In construction, one missed clock-out or falsified timesheet can derail your entire payroll cycle. Even so, many contractors still rely on outdated (manual) time-tracking methods that leave them vulnerable to time theft, costly errors, and compliance risks.
With so many variables to log on any given day, relying on paper time sheets (instead of Construction payroll automation) increases the chances for trouble and frustration—and that’s before they even get to your payroll specialist (whenever that may be).
From entering hours and job codes to logging receipts and overtime, the risk of error is incredibly high—and those inaccuracies cause payroll delays, lost revenue, compliance violations, and inefficiency that leads to chaos.
Fortunately, implementing a mobile time clock for construction workers can eliminate all of those risks, and improve profit margins and productivity.
Why You Need Mobile Attendance Tracking In Construction
It’s worth considering mobile attendance tracking in construction because manual data entry is the quickest way to create barriers to financial growth. Whether paper or digital, manual punch cards and spreadsheets can create additional (and unnecessary) strain on resources because payroll specialists are frequently forced to check for accuracy, chase down missing information, make corrections, and play email tag for approval.
These factors can result in (at best) delayed paycheck processing and (at worst) injury or legal liability, especially if you’re dealing with certified payroll.
Outside of your office woes (literally), delaying the implementation of mobile attendance tracking in construction makes you vulnerable to buddy punching, unauthorized overtime, and time theft, which can impact your ability to manage job costs effectively.
Here are some of our favorite stats that help drive home why construction time tracking apps are so essential to a profitable construction business:
- Manually entered HR processes (like payroll) cost US businesses an average of almost $5 per task.
- Using mobile attendance tracking in construction helps with preventing time theft in construction. This is vital to the well-being of your business, as “Buddy punching” costs businesses in the United States hundreds of millions in payroll expenses.
- Lacking construction payroll automation means that almost 70% of companies encounter payroll data discrepancies.
- Human error can cost 20-30% of a contract’s value.
- Two payroll errors can drive 50% of workers to find a new job.
The Advantages of Mobile Attendance Tracking in Construction
Companies with construction payroll automation were almost half as likely to commit errors as those who don’t. Additionally, construction companies using construction time tracking apps, like hh2, sped up payroll processing by 70%. Here’s how:
Real-Time Time Tracking and Clock-ins
Mobile attendance tracking in construction lets employees clock in and out easily using their mobile devices. This eliminates the need for paper timesheets or on-premise punch cards, which means more convenience for your team and more accurate timesheets for your operation.
GPS and Geofencing for Accurate Location Tracking
Geofencing for workforce management completely transforms each job site by increasing security, safety, and compliance. GPS and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology ensures workers are physically at the job site before clocking in, which helps prevent fraudulent time entries, enhances payroll accuracy, and protects equipment from theft.
Seamless Payroll and Job Cost Integration
Construction payroll automation software like hh2 automatically syncs attendance data with payroll software. That means every hour is categorized under the correct job code instantaneously, and it saves your payroll specialists tons of time and headaches because they never have to wait or chase down time sheets again.
hh2 Remote Payroll integrates with ERPs such as Sage 300, Trimble, and many more—find your ideal integration here.
Improve Compliance and Labor Law Adherence
Mobile attendance tracking in construction drastically reduces errors in wage calculations for prevailing wage and certified payroll compliance. Using a mobile time clock for construction workers to automate payroll systems, prevailing wage laws, union wages, and overtime tracking makes payroll processing infinitely easier, thanks to time-stamped records for audits and dispute resolution.
Enhanced Workforce Productivity and Payroll Efficiency
As mentioned above, using a construction time tracking app like hh2 means a 70% faster, more accurate, and easier payroll process. By eliminating manual data entry and generating real-time workforce insights for better scheduling and labor forecasting, your construction business is primed for growth.
Automated Mobile Attendance Tracking vs. Traditional Time Tracking Systems
Paper punch cards aren’t the only outdated way of tracking employee time, and while biometric time clocks can seem like a great time theft deterrent, they aren’t the most efficient or reliable way to approach mobile attendance tracking in construction.
The following section breaks down why Geofencing technology and construction payroll automation are the most economical and secure options.
Feature |
Mobile App Tracking |
Manual Timesheets |
Biometric Punch Cards |
Accuracy |
✅ High |
❌ Prone to fraud |
✅ Moderate |
Security |
✅ Strong (GPS Verified) |
❌ Weak |
✅ Moderate |
Automation |
✅ Full |
❌ None |
❌ Limited |
Compliance Support |
✅ Strong |
❌ Weak |
✅ Moderate |
Payroll Automation Means Never Worrying About Your Financial Forecasting Again
With such a massive annual cash flow, construction accounts for 4% of the GDP and creates more than $1 trillion dollars worth of economic movement. While slow to adopt, the construction industry's continually rapid growth means neglecting technology is detrimental to your revenue generation.
With so much competition, introducing AI and automation into your labor management is a great way to maximize cost-efficiency and ensure you can job cost profitably.
Here’s how a simple switch to construction payroll automation can improve every aspect of your operation.
- Using mobile attendance tracking in construction increases the flexibility of your workforce because cloud-based mobile time tracking is accessible from anywhere.
- Implementing construction payroll automation ensures correct paychecks with GPS-enabled clock-ins and Geofencing for accurate attendance data and helps with preventing time theft in construction.
- Adding construction time tracking apps helps you avoid unnecessary downtime thanks to seamless integration with payroll, job cost tracking software, and major ERP systems.
- Protect your business with automated compliance reporting for certified payroll, overtime, substantiated billing, and beyond with mobile attendance apps.
As advantageous as construction time tracking apps are, not all payroll automation is created equal. The construction industry faces the added challenges of compliance, and general payroll software may lack the features and capabilities necessary to protect your business.
That’s why professional contractors decided to take matters into their own hands. Now, hh2 construction payroll automation helps construction companies stay compliant, profitable, and ahead of the game.
Supercharge Your Back-Office
Eliminate manual data entry and manual errors while simplifying nearly every back-office process with hh2's construction solutions.