Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

How Do You Plan On Choosing Your Time and Attendance Solution?

Several months ago one of our account representatives received a request for quotation (RFQ) from a prospective customer. With the help of one of our pre-sales engineers, we pored over the requirements and discovered some inconsistencies with the list. Upon discussing those findings with the prospect, we discovered that the list of requirements was generated from the quotation of another vendor. Of course, it’s not unusual to find requirements submitted by a prospective customer that were in fact, created by a vendor to sway the customer’s buying decision in their favour. However, what was unusual in this case, is that this particular prospect, had not taken the time to figure out their actual requirements. Without this important piece of information, they could not state what kind of time and attendance system would best fit their needs.

By carefully taking time to write down a list of requirements, customers stand a better chance of avoiding software problems. Choosing the right time and attendance requires a plan. It’s important to note, that despite what you might be told, not all time and attendance applications are created equal.

Some companies are so caught up on the price that they end up selecting a time and attendance system that lacks the capability to address what they want out of the application. A thorough analysis, including probing questions about how an organization is currently working, can uncover areas for improvement. This is a good starting point that can help in selection of the right employee time and attendance system.

The right time and attendance software can facilitate things like: data integration, labour, employee data collection and business intelligence reports all of which can be extremely beneficial to companies that are looking to streamline business processes. One of the best ways for companies to go about choosing a time and attendance software is to define an implementation strategy.

If companies follow some of this advice in choosing an employee time tracking software, they will quickly realize a return on investment and reap the benefits of the system.

To learn more or to view a demonstration, go to our website. You can also follow us on Twitter or join our workforce management software group discussion on LinkedIn.

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Leading Companies Streamline Business Process with ATS Time Tracking Solution

ATS TimeWork is the industry’s leading workforce management software that integrates with various applications including: customer relationship management (CRM), human resources information system (HRIS), human capital management (HCM), enterprise resource planning (ERP) and payroll. When combined with data collectors, mobile devices, smart phone s or tablets, it transforms the way organizations track employee time and attendance. ATS after-sales delivery model allows you to select the service that best suits your organizational needs, while delivering breakthrough performance.

The Industries We Serve:
ATS time and attendance provides highly focused capabilities to various industries by providing customers with a groupof certified personnel that are experts in their respective fields. This combination of business knowledge and technology expertise allows us to help our customers adapt to the changes within their industries. These industries include:

Manufacturing
Labour is the single most expensive resource for an organization, which makes improving the way people perform essential in maximizing efficiency and improving the bottom line. ATS delivers Workforce Management Software solutions that automate timekeeping tasks while reconciling labour data with production information.

Packaging
The ATS Solution is an integrated solution that enables business processes across multiple departments. This allows you to gain full visibility into areas including: operations, production, customers, suppliers, and finance.

Engineering & Construction
ATS time and attendance for engineering is a comprehensive set of solutions that provides a powerful software to manage engineering, construction, and operations, including plant contracting, home building, and shipbuilding.

Healthcare
The ATS healthcare solution combines the workforce management application for the entire enterprise. Keeping track of wage changes and collective agreements is complicated, ATS time management solutions simplifies employee time tracking for the healthcare industry.

Retail
The future of retailing requires that businesses adapt to changing consumer needs and use labour analytic tools to drive repeat shoppers at each channel. With ATS time and attendance business intelligence, companies can make better staffing decisions based on current customer demand, seasonal fluctuation, and unforeseen absences.

Public Sector
Service expectations and public scrutiny are high while resources are typically scarce. To meet high-performance expectations, ATS offers a tailored time management solution to support defense, civilian agencies, education, healthcare institutions; and municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments.

Transportation & Logistics
The largest operating costs that transportation companies have result from the management, scheduling and administration of the labour workforce. By reducing labour costs even fractionally, transportation companies are able to realize tremendous improvements to profitability.

You might also like:

5 Ways to Change your Current Business Process with Workforce Management Software
What Value can your Solution Offer our Company?
Adopting Business Automation in the Era of Austerity Measures

Business Intelligence, Customer Relationship Management, Employee Time and Attendance, Enterprise Resource Planning, Human Capital Management, Human Resources Information System, Labour Costs, Payroll, Time Tracking Solution

An Integrated System can Improve Business Workflow

Our current digital age is moving at breathing taking speed. Blackberry one of the purveyors of emails through a smart phone and a dominate player in its halcyon days was once considered revolutionary. Today, some of its detractors call it yesterday’s story. Who would have predicted 15 years ago that Apple would be the dominant player with a bevy of integrated apps on its smart phones? In the current bacchanalian times of adopting the latest mobile phone or software with the coolest features, the one constant for many businesses is that their software solution must be fully integrated.

