The simplest and most widespread solution for small businesses is the manual time clock. Whether you choose an analog model or a digital model, the concept is the same: employees use thick paper cards to “punch in” and “punch out.” The clock prints the respective time.
Manual time clocks have been around for a long time and are easy for employees to use. But there’s a large amount of work required on the back end.
You must collect the cards, transfer the data to another program, and then calculate work hours and employee wages.
This system leaves significant room for error. That’s why a scheduling suite of tools with an integrated time clock, like Sling, is often the best solution for small business. We’ll discuss the benefits of this employee management tool in a later section.

The Amano Pix-200 is another manual time clock solution for small businesses. It has a large, easy-to-read digital display and an illuminated, see-through print window for accurate alignment and stamping.

The Acroprint BioTouch time clock is a unique solution that provides both manual and software features. Data and settings can be transferred between the clock and your PC with a USB drive. Employees can clock in and out using their fingerprints, a PIN, or an RFID proximity badge or fob.

The Icon RTC-1000 time clock is another combination manual/software tool that can be beneficial for both large and small businesses. Using an ID number that is adjustable from three to nine digits, employees can clock in, clock out, and view the number of hours they worked by the day or the week. Managers can even set unique pay periods such as weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly for easy payroll calculation.

The FingerTec TA200 Plus is a software-based time clock that allows you to manage employee work hour data quickly and effectively via software loaded on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. The FingerTec TA200 Plus can also be used to prevent unauthorized access to restricted areas

The Icon TotalPass time clock uses proximity sensors to record employee attendance from a distance. Employees simply wave their badge across the face of the unit to clock in and out. The Icon TotalPass also accepts PINs and even biometric data (with an optional add-on). The Icon TotalPass connects to your computer system via USB, local area network, or Wi-Fi to record clock-in information for up to 500 employees. You can even link up to 32 time clocks over LAN, WAN, VPN, or internet for greater flexibility and utility. This gives business owners an effective tool to optimize performance. The units are self-contained and designed for small business, and they include all the software you’ll need built into the device. That means you’ll never have to install software again. The time clocks even instantly detect Wi-Fi networks on boot-up, allowing you to connect within seconds.

The Icon TotalPass time clock uses proximity sensors to record employee attendance from a distance. Employees simply wave their badge across the face of the unit to clock in and out. The Icon TotalPass also accepts PINs and even biometric data (with an optional add-on). The Icon TotalPass connects to your computer system via USB, local area network, or Wi-Fi to record clock-in information for up to 500 employees. You can even link up to 32 time clocks over LAN, WAN, VPN, or internet for greater flexibility and utility. This gives business owners an effective tool to optimize performance. The units are self-contained and designed for small business, and they include all the software you’ll need built into the device. That means you’ll never have to install software again. The time clocks even instantly detect Wi-Fi networks on boot-up, allowing you to connect within seconds.

The uPunch HN3000 is designed with your small business in mind. With a standard six-punch-per-day capacity, this time clock is an affordable and precise way to track employee punches and attendance. You can use the uPunch as a stand-alone time clock or link it to their cloud-based software for an even easier solution to tracking hours and producing reports. The uPunch HN3000 instantly identifies late employees by marking their punch-in time in red. That way, you’ll know at a glance who’s been on time and who’s been late. You can even schedule up to 12 alarms each day to indicate break and meal times or to announce the end of the workday. And with the option to manually enter employee time-card data into a free online account that is accessible from any internet-connected device, you have the power to work anywhere, anytime with just the click of a button. After you’re finished entering the time card data, you can use the advanced pay period reports, daily and weekly overtime tracking, and the ability to export to payroll systems to further streamline your time-tracking activities.

The uPunch HN3000 is designed with your small business in mind. With a standard six-punch-per-day capacity, this time clock is an affordable and precise way to track employee punches and attendance. You can use the uPunch as a stand-alone time clock or link it to their cloud-based software for an even easier solution to tracking hours and producing reports. The uPunch HN3000 instantly identifies late employees by marking their punch-in time in red. That way, you’ll know at a glance who’s been on time and who’s been late. You can even schedule up to 12 alarms each day to indicate break and meal times or to announce the end of the workday. And with the option to manually enter employee time-card data into a free online account that is accessible from any internet-connected device, you have the power to work anywhere, anytime with just the click of a button. After you’re finished entering the time card data, you can use the advanced pay period reports, daily and weekly overtime tracking, and the ability to export to payroll systems to further streamline your time-tracking activities.

The Lathem FR650 uses foolproof facial recognition technology to identify employees without the need for PINs, ID numbers, or RFID badges that can be forgotten or lost. Employees simply stand in front of the unit and wait a few seconds for their faces to be scanned. The computer does the rest.