were you able to calculate your fixed costs? Do you have any tips on renegotiating fixed expenses? Feel free to share your tips with us at blogfeedback@clockify.me. Also, if you liked this article, be sure to spread the word to your friends and colleagues!

Habitual absence from work is known as absenteeism — an issue that can affect productivity, work continuity, and the overall performance of a business.

But, what exactly is absenteeism and what causes it?

In this blog post, we’ll explore the meaning of absenteeism, its causes, and consequences. We will also equip you with 10 strategies that help you minimize the adverse effects of absenteeism.  

Let’s begin!

What is absenteeism in the workplace?

Absenteeism is when employees are absent from work when they are scheduled to be working. The reasons for employee absenteeism can range from illnesses, family problems, stress, to other factors.

One of the definitions of absenteeism is given by the authors of a research paper titled Managing absenteeism in the workplace: the case of an Italian multi utility company that explains absenteeism as the “habitual absence from work for one or more days, usually justified by a medical certificate, but actually due to personal interests and poor sense of duty.”

To what extent does absenteeism occur in workplaces? You might be surprised if you haven’t been following the statistics.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), out of 118,745 employees in numerous industries, the total of 3.6% of employees in the US were absent from work in 2022 due to different reasons.

Regardless of the reason, absenteeism can impact workplace productivity, increase workload for other colleagues, disrupt project timelines, to name a few.

What is the difference between absence and absenteeism?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a significant difference between absence and absenteeism.

Namely, absence refers merely to “failure to be present at a usual or expected place or at the agreed time.” The term only signifies that someone is not present at a certain place or time without specifying the reason or the duration of absence. 

Moreover, the term does not specifically refer to the absence of employees at the workplace.

On the other hand, absenteeism specifically refers to the frequent and habitual pattern of employees being absent from work, often without valid reasons or proper authorization.  

Types of absenteeism in the workplace

There are several ways of categorizing types of absenteeism in the workplace — but these three types are the most common:

• Planned or approved absenteeism,
• Unplanned, unexcused, or unscheduled absenteeism, and
• Chronic or excessive absenteeism.

Type #1: Planned or approved absenteeism in the workplace

Planned or approved absenteeism involves instances of absences that are scheduled and planned in advance. 

Examples include: 

• Vacations, 
• Personal time off, and 
• Prearranged time away from work.

Companies typically define the timeframe for obtaining the approval for these planned absences in their attendance policy — as the Fair Labor of Standards Act (FLSA) does not mandate the number of leaves or the timeframe for informing employers.

For example, the attendance policy of the University of South Florida states that the approval for planned leaves must be taken “at least 24 hours in advance and must be done in compliance with any departmental policies regarding scheduled time off.”

Type #2: Unplanned, unexcused, or unscheduled absenteeism in the workplace

Emergencies, such as illness or death of a loved one, are typically the reasons for taking unplanned leaves. Companies do recognize the need for such leaves when the reasons are genuine and employees are not penalized for these absences.

However, when employees are absent from work without notifying the employer/supervisor or providing a reason for doing so, they can be grounds for disciplinary action. Such unauthorized absences, also called ‘unexcused absences,’ are not authorized by the employer and may not align with the organization’s policies for taking time off.

Each company determines the disciplinary actions (such as warnings, suspension, or termination) to address unexcused absences which can escalate with repeated instances of such absences.  

Type #3: Excessive or chronic absenteeism in the workplace

Frequent and prolonged absences are categorized as chronic or excessive absences. As there is no standard definition of excessive or chronic absence given by the Fair Labor of Standards Act (FLSA), each company determines what constitutes excessive absences. 

For example, Case Western Reserve University defines excessive absences in its attendance policy as:

“…repeated occurrences (more than 6 in 6 months) of unscheduled absence(s) and/or tardiness unrelated to approved time off where 1 occurrence = 1 to 5 consecutive days of unscheduled absence or 3 incidents of tardiness, or 2 incidents of partial absence.”

