What it means
Time and attendance software tracks when employees work, take breaks, use leave, or record attendance-related events. It can include time clocks, mobile punches, scheduling data, timesheets, approvals, geofencing, overtime calculations, absence tracking, and exports to payroll or workforce management systems.
Why buyers should care
Time records often feed payroll, labor reporting, scheduling, compliance workflows, and manager approvals. Errors or unclear rules can create pay issues, employee disputes, and manual reconciliation. Buyers should evaluate whether the system captures accurate records, preserves edits, supports local policies, and gives managers enough visibility before payroll closes.
Evaluation checks
Review punch methods, timesheet workflows, break rules, overtime handling, approval chains, edit history, exception alerts, mobile access, offline behavior, and integrations with payroll, HRIS, scheduling, and workforce management tools. Buyers should inspect permissions, audit logs, employee attestations, export controls, and how corrections are handled after payroll processing.
This glossary entry is buyer-oriented guidance, not legal, compliance, tax, or financial advice.