Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

Avoid Fruits from the Low Hanging Tree When Making Your Selection

Today, more than ever, companies are keenly aware what type of functionality that need in an employee time management solution. Oddly enough, when shopping for a time and attendance system, these same companies forget their requirements and opt for a solution based on its price. We do agree that price is important but when selecting a time an employee time management solution, it is important to make sure the product matches your requirements. Otherwise, you will be selecting a solution that meets some of your requirements while everything else is blurred by the attractive price point.

Every company has specific needs when it comes to a time and attendance comparison. And, assuming every solution is the same can be costly and present problems when it comes time for implementation. You may have determined that the multiple spreadsheet approach to keeping track of employee hours, vacation and pay policies has become too complicated and time-consuming. It’s important that you get your key operational personnel involved as you assess the needs of your organization pertaining to your time and attendance comparison.

After sales support should be an important element within any time management solution comparison. Look for a company that can prove a level of support that meets your company’s expectations and ask for references that support such claims. All too often companies rely on flashy demos that create an illusion of what’s to come. And when a time and attendance solution is selected is based on flash you are usually buying a bill of goods.

Of course some companies have had bad experiences but, that’s not only with time and attendance. Has your company purchase a CRM, Talent Management or HRIS software based on price? If so, is it still meeting your needs? If not, why? Share your stories, good and bad.

To learn more, go to our website. You can also download a copy of our white paper “How to select a time and attendance solution”.

CRM, Employee Time Management, HRIS Software, Pay Policies, Support, Talent Management, Time and Attendance, Vacation, White papers

Is Eating Healthy Really More Expensive?

November 27th, 2012 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Cloud Based Time Management Solution | Employee Time and Attendance | Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

A recent study by the USDA brought to light a subject that has been discussed and dissected over the years. In its most recent study, complete with a chart to bolster its case, the USDA states that:

“Most Americans consume diets that do not meet Federal dietary recommendations. A common explanation is that healthier foods are more expensive than less healthy foods. To investigate this assumption, the authors compare prices of healthy and less healthy foods using three different price metrics: the price of food energy ($/calorie), the price of edible weight ($/100 edible grams), and the price of an average portion ($/average portion). They also calculate the cost of meeting the recommendations for each food group. For all metrics except the price of food energy, the authors find that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods (defined for this study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations).”

Proponents for healthier foods argue that there is a high price to pay for eating fast foods which, in turn, leads to obesity and a drain on a country’s medical system. In the context of a stagnant economy others lament that people who either make minimum wage or have lost their jobs simply cannot afford the high price of healthily foods.

While this subject matter deals with the costs of healthy eating, the correlation between the price and perceived value of a product can relate to many things. For example, in the Toronto Star, one ofCanada’s largest newspapers it featured an article titled “Frugal of Cheap: Which one are you”?

In waxing exponentially about the subject at hand, the author, Krystal Yee cited the following example: “My boyfriend kept buying sneakers that cost $20 to $30, but they never kept his feet dry in the rainyVancouverweather. So, every three months he bought a new pair. Finally he decided to splurge on a pair of higher quality shoes for $90. Three months later they are in excellent condition.”

ATS time and attendance solutions are designed for organizations that want a system built to last. Our solution gives you the power to design and scale your infrastructure and applications as your needs change, in a highly secure, robust and flexible environment. ATS employee time tracking solutions are designed to meet the most demanding business requirements with a cloud based technology that is supported by highly trained specialists to help you create effective workforce management software strategies.

Want to learn more? These related blog posts may be of interest. Be sure to sign up and join the conversation on our LinkedIn group or through our Twitter updates.

Cloud Based Technology, Employee Time Tracking, Minimum Wage, Time and Attendance Canada, Workforce Management Software

What Value can your Solution Offer Our Company?

Everyday we receive several requests about the ATS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software delivery model. The questions we deal with are wide ranging and include: security, benefits, features, deployment and after-sales support. Below is a list of the 5 most common questions our account representatives respond to:

1. Why should our company implement an ATS SaaS time and attendance solution over an on-premises solution?
ATS SaaS Time and Attendance has proven repeatedly to be a successful and lasting solution for organizations of all sizes and types – from the largest multinationals, to small businesses and non-profits. With the ATS SaaS time and attendance you are always using the most current version with the latest innovations available to you. There are no messy upgrades or yearly maintenance fees.

2. Will your system work with the other software applications we have at our company?
Our solution is non propriety and is designed to integrate with other applications including: talent management, customer resource management, payroll, enterprise resources planning (ERP) and human resource information systems (HRIS) platforms.

3. How long does it take to implement your system?
With no software to install on your computers or network, our implementation timeframe is measured in days and weeks – not months or years.

4. Who do I contact for support of our time and attendance system after it has been installed?
After-sales support is at the heart of what we do. Each customer is assigned a dedicated support rep after installation of the system. We believe that our attitude towards uncompromising service is what makes ATS stand head and shoulders above others. We strive to maintain strong retention rates by continuing to provide our customers with exceptionally high levels of service and support.