To understand how companies and HR professionals define excessive absences, we reached out to Ryan Mckenzie, the Co-Founder & CMO of Tru Earth, a company that makes eco-friendly household products. Ryan’s company defines chronic absenteeism as one that disrupts the company’s productivity:

“Chronic absenteeism is a persistent pattern where an employee misses more than the allotted annual leave or sick time off. Though some unexcused absences may be inevitable in the ordinary course of life, we believe more than three unexcused absences in six months may impact team synergy and productivity.”

What causes absenteeism?  

Absenteeism at work can stem from a variety of factors that may also impact employee engagement and productivity. 

Let’s look at what the causes of absenteeism are.

Cause #1: Mental and physical health issues

Both physical and mental health issues contribute to absenteeism. In January 2022 alone, 7.8 million employees were absent from work because of a medical problem (such as an injury, illness, etc.), according to the BLS.

What’s more, the same source states that 4.2 million full-time workers worked part time due to an illness, medical problem or appointment in the same period.

While the medical problems can vary, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the top five chronic diseases that lead to absenteeism in the workplace:

• Diabetes,
• High blood pressure,
• Physical inactivity,
• Smoking, and
• Obesity.

Apart from these, mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, also account for a loss of 12 billion workdays each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Anxiety or depression also impacts productivity at work in many ways, by making it difficult for the sufferers to concentrate or collaborate.

When talking about mental health, we cannot afford to ignore the topic of stress.

Data compiled by the American Institute of Stress shows that while 83% of workers in the US experience work-related stress, 1 million are absent from work every day because of stress. 

Cause #2: Lack of job satisfaction

What makes people love their jobs and want to come to work everyday (a.k.a., job satisfaction)? As it turns out, there are multiple factors.

Here are the factors that contribute to job satisfaction, according to a recent survey conducted by The Conference Board:

• Salary and bonuses,
• Recognition,
• Workloads/work-life balance,
• Promotion policies,
• Performance review,
• Job security,
• Job training programs,
• Quality of leadership, 
• Workplace culture, and
• Benefits (such as, retirement plans, sick days, vacation/family leave policies).

The absence of one or more of these factors can lead to job dissatisfaction.

And, employees who are not happy with their jobs are more likely to seek ways to avoid the workplace. A study that examined the relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism found that the higher the level of job dissatisfaction, the longer the absenteeism in the workplace.

Cause #3: Accidents and injuries at the workplace

Accidents and injuries that lead to absenteeism are, unfortunately, all too common. In 2021 alone, 2.6 million workplace injuries (nonfatal) were reported by employers in the private industry, according to the BLS.

What causes these injuries? 

Data from CDC shows that the top three causes of work-related injuries resulting in prolonged absenteeism in 2020 were:

• Contact with equipment and objects,
• Slips and falls, and
• Overexertion.

In addition, it’s ergonomics — i.e. the ideal way of arranging the work environment to minimize strain and injuries while maximizing comfort and efficiency — can also be a problem, according to Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA).

Poorly designed workplaces and processes can lead to stressors, such as prolonged sitting/standing, awkward postures, excessive noise, vibrations, repetitive motions, and heavy physical loads. They can, in turn, lead to mental and physical exhaustion, increasing the risk of work-related accidents — and absenteeism.

In fact, a study that examined the link between absenteeism and working conditions showed that the more the employees are exposed to the above-mentioned stressors, the longer they are likely to be absent.  

Cause #4: Burnout  

Burnout is a fallout of workplace stress. According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) that classifies and defines medical conditions: “Burnout is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.“

While career burnout can have multiple causes (lack of rest, unreasonable workload, or a toxic workplace), it leads to low productivity and increased absenteeism.

In fact, a Gallup study titled Employee Burnout: Part I: The 5 Main Causes, found that employees who experience burnout:

• Are 63% more likely to avail sick leaves,
• Are 2.6 x more inclined to seek another job, and
• Experience a 13% dip in confidence levels.

