Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

Telecommuting Versus Traffic Gridlock: Which One Would Your Employees Prefer?

Over the last 15 years traffic gridlock has increased throughout the GTA and outlying areas in astounding numbers. Why so many people have to drive to work remains a mystery. CBC Metro Morning anchored by Matt Galloway ran a week long expose titled “Joyless Commute”. The show interviewed everyday commuters, politicians and experts in the world of transportation in the hope of trying to find answers to cut down on gridlock. A recent article titled “Secret to Increased Productivity: Don’t Come to the Office” espouses the virtues of working from home and how more businesses could benefit if they adopted the practice.

Here at ATS, some of our employees who work from home are just as productive in getting projects done on time. The ATS employees who work from home use our cloud-based online time sheets that utilize state of the art technology. In addition, employees have cited things such as; not having to be stuck in traffic and fewer interruptions as factors that make working from home easier.

Of course, telecommuting is not for everyone and some employees find that working from home requires a certain level of discipline. At times it can be very hard to convince old fashioned, micromanaging, bosses of the benefits of working from home. Telecommuting will not solve all the traffic gridlock that we face each day in our cities. However, if businesses adopt a practice of having more employees work from home, even for one or two days a week, it could make a slight dent in the traffic gridlock and pay some small dividends to the environment.

The ATS time and attendance system is robust and helps management make faster, better informed decisions by providing up-to-the minute business analytics across all business areas. With more visibility, departmental mangers can quickly identify and take immediate corrective action. In addition these managers can focus on strategic planning and be more responsive to a changing business environment. Employees working from home or in remote locations can use employee self-service to check schedules, review hours and submit vacation requests.

Our monthly webinar provides an in-depth look at a businesses’ current environment and shows you how ATS workforce management software can grow to meet your organization’s changing needs. You will also discover how our flexible technology enables fast deployment, high interoperability, and streamlined management flows.

To learn more follow us on Twitter or join our LinkedIn Business Group.

Business Analytics, Employee Self Service, Environment, Productivity, Telecommuting, Time and Attendance System, Workforce Management Software

Paper-Based Tracking Systems Waste Valuable Time and Resources

During a recent tradeshow in which ATS participated, we were approached by several companies who showed an interest in exploratory discussions about automating their operations. What became obvious is that while many of these companies automated some parts of their businesses, payroll seemed to be one that was given the least attention. In a world that has seen an economy that refuses to abate, it was surprising to see that labour, the largest expense within a company, was the last to be automated.

ATS time and attendance system streamlines business operations to minimize payroll costs. By connecting our workforce management software to your existing; Payroll, HRIS, ERP applications efficiencies are gained by eliminating the need to rekey data. Productivity and customer service is improved by through better management throughout your organization.

ATS employee data collectors capture real-time information to maximize and improve processes flows. The collecting and analyzing of employee hours, reducing labour costs and improving compliance are the key time and attendance strategies for today’s leading industries. Our software application integrates with various input sources that helps companies streamline business operations, manage schedules, track benefits accruals, perform job costing and administer employee self service.

To learn how, time and attendance software can become part of your overall workforce management program, join our LinkedIn Group. You can also follow us on Twitter and download white papers and brochures from our website.

“We used paper time sheets for years and mistakenly thought it was effective when we had 50 employees. As our company grew over the years, we could no longer keep up with the daily adding up of employee hours, calculating vacation and overtime. The ATS time and attendance system is one of the best investments we have done in the last 10 years. Our departmental managers are happy because they are no longer spending time verifying hours on a daily basis. ATS support team is one of the best our group has ever dealt with.”

Jespite Manfuacturing Inc.
S. Mason, CGA-Chief Financial Officer

Benefit Accruals, Employee Self Service, HRIS, Job Costing, Payroll, Time and Attendance Software, Time and Attendance System

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

Is there any value to Key Performance Indicators?

Some have argued recently, that the words, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a much maligned and overused term. While there may be some credence to this argument, there is no denying the importance of KPIs as they relate to a company’s strategic goals and objectives. In a manual based environment of tracking employee time, companies have a hard time measuring the time it takes to analyze and key in data into various repositories.

The use of ATS workforce management software allows companies to manage risks while simultaneously optimizing their workforce with our employee time and attendance system. The ATS solution intuitive dashboard utilizes Utilizing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), through a set of labour analytics that enables stakeholders to track an organization’s progress and take corrective steps as deemed necessary.

Benefits of ATS Workforce Management Software:
ATS Time and Attendance is robust and user-friendly and it tracks employee vacation time and integrates to HR and payroll applications. This module solution includes: Labour Forecasting, Employee Scheduling, Job Costing, Budgeting and Labour Analytics.

