What Is Time and Attendance Management? A Complete Guide from Definition to Methods and Solution Considerations

With flexible work, remote work, and shift work becoming standard, the importance of a structured system to accurately capture and efficiently manage employee time and attendance has never been greater.

This article explains the concept of time and attendance management, compares different methods, outlines 2025 trends, and provides a checklist for adopting a solution. It also highlights how organizations can drive change through effective management.

Time and attendance management is the process of systematically recording and analyzing employees’ working hours, including clock-ins and clock-outs, leave, and schedules.

It supports organizational efficiency, ensures legal compliance, and is critical for accurate labor cost calculation, risk management, and visibility into actual working conditions.

• Clock-in/out records : Record employees’ working hours using biometric devices, cards, or mobile apps to ensure accuracy and reduce manual errors.
• Work schedule management : Plan and share weekly or monthly schedules, covering various work types such as shifts and flexible arrangements.
• Leave, absence, and tardiness management : Centralizes the entire process from submitting and approving annual, sick, or parental leave requests to deducting remaining balances, while automatically sending notifications for absences or lateness and applying clear penalty rules.
• Overtime and approval workflow : Automatically aggregates overtime, night, and holiday working hours to calculate overtime pay, and digitizes the entire process from manager approval to payroll application to minimize errors.

Organizations apply different time and attendance methods depending on their size, industry, and culture. The following four methods are most commonly used:

1. Paper-based method : Employees manually record working hours by signing or stamping when clocking in and out.
2. Excel-based method : Working hours, leave, and offsite work are entered into spreadsheets and aggregated or analyzed using formulas or macros.
3. Electronic hardware-based method : Working hours are automatically recorded through hardware devices such as biometric scanners, card readers, or QR code scanners.
4. Cloud/mobile app-based method : Employees clock in and out via web or mobile apps, using location or Wi-Fi verification for remote or on-site work, with integrated leave and offsite management.

Paper-based method can be implemented immediately without building a separate system, with almost no initial cost. However, it is vulnerable to falsification and requires significant time and manpower for manual aggregation. Excel-based method allows more efficient data analysis than paper by using simple formulas or pivot tables, but it does not fully eliminate input errors or version control issues.

Electronic hardware-based method automatically records working hours through biometric scans or card readers, offering very high accuracy and minimal risk of falsification. However, it incurs initial equipment purchase and maintenance costs and may be limited by power or network conditions. Cloud/mobile app-based method excels in supporting remote and flexible work, providing integrated features such as attendance recording, leave and offsite requests, and automated reports. However, it may require initial system setup and security configuration.

Amid rapid changes in work environments and labor regulations, organizations are required to fundamentally transform their time and attendance practices. In 2025, the following four trends are emerging as key standards:

• Expansion of flexible work and tailored management : With hybrid and flexible work becoming mainstream, the importance of customized systems that can accurately support and manage remote work, satellite offices, and flexible hours has grown.
• Acceleration of mobile and cloud adoption : Mobile apps that provide access anytime, anywhere, and cloud solutions that enable real-time synchronization and management are increasingly being adopted.
• Advancement of data-driven analysis and forecasting : Beyond recording hours, analyzing accumulated time and attendance data is becoming critical to identify work patterns, improve efficiency, and forecast workforce needs.
• Shift toward employee experience (EX) and productivity : Rather than strict control, organizations are focusing on autonomy and positive employee experiences, linking time and attendance management directly to productivity improvement.

To effectively respond to these trends and ensure both accurate, data-driven HR management and improved employee experience, organizations can no longer rely on paper or Excel methods. Adopting automated time and attendance solutions has become essential.

Before adopting a time and attendance solution, companies should thoroughly evaluate their internal environment, workflows, budget, and security requirements. The main considerations include:

• Flexibility for company characteristics and work types : Verify whether the solution can flexibly support diverse work types (office, field, shift, etc.) and whether it allows customization to fit the organization’s needs.
• Budget and maintenance costs : Carefully review not only initial costs but also monthly or annual fees, additional charges as the number of users grows, and whether continuous updates and customer support are included.
• Integration with existing systems : Confirm that the solution integrates seamlessly with existing ERP, groupware, and payroll systems, enabling efficient management without duplicate work.
• Data security and compliance : Ensure protection of sensitive employee data with encryption, access control, and compliance with relevant laws and international security standards (e.g., ISO 27001).
• Regulatory updates and compliance management : Check if the solution supports automatic updates for labor law changes and provides audit logs or similar features to manage compliance risks.

Shiftee provides services optimized for various company sizes, industries, and work types, with the following strengths:

• Flexibility for diverse work types : Supports office, field, and shift workers, with customizable rules and policies tailored to each organization.
• Cost efficiency and maintenance : As a cloud-based (SaaS) solution, it requires no separate server installation or hardware costs. With monthly subscription pricing, it offers cost-effective use, while system updates and maintenance are included at no extra charge, reducing long-term management costs.
• Integration with existing systems : Seamlessly integrates with ERP systems such as SAP, Workday, and Oracle, and supports real-time data connectivity with productivity tools like Slack and Google Calendar.
• Data security and compliance : Certified with the ISO/IEC 27001 international security standard and provides industry-leading security features such as AES-256 encryption and Single Sign-On (SSO).
• Regulatory updates and compliance support: Shiftee promptly updates the system for labor law changes without requiring separate requests. It also provides essential features such as audit logs and overtime alerts to support legal compliance and risk management.

In a rapidly changing work environment with increasing labor regulations, systematic and flexible time and attendance management is essential for sustainable growth. Organizations now require integrated systems that go beyond recording working hours to encompass diverse work types, optimize HR strategies with real-time data, and prevent legal risks.

Shiftee is the leading workforce management solution in Korea, trusted by more than 300,000 workplaces.

Across industries and company sizes, Shiftee enables organizations to achieve efficient and stable time and attendance management, setting a new standard for HR operations. With Shiftee’s efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and compliance, strengthen your organization’s productivity and HR capabilities.