5. What makes your product unique?
ATS TimeWork is fundamentally sound and was built by software engineers with deep expertise in our industry. Our product has evolved over the years and comes equipped with a variety of modules including: human resources, attendance management, forecasting, vacation planning calendar, employee self-service, incidents and points and absence request.

ATS SaaS Time and Attendance is accessible through any web browser and does not require a large investment. ATS’s true Software-as-a-Service solution architecture provides customers with high flexibility, reliability and lower IT costs.

If you require additional information call at 866.294.2467 or go to our website.

Absence Request, Attendance Management, Employee Self Service, Forecasting, Human Resources Information Systems, Incidents and Points, Payroll, SaaS Time and Attendance, Talent Management

Do You Apply a Coupon-Type Mentality to your Software Purchase?

The theme of a recent call-in show on CBC radio dealt with the wave of small and mid-size businesses that were participating in offering coupons to consumers. In return for handing out coupons, these businesses were told that is was a form of free advertising. There are lots of bargain-hunters looking for the cheapest and best deals and these businesses should not expect customer loyalty. If the business participating in the coupon campaign does not have what the bargain hunters are looking for in terms of price, they will go on to the next company. Price is then the single driving force behind the consumer participating in these coupon deals.

Some of the consumers who called in complained that upon arrival at the participating businesses, the products that they were hoping to scoop up with their coupons were all gone. Others said their coupons were not honoured and they were asked to purchase a higher priced item. Business owners on the other hand, lamented that the bargain-hunters wanted products of greater value and higher price points, but did not want to pay for them.

While companies have been sending out coupons to consumers for many years, companies like Groupon and the TV show “Extreme Couponing” has made it trendy to collect coupons. Janice M. is a contributing blogger to the site “Talking Cents” she recently wrote a piece titled “To Clip or Not to Clip? The Great Coupon Debate.” Here is an excerpt of that blog:

“People love coupons. As you know, if you read my recent grocery challenge update, I am not one of those people. Not only are coupons not necessary for a thrifty lifestyle, but they can even be detrimental to your wallet and your budget. According to Nielson Clearing House (NCH), 78% of consumers report using coupons on a regular basis. This stat alone implies that my stand on coupons is not parallel with the majority. Although plenty of you won’t agree with me, the following are a few reasons why I don’t clip coupons.

More often than not the coupons out there provide a discount on the items that are the priciest. Therefore, you are not getting the best deal on a specific item (i.e. cereal) you are just getting a discounted price on the already higher priced, premium item (i.e. brand name cereal). I’ve seen it first-hand (as I know I’ve mentioned before). I’ve clipped the coupon, gone to the store, and realized that I can get the same item (different brand) at a cheaper price without using a coupon.”

Shopping for consumer items like frozen pizza, ice-cream and chocolate bars with coupons is one thing. When shopping for a time and attendance system the coupon bargain-hunter mentality should not apply. A time and attendance software streamlines payroll, increases productivity and is a long term investment. While it is true that some of the basics might be similar, the manner in which an employee time management application computes data is different. Moreover, implementation and after-sales support should also play a large role when comparing software solutions.

At ATS, we do not sell a one size fits all cloud-based time and attendance system. That’s why we remain committed to offering a broad range of workforce management solutions that give companies flexibility and choice.

To learn more about ATS cloud time and attendance solutions, go to our website.

Cloud Based Time and Attendance, Payroll, SaaS Time and Attendance, Time and Attendance On-Demand

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

Is the Once Mighty PC on a Downward Spiral?

A recent article by Gartner on how cloud computing is becoming the preferred option for many businesses and consumers caught our eye. Detractors to this report and others like it lament that people, by nature, are slow to change. While this argument holds credence, it’s clear the tide is changing, albeit slowly, towards cloud computing technologies like; hosting music on the cloud and Software-a-Service (SaaS) time and attendance solutions.

The report by Gartner is titled “Personal Cloud Will Replace the Personal Computer as the Center of Users’ Digital Lives by 2014”. In this report, Gartner espouses the virtues of today’s trend in cloud computing. One of the strongest points in this article states the following:

“Today, mobile devices combined with the cloud can fulfill most computing tasks, and any tradeoffs are outweighed in the minds of the user by the convenience and flexibility provided by the mobile devices. The emergence of more-natural user interface experiences is making mobility practical. Touch- and gesture-based user experiences, coupled with speech and contextual awareness, are enabling rich interaction with devices and a much greater level of freedom. At any point in time, and depending on the scenario, any given device will take on the role of the user’s primary device — the one at the center of the user’s constellation of devices.”

ATS’s ability to embrace innovation while simultaneously adapting to changing trends means, customers can deploy a solution without the additional costs associated that’s inherent in client-server installations. ATS SaaS time and attendance is hosted and maintained securely via cloud computing technology at one of our data centres.