ATS’s time and attendance software is a robust application with electronic workflows that provide seamless data integration across every department. Today’s companies will no longer adopt a software solution that lacks the ability to integrate to their third-party applications. These companies are expanding across city, provincial, state and international borders, delivering products to a higher number of customers than before.

ATS TimeWork is equipped with a powerful functionality including, integrated business intelligence, that provides companies with a 360 degree view across their departments and locations. The flexibility of our solution adapts to various business processes, with a simple cost-effective platform, that is easy to use and fast to implement. Some additional benefits of deploying our time tracking software results in stronger collaboration that enhances productivity and better business insight which, contributes to decreased operational costs.

To join the conversation, follow us on Twitter. You can also download time and attendance brochures from our website.

Business Intelligence, Electronic Workflows, Smart Phone, Software Solution, Time and Attendance Software, TimeWork

How will Time and Attendance Biometrics Change in 2103 and Beyond?

The introduction of time tracking biometric technology to companies in 1999 was a hard sell. Some of these companies felt that the use of this technology to track employee hours would give the appearance of “big brother” watching over them, or infringe on employees rights. Of course, that is no longer an issue since many of these companies have come to understand that biometrics for employee time and attendance matches the image of the user (hand, eye, face etc) to a number keyed in by the employee. Once the match is validated, a company has access to real time labour analytics. The concern that some companies and their employees have about privacy issues with the use of biometrics is a valid one. However, the data gathered through the use of an ATS employee time tracking system through biometrics cannot be used by law enforcement agencies. Data is used for the purpose of: tracking employee hours, vacation time and benefit accruals. Once this information is assimilated it is sent electronically to the payroll software to process employee pay.

Today, various types of biometric technology can be found at airports, healthcare institutions, and many border agencies. In fact, some laptop computers come equipped with a finger or eye scanner. To access the laptop the owner is prompted to have his/her eye scanned or put a finger on the scanner. If that laptop is lost or stolen, it cannot be accessed unless the owner is verified through the use of the biometric device. Biometrics has become ubiquitious in everyday society and most private and public institutions have embraced it to streamline their manual time keeping process. In a recent article titled “It’s possible to have both facial recognition and privacy” all indications points to biometrics satisfying privacy concerns, while at the same time, it has helped companies reap its many benefits.

ATS’s scalable time and attendance system is designed for today’s businesses. As companies grow beyond their antiquated, spread sheet time tracking systems, they need a solution that ensures that they receive the most accurate information. ATS workforce management software helps companies collect, analyze and take immediate control of payroll costs, all online and in real time.

To learn more about employee biometric time clocks, go to our website.

Biometrics, Employee Time and Attendance, Time and Attendance System, Time Tracking Systems, Workforce Management Software

Spreadsheets: Can They Really Help Track Employees Time Effectively?

Many companies track and maintain employee time, hours and other data with spreadsheets. Spreadsheets are also used for creation of pie charts, bar chart and line graphs. Spreadsheets do perform an important role and based on their history will not be going away anytime soon. However, we have noticed that too many businesses rely on this type of tool to track employees’ time and other data for payroll processing. The problem with relying on spreadsheets to handle employee hours is that it comes with inherent risks. Manually keying employee hours into payroll, ERP or HRIS can lead to numerous unintended errors.

Say good-bye to your spreadsheets! ATS SaaS Time & Workforce Management Solutions is a fully integrated software suite that does a great deal more than just track employee time. Our software helps organizations minimize payroll errors and automate time-consuming workforce management processes associated with time tracking, job costing, employee scheduling, attendance and labour distribution.