Burnout, characterized by feelings of negativism, mental, and physical exhaustion, can make it challenging to muster the energy and motivation to go to work.

Cause #5: Negative work culture

What exactly do we mean by work culture? After all, it’s not something you can touch or see. 

Founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, a culture consulting firm and author, S. Chris Edmonds, offers a simple definition of organizational culture in a podcast.

“Culture is all about how people treat each other — how leaders treat their teams and peers, how employees treat each other, and how people treat customers and vendors. It’s about relationships and respect.”

In a workplace with a positive work culture, team members treat each other with respect and courtesy. When there is an atmosphere of trust, employees have clarity over their responsibilities and the company’s goals.

Conversely, here are some of the hallmarks of a workplace with a negative culture: 

• Lack of direction and clear objectives,
• Poor communication,
• Work overload and poor work-life balance,
• Micromanagement,
• Discrimination and harassment,
• Lack of company values, etc.

Not only does bad workplace culture impact productivity and mental health but it also leads to excessive absenteeism at work. When researchers at Culture Shift surveyed 1,000 workers in the UK, they found that 71% of them had taken sick leave to avoid seeing someone at work whom they had a negative relationship with. 

That’s not all. The same source found that as many as 61% of employees who experienced discrimination, bullying, or harassment at work took long-term leave. 

Toxic work culture is also the top factor prompting 30% of the employees in the US to consider quitting their job, according to a 2022 FlexJobs survey.

Cause #6: Family responsibilities

Employees who have family responsibilities, such as caring for children, elderly parents, or family members with disabilities, often need to take time off work to attend to their caregiving duties. 

According to a 2020 report titled Caregiving in the US, caregivers spend around 23.7 hours each week on caregiving duties.

Balancing work and family responsibilities can be challenging, especially when both require significant time and attention. A lack of family-friendly policies at the workplace, transport problems, emotional, and physical stress, can all add to the problem of absenteeism.

But, why is absenteeism such a big deal?

In the next section, we will look at the cost of absenteeism to help you understand why the problem must be addressed promptly.

What is the cost of absenteeism in the workplace?

The cost of absenteeism in the workplace refers to the impact of employees being absent from work. For example, when an employee is absent, their colleagues have to take over the absent employee’s workload, potentially leading to overtime expenses.

Here’s a list of the costs associated with absenteeism:

• Reduced productivity: The cost of absenteeism can run into millions of dollars as a result of reduced productivity. According to CDC’s research, mentioned earlier, employers face a cost of $36.4 billion each year due to absenteeism from chronic illnesses and the resulting reduced productivity.
• Hiring and training replacement workers: When companies hire replacement workers, they bear the costs of payroll and training in addition to productivity loss. A study from Circadian titled Absenteeism: The Bottom Line Killer found that each year, absenteeism costs employers $3,600 per hour per employee. What’s more, the payroll costs of replacement workers can be 50% higher than the wages of the employee who is absent.
• Low team morale and disengagement: Absenteeism can affect colleagues, teams, and the organization as a whole. For instance, if the management increases the workload of the absent employee’s team members, these employees can face burnout, stress, and low engagement levels.
• Damage to brand reputation: Disengaged and unhappy employees may not be delivering their best performance at work, which can translate to costly mistakes, poor quality products, or unhappy customers. All of these factors can hurt a company’s reputation and result in increased work absenteeism.
• Insurance premium costs: Absenteeism related to illnesses and workplace accidents pushes up the costs of medical care and Workers’ Compensation Insurance (a type of insurance that covers the income loss and medical care expenses for injured workers). The more frequent the claims related to workers’ compensation in a company, the higher the premium rates.

As you can see, absenteeism can affect productivity, quality, and engagement levels, all of which can impact the company’s reputation and profit in the end. 

How do you manage absenteeism in the workplace? 

