Category: Time and Attendance

Since 6 April 2026, UK employers have had a new legal duty to keep records showing they comply with their workers’ holiday and holiday pay entitlements. The records must be kept for six years, and failing to keep adequate records is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine. This one caught a lot of employers off guard, because it was not in the government’s published roadmap and arrived with barely a week’s notice. This guide sets out exactly what the rule requires, what you need to record, and the one nuance most coverage gets wrong: the duty is live now, but active enforcement is not.

Choosing a clocking in system is less about finding the one with the longest feature list and more about matching a system to how your people actually work. A fingerprint terminal that is perfect for a factory floor is the wrong answer for a team of mobile engineers. This guide walks through the clocking methods, the factors that genuinely decide the choice, and the questions worth asking any supplier before you commit, so you end up with a system that fits rather than one you have to work around.

Time and attendance has a language of its own, and the terms are not always obvious from the outside. This glossary explains the twenty you are most likely to meet when choosing or running a system, in plain English, with a line on why each one matters. It is arranged so you can read it straight through or jump to the term you need.

The choice between cloud and installed workforce software is really a choice about who does the work of running it, and how you want your team to reach it. Cloud puts the system on the supplier’s servers and lets you use it from any browser or phone. Installed sets the system up for your organisation, which can bring a wider feature set and tighter control. Neither is better in the abstract.

Choosing a workforce management system is really two decisions: what you need it to do, and how you want your team to use it day to day. At Computime we offer two systems built on the same three decades of UK experience, Syncro and Realtime. They share the same foundation, but they suit different businesses. This guide explains the difference and helps you decide which fits the way you work.

One of the most important things about running a small business? Keeping costs low. Unlike huge corporations, SMEs typically don’t have a huge stash of backup money for cash flow issues, meaning boosting the bottom line is a must.