To learn about the advantages of deploying a web-based time and attendance solution, contact one of our representatives or go online to view a demo.

Cloud Computing, Hosted Time and Attendance, SaaS Time and Attendance

Can a Time Management Solution Really Help Our Company?

Yes, it can! Over the years we have been asked this question many times. After the implementation of our solution, our customers realize a return on their investment in matter of months. TimeWork is a hosted time and attendance software that allows companies to track overtime, employee attendance, vacations and sick days and calculate work and pay policies.

Our workforce management software offers companies the option to collect employee time and attendance information through data collectors. These include: biometric time clocks (hand punch, facescan and fingerprint readers), online timesheets, barcode, proximity and magnetic time clocks.

There is no software to install
You can access the software from any computer that has Internet access to manage employee hours. TimeWork can be accessed through any of the following web browsers: Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera.

Payroll Calculation
Once configured, the software automatically calculates overtime and works in compliance with work rule policies. In addition, our open database interfaces to a variety of payroll, HR and ERP applications.

Return on Investment
We conducted recent survey of our customers and it was revealed that most companies see a return on their investment in two months or less.

Reports
The choices are endless and allow for exporting of report to Excel, PDF, or HTML. Generating a report is a easy with TimeWork.

Modules
TimeWork has a range of modules to suit small and midsize businesses as well as enterprise organizations. Our time and attendance software modules include: employee self-service, forecasting, budgeting, job costing, scheduling, benefit accruals and labour analytics.

Our solutions are designed to help businesses improve compliance and manage their workforce effectively. To read more, go to our website.

Barcode Time Clock, Employee Biometric Time Clocks, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Hosted Time and Attendance Software, Payroll

The Everyday Challenges of HR Managers

January 26th, 2012 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance Software - (0 Comments)

Benefit enrollment has become an ongoing challenge for employers and providers alike. The Internet has become a part of daily life for most companies and has spawned software solutions to meet the demands of these organizations. As companies increase their use in all things web-based, they are finding out it’s just as easy to use online enrollment for employee benefits as it is for payroll stubs. In short, most business automation tools are done by using the Internet.

Human resource departments are devoted to providing effective policies, procedures, guidelines and support to operational managers within their companies. Today’s human resources managers need tools to help them reduce the manual workload, empower department managers and effectively manage human capital.

ATS time and attendance HR module administers human resource processes from a single source. The solution gives you a snap shot of your workforce which in turn, allows for better decision making. Using our solution means there is no more re-keying of information and also less paperwork. The end result is you deliver payroll accurately and on time, and administer employee information with ease.

Using ATS single source solution will give your organization the tools it needs to be more proactive, efficient and cost effective. This will free up your time to focus on HR strategies rather than the day-to-day processes of HR and payroll.

To read more about our time and attendance HR module, go to our website.

Human Resources, Human Resources Management Systems, Human Resources Software, Payroll, Time and Attendance

Accessing Data with Tablet PCs and Smart Phones is the New Norm

While it’s easy to get an expert in just about every field, it’s fair to say no one could have predicted how big the smart phone and tablet PC market would become. Sure there were signs of it but the success of these products has skyrocketed. Apple recently announced that the iBooks 2 will be equipped with electronic textbooks and the techworld is going gaga over this.

Our seasoned programmers at Apex Time Solutions don’t lack for big ambition. As a group, we remain committed to aligning our products with the latest technology for our customers. The ATS time and attendance solution for smart phones and tablet PCs has a robust set of features and capabilities. Companies with on-the-go workers can submit hours wherever they are and supervisors can track and enforce attendance policies easier than ever before.

This application is ideal for managers because it’s easy to use and lets them quickly accomplish tasks. Employees with smart phones can request vacation, review their work hours and schedules.

Benefits to ATS Tablet PC and Smartphone application:

Real-time SaaS time and attendance functionality
Software is available 24/7, 365 days a year
Employees can request vacation and review shifts remotely through the employee self-service module
On the spot reports for time costing, payroll summary and employee leave
GPS Coordinate collection : (see when and where punches take place)
Managers can deny or grant employee leave through their GUI
The application provides flexibility for HR and Payroll to process information more efficiently

Benefits of ATS TimeWork:

Workforce Scheduling helps align employee schedules to key performance indicators (KPIs), optimizing company performance
Cost savings by means of accurately tracking employee attendance, reducing overtime, and eliminating human errors
The ATS software enables an organization to analyze, forecast and optimize staffing requirements
Labour Analytics provides managers a summary of vital workforce data for better planning
Display of up to the minute real-time labour reports for workforce planning
Reduce operational costs by lowering overtime and premiums to a minimum
Software notifications triggers real-time alerts to managers regarding issues that requires immediate attention

ATS time and attendance improves usability for labour analytics, absence management and scheduling. To learn more go to our website.

Labour Analytics, Labour Forecasting, Workforce Planning

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