From establishing clear policies to creating a culture of open communication, the following tips can help you address and control absenteeism effectively.

Tip #1: Establish a clear attendance policy

Creating a detailed attendance policy is perhaps the first step to curbing absenteeism. 

When drafting the policy, be sure to involve the employees and the top leadership. Consider the nature of work, the company’s needs, and the legitimate needs of your employees.

Clearly define what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable absences, including tardiness, unscheduled leave, chronic/excessive absence, and extended time off.

Be sure to describe the process for reporting absences and the time period for doing so. Outline how and when employees should notify their supervisors or the HR department about their absence, whether it’s due to illness, personal reasons, or planned vacations.

Mention any required documentation for absences, such as medical certificates or other relevant proof and the deadlines for submitting such documents.

Finally, explain the consequences of non-compliance with your attendance policy. Here’s an example from the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services:

Tip #2: Identify patterns of absenteeism

Keep accurate records of employee absences and analyze the data to identify patterns. This will help you understand the reasons behind absenteeism and target specific areas for improvement.

How to track absenteeism? By keeping an eye on employee attendance.

An easy way to keep track of attendance and the number of hours each employee works is to use a free attendance tracker, such as Clockify. 

Once you create an account on Clockify, you can send email invites to your team members to join your workspace. After logging in to Clockify, employees can start the timer on the browser, the desktop, or the mobile app (or they can add hours manually). 

With the Team Dashboard, you can view who is currently working on what, their last activity, and a visual breakdown of their workweek.

You can also get a report on all your employees’ attendance for a specific time period, including their: 

• Break time, 
• Overtime, 
• Start time, and 
• End times.

Once you track the data, you can categorize absences based on reasons, such as illness, vacation, personal leave, or other types, that can help you understand the primary causes of employee absenteeism.

With Clockify, you can observe trends and patterns of absenteeism over time and compare the data across different departments, teams, seasons, or job roles. This can help identify specific roles or departments with high absenteeism.

While this gives you an idea as to the extent of absenteeism, you can conduct surveys or focus group discussions with employees to understand the reasons behind absenteeism.  

The insights you gain from these methods can help you design a strategy to prevent absenteeism.

Tip #3: Implement workplace wellness programs

Work-related stress, according to the CDC, is the leading health problem at the workplace. Work stress can increase the risk of chronic diseases and as we already saw in the section on the reasons for absenteeism, chronic diseases can lead to absenteeism at work.

Workplace wellness programs that address both mental and physical well-being can help you curb absenteeism.

For instance, Nike offers free counseling sessions to their employees on a wide range of mental health issues, including depression, substance abuse, anxiety, building resilience, and so on.

Others, such as Tru Earth, encourage employees to prioritize rest and relaxation. Ryan Mckenzie explains how their company ensures rest and relaxation: 

“We encourage taking mental health days and highlight the importance of rest and relaxation, encouraging our employees to make use of their vacation time fully.”

But, the type of wellness program you offer at your company will depend on what your employees need. 

To design a custom wellness program for your employees, here are some steps to follow:

• Conduct a survey to identify the health and wellness needs of your employees,
• Set clear objectives for the wellness program, such as reducing absenteeism,
• Ensure you receive support from the top management for the wellness program,  
• Consult experts to design a wellness program that addresses physical, mental, and emotional health,
• Use multiple communication channels to create awareness on the wellness programs, and
• Offer incentives to encourage employee participation.  

Tip #4: Address safety concerns

Making the workplace safe and healthy is vital to minimize absenteeism related to accidents, slips, and falls.  

Begin by identifying potential hazards at the workplace that can increase slips, trips, and fall risks.  

The best way to identify hazards is to consult workers. According to the OSHA, workers are “in the best place to identify safety and health concerns such as hazardous situations, unsafe conditions, close calls/near misses, and actual incidents.”