Reduction in Labour Costs- The solution streamlines manual processes and decrease labour costs through intelligent data capture. ATS workforce management software provides reductions in overtime while maintaining optimum staffing levels.

Comply with Multijurisdictional Work Policies- The ATS Time and Attendance Software automates the calculation and reporting of hours worked and paid time off based on your company’s pay policies, making it easier for you to manage labour costs, control overtime, and empower your workforce with self-service access to hours, schedules and vacation balances.

Process Flow-Through the use our solution, companies can no longer have to track tedious tasks manually. ATS time and attendance solution helps simplify employee scheduling by giving you the tools to ensure adequate staffing coverage, prevent employees from working outside scheduled hours, and avoid unnecessary overtime.

To speak to someone about our time and attendance system go to our website or click here to see a live demonstration.

Budgeting, Employee Scheduling, Job Costing, Labour Analytics, Labour Costs, Labour Foreasting, paid time off, Time and Attendance Software, Time and Attendance System, Work Policies, Workforce Management Software

Three Reasons to Switch to a SaaS Time and Attendance Solution

ATS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Time and Attendance is a subscription based solution that offers a superior advantage to large and small businesses. Customers can access this cloud solution through the Internet via any web browser. With this solution you avoid costly servers, version upgrades and software licenses. ATS receives feedback from its customers who rave about the ease-of-use in accessing the solution anytime they want to.

If your company has been considering switching to an automated time and attendance system here are three reasons to choose ATS:

Reduction of Labour Cost
Over the years numerous studies have shown that companies spend thousand of dollars each year to capture employee time with a manual tracking system. ATS SaaS time and attendance is configured to adapt to your work policies. The end result is a system that automates; overtime, benefit accruals and statutory holidays in your jurisdiction.

Business Intelligence and Labour Analytics
ATS cloud time and attendance provides scheduling, time and wage calculation, time card editing and approval. The business intelligence tool empowers companies to quickly and easily obtain the information required for improved operations and reporting across an entire business. The business intelligence eliminates manual report preparation, repetitive data extracts, and complex back-end data joins to provide you with up-to-date, accurate, and presentation-quality reports for informed decision-making.

Implementation
Unlike on-premises solutions, ATS SaaS Time and Attendance takes a few weeks and not several years to install. A simple web browser is all user needs to start using the software. The software enables your company to implement a fully functional management system at new sites, regions or production sites without investing in high-cost IT infrastructure.

To learn more go to join our LinkedIn group discussions, follow us on Twitter, or go to our website.

Benefit Accruals, Cloud Time and Attendance, Labour Analytics, Labour Costs, Overtime, SaaS Time and Attendance, Scheduling, Time and Attendance System, Time Card Editing

The List: Some of Strangest Reasons Employees Give for Being Late

We have all shown up late for work at some point in our lives. Whether it was because the car broke down or the pet bird died, the excuses are limitless. So, it was no surprise to see a survey, conducted earlier this year by CareerBuilder, listing some of the reasons citied by employees for being late.

In our experience working with numerous organizations, we too have heard of the excuses given to companies by some of their employees. The top three include:

1) Employee found out halfway on her way to work that she was in her pajamas and returned home to change in work clothes

2) Employee showed up an hour after his start time because he was watching the hockey game which kept him up all night

3) Employee’s car broke down for the 3rd time in a week

While a time and attendance system cannot stop employees from being late, it does capture patterns of attendance. These attendance patterns highlight the number of times an employee was absent and the reason. With one click of the ATS time and attendance system, you can generate real-time metrics and employee data analytics. This information allows companies to visualize and track the optimal key performance indicators that drive its business.

The integrated solution provides quick data access to payroll and other application interfaces. The business analytics module, gives companies a comprehensive view of key labour metrics, reduces compliance risks and gives managers up-to-the minute information on sick time and vacation time all based the criteria of an organization.

If your company is still using paper timesheets, go to our website and download a comprehensive report on the benefits of a time and attendance solution.

Labour Metrics, Paper TimeSheets, Payroll, Time and Attendance System, Vacation

Streamline HR and Payroll Functions with Employee Self Service

October 17th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Self Service | Employee Time and Attendance - (0 Comments)

“How much vacation time do I have left? How many hours did I work last week? “Was my vacation approved?”

These are just a few questions that HR managers get asked on a daily basis. In addition to screening, recruiting and a host of other duties, HR managers are often faced with employee questions about hours and benefits. Providing timely responses to these questions have never been easier.

The ATS Employee Self Service module gives employee access to their attendance, vacation balances and a host of other HR related functionality. Employees can access their information such as request time off through a web-browser with their own unique PIN number.