Solution Benefits:

TimeWork is robust yet flexible enough to adapt to your company’s changing needs
System redundancy provides frequent backups and ensures complete data availability
ATS data terminals provide hours instantly and in real-time and allows managers to review relevant data
System updates at no additional charge to ensure you are in line with technological advances
TimeWork ensures compliance with necessary labour laws while accurately tracking time and attendance of employees
Forecasting and budgeting modules align with company’s objectives
Labour distribution captures activities performed by employees at various departments or jobsites
Absence requests facilitate adequate coverage
Labour analytics provides managers with a variety of workforce data

ATS Software as-a-Service (SaaS) solution automates employee time, labour tracking and scheduling. Companies can access the data at anytime, anywhere and from any web browser.

To discuss the benefits of moving from a spreadsheet based time tracking to an automated solution, go to our website.

Absence Request, Employee Scheduling, ERP, HRIS, Job Costing, Labour Distribution, Payroll, SaaS Time & Workforce Management, Time and Attendance

Are Employee Time Clocks Keeping up with the Times?

Since the invention of the mechanical time clock in 1888, companies have used various types of time clocks to track employee hours. While the changes in time clocks have not been as fast as smart phones and tablet PCs they have made significant strides. There are still companies, today who use the traditional time clocks that come equipped with a paper time card. When these paper cards are inserted into the time clock, it punches a hole in the card that represents time in, out and other data that’s relevant to the company. Although the fundamentals of employee time tracking remain the same, time clocks have evolved.

Today, verifying employee record of work comes in several forms that include: barcode and proximity, hand geometry, fingerprint, facescan terminals, online/web timesheets, telephones and smart phones and magnetic badges. The functions performed by today’s time clocks range from job costing and schedule reviews to departmental transfers. When combined with labour management software, these clocks store data for the calculation of overtime, premiums and various work policies.

In some cases, time clocks may not be conducive to the needs of an organization. For example, it might be easier for employees who travel frequently to punch in and out, check their schedules and request time off through their cell phone. A construction company might also find it easier to use a mobile time clock for employees that travel to different job sites. Companies with remote health care workers might find it easier to use telephony. Phone punch or telephony allows employees to punch in and out from any telephone- all guided by voice prompts.

ATS time clocks facilitate complex attendance and job reporting, including hours worked, breaks, tardiness and absences. These time clocks provide real-time query capabilities and an accurate picture of your employees’ attendance and absences.

For more information on employee time clocks and workforce management software, visit our website.

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Software Implementation: Are All Users Onboard?

It is well documented that software projects fail for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the best laid plans go awry when circumstances beyond stakeholders control arise. Some of the reasons projects fail include: numerous changes during implementation, unrealistic expectations, unclear objectives, incomplete specifications and a lack of resources. Another reason projects fail is a lack of user acceptance. Gaining user acceptance at the start of the time and attendance project increases the likelihood of its success. End-user involvement can ease the difficulty that some organizations face when implementing a new workforce management system.

ATS TimeWork is the industry’s leading SaaS Time and Attendance solution. TimeWork is a robust, a flexible and easy-to-use employee time tracking software. Our solution has a plethora of modules that are scalable for companies from 50 to 100,000 employees. TimeWork streamlines payroll costs and helps companies manage their staffing levels and human resources activities for optimal efficiency.

Solution Benefits:

Save 2-5% on labour costs
Build automated schedules based on various preferences
Intuitive HRIS, ERP and Payroll interfacing allows you to export employee hours, vacation and other accrual benefit information
Employee Self –Service portal allows staff to view schedules and personal time off
Upgrades are done free of charge and will not disrupt your daily operation
Ensure the correct mix of employee skills is on the time clock at all times, making every shift run smoothly
Implement work management policies across multijurisdictional locations
Automatic calculation of overtime, premiums and statutory rules based on company’s specific needs
Manage human resource processes such as regular employee reviews, training and certification, vacation requests, pay increases, awards, and more
Access to vital labour information when you need it — anytime, anywhere
Implementation is done in days and weeks, not months or years

The success of a time and attendance implementation is enhanced when the participation of departments managers who will be impacted, are involved. Moreover, when support, communication, training and cooperation are exhibited they lend credence to influencing user acceptance.

To learn more about our Apex Time Solutions implementation methodology contact us at: 866.294.2467 or go to our website.

Employee Self Service, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Human Resources Management Systems, Payroll, SaaS Time and Attendance, Software Implementation, Vacation Request

Leave Management: Tracking and Managing Employee Absence Requests

Tracking complex employee leave requests through paper time sheets is costly and often results in errors. By automating this process, companies enhance the communication between employees and supervisors while simultaneously eliminating the manual process.