Based on OSHA’s recommendations, here are some other things you can do to make your workplace safe and healthy and reduce work absenteeism as a result:

• Ensure the workplace is clean and clutter-free,
• Provide adequate lighting in all areas that help reduce accidents,
• Install non-slip flooring materials in areas prone to wetness,
• Prevent tripping hazards by securing cables, cords, and other mobile equipment,
• Repair loose carpets, damaged flooring, and uneven surfaces,
• Install handrails on stairs and other areas where employees may need support,
• Use clear and prominent signage to indicate potential hazards,
• Consult experts to design ergonomic workspaces, and
• Conduct regular safety training for all employees.

Tip #5: Create a positive work culture

Although the reasons behind employee absenteeism can be multiple, a toxic workplace is often one of the leading causes. Eliminating toxic behavior at the workplace needs a systematic and dedicated approach.

Namely, leaders need to demonstrate positive behaviors, such as transparency, trust, respect, and collaboration.

Companies that have a positive work culture in addition to strong leadership, benefits, and work-life balance consistently rank as the best places to work in Comparably’s list of Best Global Company Culture.  

Other factors that have helped companies, such as Elsevier and Chegg, rank in the above-mentioned list include a work environment that is “inclusive, equal, and joyful.” 

Other than these, here are some other strategies to cultivate a positive work culture:

• Create a mission statement describing values, beliefs, and desired behaviors,  
• Establish a safe environment for employees to voice their opinions and concerns,
• Communicate clear expectations regarding roles and responsibilities, 
• Appreciate and reward employees’ efforts and achievements,  
• Include treatment of others into employee’s performance evaluation,
• Create awareness on desired and unacceptable behaviors, and 
• Address conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner.  

Tip #6: Neutralize burnout and stress

The first step to addressing and preventing employee burnout is to know how to recognize the signs of it, which can often be subtle.

Some common signs to watch out for to spot burnout include:

• Lack of participation in team events or withdrawal from interactions,
• Increase in preventable errors,
• Pessimism, irritability, or cynicism, 
• Inability to focus or take decisions,
• Reduced self-confidence, and
• Frequent health problems.

To neutralize burnout, you can establish frequent check-ins with employees and make a plan of action to address the specific challenges they face at the workplace. Depending on the concerns of the employee, the plan of action can include:

• Flexible work timings,
• Reduced workload,
• Counseling/therapy sessions,
• Wellness programs, and
• Career development sessions.

Tip #7: Encourage collaboration

While collaboration is a component of a positive work environment, it needs special mention here, given its importance in reducing absenteeism. 

In his research paper titled Strategies to Reduce Absenteeism in the Public Sector Workplace, Dr. John G. Turner found that a collaborative work environment reduces absenteeism by promoting employee engagement. 

In this study, one of the leaders interviewed said:

“I would like to have more events such as cook-offs and team building contests to help keep the employees motivated which may help with deterring absenteeism in the workplace.”   

Another leader said:

“We always look for reasons on why employees were not coming to work and noticed there was a lack of collaboration with management that did not allow for employee engagement.”   

Not only does a collaborative environment provide an avenue for employees to share skills and knowledge, but also promotes problem-solving and decision-making.

But, how to promote collaboration when you have a dispersed workforce?

A seamless way to promote real-time communication and collaboration among remote teams is to use team collaboration apps, such as Pumble. With powerful features, such as video conferencing, channels, individual, and group messaging, Pumble offers all that you need to keep your teams connected and engaged.

Tip #8: Provide career advancement opportunities

By offering career advancement opportunities, not only do you enhance employee skills and engagement but also create a sense of loyalty and commitment. 

Employees who see a clear path for growth within the organization are more likely to invest in their roles, leading to reduced absenteeism and higher job satisfaction.

Here are some ways to offer career development opportunities:

• Work with employees to create career and skill development plans,
• Provide regular training sessions, workshops, and seminars,
• Implement mentorship programs where experienced employees guide less experienced colleagues,
• Offer online courses so that employees can learn at their own pace, and
• Support employees in obtaining relevant certifications to enhance their skills.

