Honest Review:

Justworks Hours

By Asim Qureshi, CEO Jibble

June 5th 2023

As a CEO of a time tracking software company I need to know what my competitors are up to. That means I’m often researching about and/or playing around with their products, you know, it’s part of the job. Here, I share my findings of that research, giving credit to those competitors where credit is due and being honest about which products I believe you really need to avoid. And so, there you have it, this review, and in it, I try to be honest, fair, and insightful…

This review covers:

• Overview
• What Users Like
• What Users Don’t Like
• Pricing Plans
• Standout Features
• Positive User Highlights
• Negative User Highlights
• Ratings from Other Reviews

Overview

Justworks Hours is a cloud-based time tracking software that allows users to monitor projects, track employee work hours, and measure the overall performance of a mobile workforce. It is an add-on to the Justworks software that offers features like payroll, employee benefits, HR services, and compliance.

One thing that I really appreciate about Justworks Hours is how it enables employees to assess their shifts and interact with co-workers. Along with monitoring projects, it also tracks employee work hours, and even measures the overall performance of your mobile workforce. Plus, the app automatically records each work shift, which means no more frantically scribbling down start and end times on sticky notes. And if you’re forgetful like I am, you’ll appreciate the in-app notifications that remind you to take breaks and clock in/out. 

But, let’s not sugarcoat it, there are some issues with the app itself, like crashes and poor organization. While GPS tracking is great for verifying clock-in and clock-out locations, it is intrusive as it tracks all the time. The lack of basic navigation buttons is also a bit of a pain.

But hey, if you’re using Justworks Hours for contractors and part-time employees, it’s a great way to make sure everyone gets paid for the time they put in. 

What Users Like

• Easy check-in and out
• Clear information per employee
• Intuitive design
• Great customer support
• Can update mistyped entries

Pricing Plans

Justworks Hours is an add-on product to the Justworks PEO solution that starts from a Basic plan priced at US$59/user/month. The cost of adding on Justworks Hours is US$8/user/month.

Standout Features of Justworks Hours

1. Time Tracking 

Justworks Hours allows employees to clock in and out on-premises and on the go using different devices or Slack. The software includes geo-fencing that enables users to set a specific location for clocking in and out to ensure employees are at their designated area. It also lets managers view and approve timesheets and track working hours, making it easy to monitor and manage performance in real-time.

2. Automated Payroll Integration

The software simplifies business management by automating operations such as syncing timesheets to payroll with accounting software like Xero, QuickBooks, and QBO. With the integration, users can automatically run payroll, pay vendors and contractors and split direct deposits across multiple accounts. 

3. Compliance support

The app offers compliance support for employment practices, workers’ compensation, and unemployment insurance filings, which can help users stay compliant with legal regulations. This feature saves users time and resources since they don’t have to deal with the complexity of compliance themselves.

4. HR Tools

Justworks Hours includes HRIS which allows employers to deal with paid time off, onboard new employees, store important documents, and track key business metrics. This feature ensures all HR-related data can be accessed from one place.

5. Plus-Offering Benefits

Justworks Hours offers a wide range of wellness perks, such as health, dental, and vision insurance plans, from leading carriers such as Aetna, Kaiser, and United. Adding on, Justworks’ massive buying power helps users get PEO health insurance and other perks at discounted rates.

Selected Positive User Feedback: 

• “I love how quick and simple this app works. It’s great for taking breaks and clocking out swiftly.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “I love the ease of access that comes with using Justworks Hours.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “I like that Justworks Hours allows us to track project time efficiently. It makes it quite easy to identify the correct time and thus to price for projects and therefore better manage employees.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “The time tracking makes my role as a supervisor easy. Employees can instantly document time off and see approvals.” – Rose H. (Source GetApp)
• “My employees can accurately track their time from any work location, and I no longer have to track down time cards to run payroll.” – Mary Beth (Source GetApp)
• “The app is easy to use! It shows you how many hours you are working each day and lets you inform management if you forget to clock in or out of the app.” – Catrine (Source software advice)
• “JustWorks is a very easy-to-use, efficient, and accurate time-tracking system.” – Jessica (Source software advice)
• “Easy to use. Employees are in charge of tracking their cumulative hours. The geo-fence is good. The app is good, though the font is microscopic.” – Matt (Source software advice)
• “It’s very user-friendly. I was able to learn how to use the platform without any formal training.” – Ikethia (Source software advice)
• “This app makes it easy for us, the employees, to check in via our smartphones and makes it extremely easy to view our previous shifts.” – noahkabbob (Source AppStore)
• “It is straightforward to use for employees. The app is perfect and helpful. The connection with GPS is excellent.” – Diego (Source software advice)
• “Very convenient and intuitive. So far, it’s been a good experience; easy to use, and good reports are created from the info posted on it.” – Ninoska D. (Source GetApp)
• “Signing in and managing my time is simple and efficient, as it should be” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “The simplicity of the site. It is super easy to navigate and use. There are super helpful features that limit questions to HR. Getting paystubs is accessible and on-demand!” – Lilian W. (Source G2)
• “All in all, this software solved our problem of needing an app that would effectively track our employees’ timesheets.” – Anonymous (Source Capterra)

