Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

Labour analytics can improve business productivity

As companies become overburden with finding the correct data to analyze their workforce they are shifting their focus to deploying tools that can help them achieve these objectives in a timely manner. Business executives therefore, need to ensure they get the best possible return on their investment when selecting a time and attendance solution that aligns with their goals.

ATS TimeWork Time and Attendance provides companies with an intuitive dashboard that allows them to view employee data that’s in keeping with their business requirements. ATS TimeWork Time and Attendance labour analytics enables companies to capture complete and accurate snapshots of their employee labour activities through various workflow alerts.

TimeWork provides companies with a comprehensive view of their employee workforce activities with the strength to handle sophisticated pay rules and scheduling practices. When combined with the forecasting and budgeting tool, ATS TimeWork time and attendance labour analytics applies overtime based on configured workrules.

ATS TimeWork best-in-class Time and Attendance solution helps companies replace their manual and excel spreadsheet data into a real-time workforce management system. Having the right information at the right time helps organizations be proactive and improve productivity. ATS workforce labour analytics helps achieve your goals of outlining financial objectives, decreasing labour costs, improving workforce efficiency and effectively managing talent. This is easily obtained by simply automating the processes allowing the system to do it for you.

To learn more go to our website. To view a demonstration contact an ATS representative at 866.294.2467

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A Time and Attendance Solution can help companies improve energy efficiency

Most discussions on the environment tend to be a heated debate. As such, many businesses have embraced the idea of environmental stewardship and their products all of which, reflects their commitment to this cause. A recent study by the IDC highlights how businesses are taking notice of the environment in their own way.

As cloud solutions continue to transform the landscape of IT, companies are becoming more comfortable with this method of deployment. Today, many companies have moved their suite of time and attendance applications to some kind of hosted service and others are likely to follow suit.

ATS cloud time and attendance software has helped organizations derive benefits from a scalable, agile computing environment that also ensures interoperability, portability and mobility.

ATS hosted time and attendance is more flexible than a traditional model, offers cost advantages and frees up server space.

One of the greatest advantages of ATS cloud time and attendance is that it comes with a lower initial investment, predictable monthly charges, and easy deployment are the few factors which have encouraged small and medium organizations to adopt integrated business structure.

Time and attendance implementation has always been an expensive venture, which has put off many organizations from deploying it. A cloud time and attendance solution on the other hand, has removed that barrier. Unlike on-premises software there is no upfront investment and the monthly expenses are often predictable and above all, affordable.

By adopting a cloud time and attendance system, companies gain the expertise of ATS technical personnel in multiple areas related to software deployment. Paper waste is one of the biggest contributors to poor environmental practices at businesses, so this benefit should not be overlooked.

To learn more about ATS Cloud Time and Attendance solutions, go to our website. You can also follow us on Twitter or join the conversation on our LinkedIn group.

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Productivity Gains can be achieved by using an Automated Time Tracking Solution

Espousing the virtues an employee time tracking solution is one thing. Seeing it in action is another. Companies should use benchmarks to determine the value of an employee attendance solution versus the use of their hand written time sheets. Those benchmarks should include: return on investment (ROI), employee performance, labour costs and total cost of ownership (TCO) to name a few.

To say that streamlining payroll costs is of great concern to most companies is an understatement. ATS time and attendance provides up to minute, real-time visibility to key metrics such as efficiency and productivity throughout an organization. ATS TimeWork is an easy to use, robust and powerful time and attendance application.

One of the many ways that organizations can leverage the benefits of ATS TimeWork Time and Labour application is through its data integration with other applications. The application integrates to: HRIS, Talent Management, Payroll, Smart-Phones, tablets and ERP solutions. The intuitive dashboards allow mangers to quickly analyze data relevant to their departments. .

ATS TimeWork Time and Attendance solution provides organizations with labour analytics to determine key performance indicators (KPIs) that are impacted by time-related data. Its powerful rules engine enables you to manage rules for reporting, managing or processing time through local, regional or global locations.

Why ATS TimeWork?

Enforces consistent application of your company’s policies, government regulations, and union rules
Reduces time by automating the process of generating payroll
Reports choose from a variety of labour analytic data or create your own
Employee Self-Service gives employee access to review their hours, request time off or bid on vacation blocks
Real-time employee data collection through various data collectors
Pay code policies uses flexible pay codes based on company specific business policies at
Employee scheduling- simplifies the assignment and editing of fixed schedules to large groups of people. Repetitive or cyclical schedules may be created by an employee or by defined ‘schedule group’ for an indefinite period of time

ATS employee time and attendance helps companies with workload demand including; hours, absences, adherence to payroll rules and labour laws.

To learn more join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn. To view a demo go to our website.