Tip #9: Recognize and reward employees

A little appreciation goes a long way in reducing absenteeism. 

Want more proof?

82% of Americans whose efforts were recognized reported being happy at work in a survey conducted by Curiosity at Work. And, as we all know, happy and engaged employees are less likely to be absent from work.

Another study titled Reducing Absenteeism and Rescheduling Among Grocery Store Employees With Point-Contingent Rewards found that rewards reduced absenteeism among employees. Rewards also helped reduce the instances of their leaving early from work.

Here are some ways to implement a reward system that help reduce employee absenteeism:

• Decide the behaviors and actions that merit recognition,
• Ensure that the desired behaviors align with the organization’s core values and goals,
• Establish measurable criteria for each behavior. For example, the attendance policy can specify 80% attendance in any given month as a measurable criteria,
• Decide on the types of rewards, such as monetary incentives or career advancement opportunities,
• Acknowledge achievements and contributions,
• Create a system where managers offer instant recognition and praise when they observe outstanding behavior,
• Clearly communicate the rewards and recognition program to all employees, and
• Track and measure the impact of the rewards and recognition program on absenteeism rates and overall employee engagement.

Tip #10: Implement a work-family policy

If you’re looking to reduce absenteeism, another area to focus on is to become a family-friendly workplace.

By implementing a work-family policy (WFP), you can ensure workers who are caregivers have adequate support to manage their work and caregiving responsibilities.

WFP can offer:

• Flexible work timings and arrangements,
• Parental leave (paid and unpaid),  
• Office daycare or paid child care, and
• Family caregiving leave.

However, ensure that you follow the rules and regulations that are in place in your state, especially those regarding parental leave, before implementing any of these policies.

FAQ about absenteeism in the workplace

Have more questions about absenteeism in the workplace? This section focuses on providing answers to commonly asked questions on absenteeism.

What is chronic absenteeism?

Chronic absenteeism indicates frequent absences from work that can impact the company’s productivity. However, there is no universally agreed definition of what constitutes chronic absenteeism.

The definition can vary based on company policies, industry norms, and individual circumstances.

As there is no standard definition of chronic absenteeism in the work context, we can take a look at how schools define the term to improve our understanding.

In the academic context, chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% of days in a school year that includes both unexcused and excused absences. 

For instance, if a student misses 2 days in a month, every month of the year, the student has been absent for 18 to 20 days, which is chronic absenteeism.

What is excessive absenteeism?

Excessive absenteeism is a pattern of frequent absences from work, beyond what is considered normal or acceptable. 

While the reasons for prolonged or repeated absences can be illness, personal reasons, or other factors, excessive absenteeism can disrupt employee performance and productivity.

There is no standard definition of what constitutes excessive absenteeism as each company has its own policy. 

For instance, Vikas Kaushik, the CEO of TechAhead, defines excessive absenteeism as one that results in project delays:

“We define excessive absenteeism as when an employee frequently delays projects with unscheduled absences. We strive to keep unexcused absences below 2% of all working days because we think it’s important to strike a balance between personal needs and professional obligations.”

How much unexcused absenteeism is acceptable?

The acceptable level of unexcused absenteeism can vary widely depending on factors such as: 

• The nature of the job, 
• Industry norms, 
• Company policies, and 
• The overall impact of absenteeism on the organization. 

While there is no universally defined limit for unexcused absenteeism, many organizations have specific attendance policies that describe the acceptable level of absenteeism, both excused and unexcused.

Is absenteeism caused by stress?

Stress is one of the most common reasons that contribute to absenteeism. As mentioned earlier, 83% of employees in the US experience work-related stress, according to the American Institute of Stress. What’s more, the same study shows stress is the reason why 1 million workers are absent from work on a daily basis. 

