While most employers are using Web- or PC-based time and attendance software to track and manage employee absences, a sizable number still rely on manual spreadsheets, according to a recent survey by CyberShift, a global provider of workforce management systems.

The research, based on responses from nearly 1,200 American Payroll Association members, shows that 62% track absences using a Web- or PC-based solution, with 73% indicating that solution is part of their commercially available time and attendance software. Thirty-eight percent of respondents use manual/spreadsheets for absence monitoring; the responsibility for those spreadsheets is split between payroll (56%) and managers (44%).

The survey shows that authorized absences, such as disability, maternity/paternity leave, sabbaticals, sick time and vacation time, account for a higher percentage of payroll-related costs. For example, a little more than 20% of respondents listed sick time as accounting for more than 25% of all payroll costs, while nearly 60% said that vacation time accounts for more than 25% of payroll costs.

Seventy-six percent of the respondents estimated that up to 10% of their organizations’ absences were unauthorized. Typically, these unapproved absences are tracked at a manager’s discretion (53%) or monitored as unpaid time (25%).

When asked about tracking employees’ time, 38% said they require all employees to report their time each pay period. The most prevalent method of employee time reporting among surveyed companies were a Web-based solution (35%), time clock (32%) and manual/spreadsheets (25%).

Of APA members who responded to the Trendline survey, 39.9% work at organizations employing less than 500 people; 16.8% work at organizations with 501 to 1,000 people; 27.5% work at organizations with 1,001 to 5,000 people; 7.4% work at organizations with 5,001 to 10,000 people; and 8.4% work at organizations with more than 10,000 people.