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How to Choose a Time and Attendance Solution

Choosing a time and attendance solution is at best, a strategic decision for most businesses. Questions to consider include: can this system grow with our company? Should we start with the basics and add modules as we need them? Will the implementation fit within our timeframe? How robust is this application? Should we go for all the features of the system? All of these questions are normal when deciding which software application will best suit your organizational needs.

The true value of an employee time and attendance system lies in its integration across a company and the data gathered when using it. So why not start with a modern software solution that is able to meet your functional needs? It is a natural to want every conceivable feature and module when in actuality most companies only use a small percentage of the available features. Companies adopting a time and attendance for the first time would be wise to “crawl before you can walk”. If the right vendor is chosen, adding modules should be an easy process.

Here are the 5 strategies to use for getting the right system for your organization:

Stated Objectives- Companies should conduct an internal audit of all processes and policies before choosing a time and attendance system. If your company is small, this can be done by the project manager. For larger organizations, the steering committee can draft a plan.

Project Manager-The implementation of an employee time and attendance solution is as important as choosing the right solution and vendor. The importance of having someone within your organization spearhead the project should not be overlooked. If your company’s objectives are clear and all stakeholders are in agreement, the implementation will yield positive results.

Choosing the Data Collector-The common complaint we hear from some prospective customers, is that their time clock has never worked properly since it was installed. Some companies are so dazzled by the latest features of a software application that they fail to ask the most basic question of a vendor; will this employee time clock work for us? Today, capturing employees’ data has expanded to include: smart-phones, tablets, biometric time clocks and swipe card technology to name a few. Consider your environment and whether your employees will use the technology before choosing an employee time clock.

Informing stakeholders- Some employees view the deployment of a time management system as intrusive. This is particularly true if a company has long tenured employees who might struggle to understand why their hours are being tracked all of sudden. This can be diffused quickly by letting them know the reasons and the enhanced benefits of the system.

Choosing a Vendor-You should have a separate list that contains the criteria your company will use to select a provider. While a vendor who has been around for 100 years sounds nice, that in and of itself, should not be the only criteria by which you choose a vendor. Request the names of at least three companies who you can contact to discuss the product’s functionality and challenges. And if all that matters to you is the cheapest solution, be prepared to deal with software inefficiencies, a lack luster implementation and inadequate after sales support.

Choosing a time and attendance software should be an important decision for your company. Go about the process by “starting small” with a standard software solution the meets your organizational goals. As time progresses and your supervisors get used to the software, add modules to complement your growing needs.

To download the full 13 steps to choosing a time and attendance go to our website. Join the conversation on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Who is at Fault when the Implementation does not go as Planned?

Sometimes it’s hard to determine who’s at fault when implementations do not go as planned. In fact, there are a host of reasons why some time and attendance implementations falls short of expectations. Some of these can include:

Over Budget-The requirements far exceed what was initially agreed upon and along the way, it was discovered that the original proposal does not match the amount of work it will take to complete the project
Resources-The vendor and/or customer did not have adequate personnel set aside to handle the project
Quick Implementation- Rushing through an implementation is a recipe for disaster. Important aspects of the project are missed when this happens and distrust may develop on both sides

In today’s fragile economy, it is not uncommon to come across some companies who want to save money on a project. After all, who does not want to save a buck or two? However, cutting corners to save a few dollars could leave your company with a time and attendance solution fraught with problems. Buying the cheapest solution with a quick turn around may look good on paper, but these cuts do not save but rather add money in the long run.

At ATS, we believe in taking a holistic approach to the implementation of our time management solution. We deploy a project manager for all multi-site and large-scale implementations to coordinate the rollout process for your organization. The project manager works with your team to develop a timeline, key milestones and other details. The Project Manager also works with other resources within ATS to fully define/design your system, including: schedule required training sessions, test components and transition to our support center upon completion of the project. Weekly project updates (conference calls and reports), as well as on-site visits help ensure a smooth implementation.

To learn more about our time and attendance solution, go to our website and to view a demo contact us at; 1.866.294.2467.

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Is your Company using an Outdated Time and Attendance System?

2013 is finally here and it’s the time when most businesses are optimistic about their business goals and have visions of streamlining operational costs. On the other hand, companies who put off business automation can fall prey to unforeseen payroll costs that could hamper their business growth.

In our experience, companies in every industry; wants a software solution that not only meets their stated requirements but it will last for a number of years. Disjointed and older time and attendance systems can leave a company vulnerable since they can substantially impact production and create negative ripple effects throughout the entire organization. Unfortunately, managing the risk of disruption has grown more difficult with the increasing use of an older an in some cases, in-house solutions.