All the tips given above can help companies mitigate workplace stress and reduce absenteeism.

What is presenteeism?

Presenteeism refers to situations when workers are at the workplace but are not able to work at their usual capacity due to different reasons.

In his research article titled Presenteeism: At Work–but out of it, Paul Hemp defines presenteeism as “the problem of workers being on the job, but, because of illness or other medical conditions, not fully functioning.”

While this is not done intentionally, presenteeism can also affect productivity and in turn, the company’s bottom line, just like absenteeism.

How to calculate an absentee rate?

To calculate the absentee rate or absenteeism rate of an employee, use the following formula:

(Total number of days or hours absent / The available work days or hours in the specific period ) x 100

Let’s see how to calculate an absentee rate using an example. 

John works 25 days a month (5 days each week). In July of 2023, he was absent for 5 days. 

Now, let’s calculate the absentee rate using the above formula.

This shows that the absenteeism rate is 20% or that John lost 20% of work days due to absenteeism.

You can calculate the absenteeism rate for an individual, a department, or the company on the whole by using this simple formula.

What is the average absence rate?

The average absence rate is the same as the absenteeism rate and these two terms are used interchangeably. Absence or absenteeism rate refers to the amount of time an employee is absent from work and is expressed as a percentage.

The formula used to calculate absence rate is the same as the one you would use for absenteeism rate:

Absence rate = (Total number of days or hours absent / The available work days or hours in the specific period ) x 100

Final thoughts: Take a proactive approach to conquer absenteeism 

Clearly, employee absenteeism is a multifaceted challenge that can significantly impact a company’s productivity, morale, and profit. 

However, by understanding the root causes of it and by implementing effective control measures, you can create a more positive work environment, improve employee well-being, and reduce absenteeism rates to a minimum. 

From addressing health issues and promoting work-life balance to creating a positive work culture, the strategies we have discussed in this blog post offer a comprehensive approach to managing and preventing absenteeism. 

Keep in mind that a proactive and ongoing approach that focuses on employee engagement, wellness, and career growth not only neutralizes absenteeism but also helps build a workplace where employees are motivated to do their best (and more)!

Have you employed a strategy or two to successfully reduce absenteeism? Share your tips at blogfeedback@clockify.me so we can highlight them in our upcoming posts. If you found our blog post to be insightful, go ahead and share it with your colleagues, friends, and peers.

Something doesn’t sit well, right?

If that’s the case, perhaps it’s because you haven’t heard of Flobotics yet — the team in charge of helping people speed up or entirely eliminate their repetitive tasks. 

But how do they do that exactly, and why has Clockify become an indispensable asset to Flobotics’ day-to-day operations?

Stay tuned and read on because we sat down with Krzysztof Szwed, Tech Lead at Flobotics, to discuss all things automation, and find out more about how Clockify fits in on their road to making repetitive tasks a thing of the past. 

Flobotics: Behind-the scenes

As soon as we heard the words automation and repetitive used in the same sentence — we were all ears.  

Naturally, we wanted to take a peek behind the Flobotics’ scenes, and see first-hand how they automate the processes of customers from diverse industries. 

Providing services to medical, finance, logistics, real estate, IT consulting, and manufacturing businesses, Flobotics manages to add value to and make people’s workflow much easier across industries day after day. 

Let’s see how exactly they do it. 

Flobotics’ core mission 

Flobotics boast the ability to help teams reach their highest potential by lifting the weight of time-eating tasks off their shoulders. 

Here’s how Krzysztof Szwed sums up Flobotics’ essence: 

“Flobotics is a young and hungry RPA (Robotic Process Automation) agency with a core mission of automating and speeding up mundane processes, reducing operational costs, and unleashing the productivity of our customers’ employees.”

But what does the process of enhancing the workflow of teams across industries actually look like? Krzysztof says the magic is in the careful analysis and a bit of alignment: 

“The entire process usually starts with a short process consultation. We determine which of the customer’s workflows have the highest automation potential and show the company our numbers — the cost of our services and the estimation of potential savings they could gain thanks to them.” 