Selected Negative User Feedback:

• “When busy, it is hard to remember to go back and end your break sometimes.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “Buttons are confusing. I recently found myself unable to delete a shift that was made by mistake. Updated in the following update.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “The trial version is too limited, and you can only have one employee, making the program evaluation difficult.” – Ninoska D. (Source GetApp)
• “I dislike the mobile version of the app. The app is poorly organised. However, that could be an Apple-related issue as some in the office do not have the problems that I seem to.” – Anonymous (Source software advice)
• “I wouldn’t say I like that I cannot update the time until the employee has clocked out for the day (for instance, if they forget to clock in and then clock in later- I cannot make updates until the end of the day clock out)” – Jessica. (Source software advice)
• “I wouldn’t say I like how often it freezes. At least 2-3 times a week, it will freeze, and I will need to reload the app!” – Katrina (Source software advice)
• “How can I clock in and out when the app suddenly refuses to open? Even when it does open, it only works half the time.” – Lynx (Source Play Store)
• “Lots of glitches with logging in. It takes time to connect to their server. Today I clocked in and out, seeing my hours worked, but yet they disappeared and not showing.” – Martha Estrada (Source Play Store)
• “Poorly designed application. It took me a few weeks to be comfortable with making changes and correcting shifts.” – Rose H. (Source GetApp)
• “Many of my seasonal employees do not have e-mail, so entering a unique e-mail address for each person you enroll is a pain.” – Mary Beth (Source GetApp)
• “Rounds the hours down in QB integration. It only imports total hours into QB and does not put OT in proper QB payroll fields. All the reports are listed by first name first. It does not allow me to edit a shift that is still open!” – Matt (Source software advice)
• “Confusing buttons. Notes don’t work. I have to fill in letters for work. When I clock in, the Notes section remains grey and unclickable. Plus, there is no tutorial available neither you can’t test the software.” – Claressa (Source Play Store)
• “The app crashes and freezes often. I wish there was a tutorial or testing option.” –Ikethia (Source software advice)
• “It works great until it signs you out. I wrote down my password, and it would always say it was wrong and make me reset it, then the same thing would happen again, write down the password to have it claim it was wrong and reset.” – Geo (Source Play Store)
• “I wish the app didn’t crash or had bugs.” – twylene McGrew (Source Play Store)

Ratings from Other Reviews

(As of 04/11/2023)

• Capterra: 4.5/5
• G2: 4.5/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5
• AppStore: 4.6/5
• Play Store: 3.1/5
• GetApp: 4.5/5

Final Thoughts

I think the basic features Justworks Hours offers, from a mobile-first experience to built-in GPS tracking and automated alerts, are actually quite decent. The Justworks software also offers some unique features that set it apart from the crowd. With compliance support, you can rest easy knowing you’re on top of all the employment laws, and the HRIS feature helps you manage all HR-related aspects as well as benefits.

However, there are some issues within the Justworks platform. The software has frequent crashes and bugs that wipe away previously recorded data. Incorporating changes into the app is tricky, especially since there are no tutorials or testing options. Adding to that, the software’s high price of US$8/user/month on top of its US$59/user/month base fee makes it a tough pill to swallow for companies looking for a budget-friendly time tracking solution.

In my opinion, Justworks Hours is useful for businesses looking for a complete management solution with payroll, HR management, and time tracking, but for those who only need a time tracking solution, I suggest they look elsewhere because Justworks Hours is only available as an add-on to its main PEO plans.