ATS’s TimeWork cloud-based application can be accessed anytime and anywhere in the world—ideal for companies with multi-sites in various provinces and states, geographically distributed warehouses or employees who travel frequently.

If your company is growing with new locations, new acquisitions and breaking ground through emerging markets, chances are you need a time management solution that can meet those needs. ATS time and attendance provides world class solution that can be deployed in a matter of weeks and help you achieve the real-time global visibility and efficiency that your business demands.

To learn more connect with us through Twitter, download a brochure through SlideShare or contact one of our representatives.

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Overtime Hours: To Track or not to Track is the Great Debate

Managing, tracking and paying overtime is a challenge for some companies. That’s in part, because these companies do not have the right tools to help them with this issue. Overtime has presented itself as a “hot potato” when not applied accurately. Case in point, litigation in recent years has made many companies take note of the rules governing overtime payments.

Canada’s labour code on hours of work and pay states, in part:
“The standard hours of work are eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. The maximum number of hours of work for a week is 48 hours. Certain provisions permit flexibility in applying these standards. As well, special regulations cover certain classes of workers in specific industries such as city and highway transport drivers. However, the Code makes no distinction between full-time, part-time or casual workers.”The quote goes on to say:

“The maximum time a worker may work each week can be exceeded for exceptional circumstances such as emergency work or averaging of hours. However, hours of work provisions in the Code do not apply to those who have management functions, or to members of specific groups such as the engineering and medical professions.”

The above guideline by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is a good measuring stick that can be used by payroll professionals when determining overtime pay for employees. In addition to this guideline, organizations need to factor in collective bargaining agreements (if applicable), industry type and labour codes unique to the jurisdiction/s in which they operate.

For organizations with several locations in different provinces and/or states, attempting to calculate overtime through an antiquated system can present a herculean challenge. ATS time attendance, and labour management solutions help you increase the speed and accuracy of payroll preparation, improve wage compliance, and optimize a rapid return on your investment.

The ATS time and labour solution shows hours worked in real-time and helps determine when an employee is approaching overtime so you can ensure your company has the right amount of coverage, helping you reduce the costs associated with overstaffing.

3 ways to streamline labour costs and take control of overtime:

Reduce Labour Costs: Control overtime hours while improving efficiencies with employee time capture to reduce manual errors.

Eliminate Technology Costs: With an ATS (SaaS) software-as-a-service time and attendance solution, customers can access the software 24/7 365 days a year through any web browser. Hassles of upgrading software become a thing of the past.

Notifications: The ATS time and attendance solution triggers notifications (including e-mail notifications) in real- time to alert managers of issues requiring immediate attention.

To learn more about our time and attendance solutions including automated overtime tracking methodologies, go to our website.

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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.

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‘Tis the Season to Monitor Productivity and Labour Costs

November 21st, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Retail | Scheduling | Time and Attendance Solution - (0 Comments)

With the holiday season rapidly approaching, retailers are both hopeful and excited. Most retail operations increase their staffing levels in anticipation of business volume. The ATS time and attendance solution helps retail operations keep track of employee attendance, absenteeism and monitors productivity for optimal profitability.

This robust time and attendance solution supports an unlimited number of schedules, as well as, fixed, open and flexible shifts. Employee tracking options include: Online Time Sheets, Web-Time Clocks, Biometric Terminals, Barcode Time Clocks, Magnetic Swipe Clocks, Smart Phones and Tablet PCs which monitor employee time and compile a range of labour analytics reports. Retail operations utilizing the ATS time and attendance solution will easily avoid payroll errors and the inflationary costs associated with mistakes made through manual processes.

Solution Benefits:

Employee Scheduling

ATS integrated time and attendance scheduling application ensures your levels are aligned to business volume. The software helps supervisors schedule the right people in the right place at the right time. The application allows supervisors to schedule by: seniority, skills, certifications, preferences and availability.

Budgeting

The budgeting module provides supervisors with the tools to review projected vs. actual labour expenses in each department. A variety of intuitive reports help supervisors adjust staffing to align with budgeted hours.

Forecasting

The ATS forecasting module helps retailers track the history of business volume and produce accurate forecasts of future business cycles while simultaneously providing detailed calculations of workforce management requirements. Departments can track data by defining forecast drivers to achieve a set of requirements specifically to that department. The ATS forecasting module provides businesses with technology to develop work schedules that meet business demands.

The ATS integrated time and attendance scheduling application can be set up in less than a week depending on the complexity of the business requirements. The solution is web-based and does not require a company to buy licenses and install software. Instead, companies pay an “as-needed” subscription fee and then access the software from a computer using any web browser.

To learn more, go to our website or REGISTER on to join our weekly time and attendance user group.

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