Almost immediately after the intricate analysis, the automation process begins: 

“If the profit and loss balance is positive — we usually get the customer’s permission to start the automation process. Our developers work closely with users to understand the process first-hand, and then magic (RPA) happens.”

Ultimately, Flobotics’ formula is what helps their clients get things done by giving them enough room to focus on what truly matters in their line of business.  

The flow behind providing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) services

Being no strangers to automation, Flobotics gave special attention to speeding up their own day-to-day workflow first. 

In fact, as a remote-first company currently employing more than 30 people from different corners of the world, they are particularly aware of the importance of not losing speed over distance: 

“We use different systems for our project management, customer management, or time management activities — and of course, we’re adding a bit of our automation knowledge to every single one of them. For example, we have built a very complex marketing automation that we use in-house to automate our outreach activities and do what we do best — free up our employees from the mundane, repetitive work.”

On top of all that, the company gives extra care to their employees’ well-being — they manage to sidestep overworking by adding a sprinkle of automation to their day-to-day operations: 

“We’re the walking advertisement of our own services. We put an end to giving our employees robot-like activities leading to easy burnout, and instead, we dedicate them to professionals — bots themselves.”

Flobotics — the last-minute assignment experts

To be able to spearhead towards a future peeled away from redundant tasks, Flobotics claim that they have specialized in last-minute assignments. 

Obviously, since we’re all about time management here at Clockify, we wanted to know where they sat on accomplishing their milestones on short notice. Turns out — hand-picked experts at Flobotics take the praise: 

“Planning the entire automation process is very time-fragile — we always present development time to our customers depending on the project. It takes mostly the expertise of our superb tech professionals who know how much time is required to build a particular automation — as everything also comes with experience.” 

Yet, nothing would be quickly done if it wasn’t for eliminating the low-hanging fruit at the foundation of each task: 

“We take the processes that take employees’ precious time out of their hands and create an automated virtual coworker that can conduct the task faster and error-free.”

Then, after they’ve ruled out the need to tackle time-consuming tasks, they make sure to remain open for change:

“We have always put our customer’s priorities first and adjusted our services to reflect their actual needs — sometimes on a very tight schedule. Working with many industries open to constant change and fast operational pace (such as finance or healthcare), we’ve learned that the only sure thing about the initial plan is its need to be change-flexible.”

Finally, all the puzzle pieces come together, and voilá — Flobotics team manages to set their clients up for success at warp speed. 

How Clockify became Flobotics’ close companion on their way to success

Not so long ago, Flobotics revealed that they would not have become the company they are today without Clockify’s functionalities.  

For a business that places such a high value on efficiency and rooting out time-eaters, we were more than flattered that they chose Clockify as their loyal companion.

For that cause, we wanted to hear all about Flobotics’ experience with Clockify — from the reasons they went for our time tracker, to all the particularities of their workflow with Clockify. 

Flobotics and Clockify — Friend at first sight

Describing Clockify as the key ingredient they cannot imagine their workday without, Flobotics’ team speaks highly of the impact our tool has on their company’s overall performance. 

But what is the backstory behind this bond? 

Turns out, it was friendship at first sight — and it was all due to Clockify’s smooth and user-friendly interface that made it stick out:

“It’s hard to imagine Flobotics without Clockify, as it became our friend on day one. Compared to other tools we’ve discovered on the market, UI and UX truly stand out and create a unique experience for all of us. It just smoothly integrated into our company and became its inseparable component.”

Being well-versed in making the most out of their time, the people behind Flobotics recognized the need for a time-tracking system right from the start. That’s when they welcomed Clockify with open arms:

“Clockify became an obvious choice so far ago. The tool was on board when our first time-tracking needs emerged and has been irreplaceable ever since.”

How Clockify aligned with different customer needs