ATS Leave Management is a software module that allows employees to request time away from work. Through a web portal, managers can grant or deny leave, based on a company’s overall work policies.

Our Leave Management software allows employees to make use of the employee self-service module and review the status of their leave requests. They can also view personalized accrual balances through the application.

ATS uses a company’s existing policies to configure the rules for leave tracking validation and enforcement. ATS Leave Management module prevents the ability to enter accrual balances when it’s not applicable. The result is a system that accurately displays employees accrual balances in their respective web portal.

Benefits of ATS Leave Management Software:

Tracks attendance and leave policies consistently in order to streamline payroll costs and control unauthorized employee absences
Track and manages US Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Canada’s Family Medical Leave (FML) that overlaps with provincial, federal and state leave laws
Supervisors have the ability to approve leave request through any web browser
Employees see approval messages from supervisors through employee self service
Gives employees more control of their time off and a greater sense of fairness through consistent policy enforcement

ATS Leave Management takes control of intermittent leave conditions. The software tracks leave for: family day, jury duty, vacation, short term disability and parental leave. The solution comes equipped with audit trails, attendance records and leave-of-absence records. Companies can minimize risk of litigation, audits and employee grievances with this powerful tool.

To download a copy of our time and attendance leave management brochure, go to our website. To view an online demonstration, please contact one of our account executives.

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Workforce Management Software: Create or Buy?

In a recent conversation with the VP of a distribution chain, we found out that their in-house software had been created by one of their IT personnel. Since this person left the company three years ago it has become a nightmare trying to maintain the product. Before you decide to create your own software consider the following:

1)       Are there people on staff who understand the nuances of time and attendance?
2)       Which member of your team is going to maintain the software once it has been created?
3)       Who is going to be responsible for keeping up with: federal, state and provincial legislative policies that must
           be be adhered to in business automation software?
4)       If the creator of the software leaves the company how is that software going to be managed?
5)       Are you able to create import files for time clocks and other third-party applications like payroll, HR or ERP?

There numerous benefits to purchasing workforce management software. Some of these include:
1)       The software contains numerous pay and work rule policies.
2)       The time and attendance software algorithm can be configured to suit any collective bargaining agreement.
3)       Software updates are created automatically by software engineers at no additional costs.
4)       The import utility allows for payroll interfaces to any third-party payroll application.
5)       The software can be accessed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
6)       Back-up is done daily and is available on demand.
7)       Changes to new shifts, overtime and other pay policies can be done in seconds.
8)       The software has integrated modules that include: employee self-service, points and incidents,
overtime equalization, job costing, and forecasting.
9)       Complementary data collectors include: biometric facescan, fingerprint readers, proximity time clocks, online time sheets, iPad, and smart phone time entry

The decision to create or buy, a time management software should be given careful consideration. In some instances, competitive advantages exist if you have the internal resources and the time to create your software.

To learn more about workforce management software go to our website.

Forecasting, Job Costing, Overtime Equalization, Payroll, Time and Attendance Software

Simplicity Works Best

In some of our previous blogs we discussed how something as simple as a time management system is made complicated by industry jargon that confuses the customer. Quite frankly it doesn’t have to be that way. The tracking of employee time through our time and attendance software is a very simple process. However, some people make it seem complicated. Of course, we are not suggesting that you purchase for its simplicity and while ignoring its ability to adapt to your company’s work policies. ATS time and attendance software was designed to meet the most complex needs of an organization and at the same time, can be scaled down. The product is intuitive, user-friendly and has a modern look and feel that utilizes today’s web-based technology concepts.

The advent of automated time management was borne out of changing times. In years past, it was customary for a company with many employees to use paper time sheets or punch clocks to register attendance. Despite advances in technology, some companies still use antiquated methods to track employee time in the 21^st century.

Industry giants like the Canadian Payroll Association, American Payroll Association and the Aberdeen Group have been commissioned on numerous occasions to conduct surveys. The conclusion of these surveys has revealed that it costs businesses using paper based time sheets 1.5% to 10% of gross payroll.

Leading organizations of all sizes are implementing ATS automated workforce management system and as a result, are seeing a significant reduction in payroll and labour costs.

To learn more about our solutions go to our website.

Employee Time Management Software, Time and Attendance On-Demand, Workforce Management Solutions