Harvest
Time Tracking
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Secure Time Tracking App

Harvest is a secure time tracking app that protects sensitive data with robust access controls and audit trails, ensuring compliance with global regulations.

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How much revenue is your team leaving on the table?

Most agencies run at 55-60% utilization. Even a small improvement means significant revenue. See what closing the gap looks like for your team.

Number of people who track billable time
$
Blended rate across roles (junior, senior, lead)
55%
Percentage of total hours that are billable. Industry average is 55-60%.
75%
A realistic target for service businesses is 70-80%.
Monthly revenue gap $0
Revenue at current utilization $0/mo
Revenue at target utilization $0/mo
Extra billable hours needed per person/day 0h
Annual revenue opportunity $0

Start tracking team utilization

Walk through the entire flow below. Start a timer, check your reports, and create a real invoice — all in three clicks.

Go ahead — start tracking!

One click and you're timing. Try it right here: start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Harvest.

  • One-click timer from browser, desktop & mobile
  • Works inside Jira, Asana, Trello, GitHub & 50+ tools
  • Duration or start/end — your call
  • Day, week & calendar views to stay on top of it all
  • Friendly reminders so no hour gets left behind
Acme Corp
Website Redesign
Homepage layout revisions
1:24:09
Content Strategy
Blog calendar planning
1:30:00
SEO Audit
Technical audit report
0:45:00
Brand Guidelines
Color system documentation
2:15:00
Logo Concepts
Initial sketches round 1
1:00:00
Today's total 6:54:09

The Criticality of Secure Time Tracking in Today's Digital Workplace

Secure time tracking has become a fundamental necessity in today's digital workplace, especially given the rise of remote work. With over 65% of U.S. companies offering flexible work options in 2024—a 14% increase from the previous year—the demand for secure tracking solutions has never been higher. Time tracking data is classified as personal data, subject to strict regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, which mandates transparency and specific data minimization practices.

Beyond compliance, the risks of insecure time tracking include significant financial penalties and reputational damage. Businesses reportedly lose $11 billion annually to time theft, highlighting the need for robust systems that prevent fraudulent activities. Moreover, compliance failures can result in hefty fines, such as a UK retailer fined £100,000 for employee tracking beyond work hours. Therefore, implementing a secure time tracking system is not just about legal adherence but also about protecting business integrity and employee trust.

Core Security Features and Data Privacy Measures

Secure time tracking apps must prioritize encryption, authentication, and access controls to protect sensitive data effectively. Leading solutions implement AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit, ensuring robust protection against unauthorized access. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access controls (RBAC) further enhance security by verifying identities and limiting data access based on user roles.

Harvest addresses these needs by incorporating role-based permissions and timesheet approval processes, allowing teams to restrict who can view or edit time entries. Additionally, Harvest utilizes audit trails through its Activity Log to maintain transparency and accountability by tracking changes to time entries. Such features are crucial in meeting regulatory requirements and preventing unauthorized data manipulation.

Navigating Compliance: Regulations and Best Practices

Compliance with global regulations like GDPR, FLSA, and CCPA is essential for any time tracking solution. These regulations require businesses to establish clear data retention policies and ensure data processing transparency. For instance, under GDPR, organizations must allow employees to access, rectify, or erase their recorded work time data.

Implementing best practices such as phased rollouts and comprehensive employee training can facilitate compliance. Harvest champions these practices by integrating with secure payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, ensuring that financial data is handled in compliance with relevant standards. Furthermore, regular security audits and updates are vital to maintaining system integrity and addressing potential vulnerabilities promptly.

User Access Controls and Mitigating Monitoring Risks

Effective user access controls are crucial in mitigating privacy risks associated with employee monitoring. By utilizing granular permissions, time tracking apps can customize access levels for different roles, ensuring that only authorized personnel can view or modify sensitive information. This approach balances oversight with privacy, avoiding excessive surveillance that could erode employee trust.

Harvest facilitates this balance by offering role-based permissions and approval workflows, enabling teams to prevent timesheet fraud while maintaining transparency. Additionally, involving employees in the system design process and communicating data usage policies clearly can help build trust and promote fair usage of monitoring tools.

Secure Time Tracking with Harvest

View Harvest's secure time tracking features, including role-based permissions and audit trails for data integrity.

Secure time tracking app interface with Harvest's features

Secure Time Tracking App FAQs

  • Time tracking apps often include features like AES-256 encryption for data at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit. They also implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and role-based access controls (RBAC) to protect sensitive information.

  • Harvest ensures data privacy through role-based permissions and audit trails, allowing teams to manage who can access or modify time entries. It integrates with secure payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, supporting compliance with global data privacy regulations.

  • Yes, many time tracking apps comply with GDPR by implementing data minimization practices and allowing employee rights to access, rectify, or erase their data. These apps also provide transparency about data processing purposes.

  • Harvest offers user access controls through timesheet approval and role-based permissions, enabling teams to determine who can view or edit time entries. This helps prevent unauthorized data access and ensures compliance with privacy regulations.

  • Time tracking apps prevent timesheet fraud by using punch-in/out modes, geofencing, and audit trails to verify time entries. Harvest, for example, tracks changes to time entries through its Activity Log, promoting accountability.

  • Audit trails are crucial as they provide a record of all changes made to time entries, ensuring transparency and accountability. Harvest's Activity Log tracks these changes, helping businesses maintain compliance and prevent fraud.

  • Yes, Harvest integrates with secure payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, ensuring seamless and compliant financial transactions.