ATS Employee Self Service simplifies the automation of the request-and-response procedure. Employees request time off through the Employee Self Service portal- while supervisors receive a notification of the request, and can approve or deny the request. The time off request process is integrated within our time and attendance system, thereby eliminating paperwork and encouraging communication that can be tracked between employers and supervisors.

Companies using Employee Self Service can have configuration functions of this solution. For example, a company can determine the level of access it grants employees including how they enter their time or view available vacation. An HR or payroll practitioner interested in reducing administrative requests will find that the ATS Employee Self Service helps to streamline HR requests.

Solution Benefits:

Secure access and password protection
Allows employees to review their own benefit usage and benefit balances
Save time and reduce costs by putting employee information and HR processes on the web
Streamline HR processes, including benefits enrollment and vacation/sick time
Access employee information 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week
Reduce the number of phone calls received by HR
Employees can view and maintain personal information including, time off and review of schedules
The solution can accessed through a web browser such as: Internet Explorer, FireFox, Opera and Google Chrome
Eliminates the manual entry of timesheet information into the payroll system.
Reduces requests for historical time and attendance information by providing the information to employees online
Allows employees to review their own benefit usage and benefit balances

ATS Time & Attendance Employee Self Service empowers employees with 24/7 access to their benefit information. When paired with ATS Workforce Management Software, the Employee Self Service module provides the added convenience of performing a variety of timekeeping employee transactions.

To read more go to our website. To join the conversation on our weekly user conference, follow us on twitter and to get employee time tracking solution updates join our LinkedIn group.

Employee Self Service, Employee Time and Attendance, Payroll Software, Time and Attendance Canada, Time and Attendance System, Workforce Management Software

If it is broken it should be fixed

September 28th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Hosted Time and Attendance Solution | Hosted Time and Attendance System | Time and Attendance System - (0 Comments)

A few years ago, one of our account representatives received a call from a prospective customer who wanted to upgrade their time and attendance system. Although their product was working, it was no longer supported and the company who they purchased from had sold their interest to another organization. As it turned out, the organization in question was offering an upgrade that was 50% over the customer’s budget.

During her conversation with the company she learned the following:

The software was installed on a computer with an outdated operating system that was no longer supported
Reports were archaic
It took upwards of 4-6 hours each pay period to verify employee records on their time sheets
The system was managed by one person who gave reports to supervisors for verification
Employee hours were keyed into their payroll software every pay period

Companies looking to upgrade from their legacy system can reap the benefits from an ATS Hosted Time and Attendance System:

Resources

The ATS Hosted Time Management Solution does not require servers, backup software, virus-protection programs, or redundancy utilities. That’s because it’s hosted by us. All that is required is a computer with a web browser. The software can be accessed 24/7, 365 days a year via Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox or Safari.

Support

Think about it, 10 year old software that sits on a single computer requires the resources of IT personnel. If that software sits on a company’s server (and depending on size of the database) that means dedicated server space and numerous hours of IT helpdesk support just to get the software up and running.

Implementation

The implementation of an ATS Hosted Time and Attendance Solution can be done in a week or less depending on the size of the company. Since we host the software, we also assume responsibility for product maintenance, software upgrades, performance and availability which dramatically lowers your maintenance costs.

Automating your time and labour management with Apex Time Solutions helps minimize compliance risk, frees time to focus on company’s overall objectives and improves employee morale and productivity.

To view a demo of our Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution visit us online. You can also follow us on Twitter or join our weekly webcast on LinkedIn.

Cloud Computing Software, Hosted Time and Attendance Software, Hosted Time and Attendance Solution, Hosted Time and Attendance System, Software-as-a-Service, Time and Attendance System, Time Management Solutions

Go Green and Eliminate Paper Timesheets

John Edwards, a contributor to CFO Magazine wrote an article titled “A Sense of Validation” In this article, he espouses the virtue of a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model and it many advantages. On a few occasions, members of our team have spoken to small and mid size businesses executives who cannot afford a full time IT person, yet express the need to have an automated time and attendance system.

ATS web-based time and attendance and employee time clocks help businesses reduce costs and stay compliant with labour laws. Our workforce management software provides improves accuracy in data gathering and generates a quick return on investment.

Benefits of ATS web-based time and attendance software:

Cost Reduction: Our employee time tracking software solution reduces IT and maintenance costs. There is no hardware to purchase or maintain. The ATS time tracking solution protects data with disaster-recovery capabilities. Our time and attendance management solution streamlines data and provides managers with a consolidated reporting tool. With an ATS hosted solution, you don’t need an IT person or department to maintain hardware or software.

Compliance: Using an ATS time keeping system helps managers keep accurate records of hours worked by employees. Accurate records include: overtime and absenteeism and provides assurance that applicable employment policies are followed.

Workforce Data: The ATS time and attendance software provides a flexibility which allows executives to gain control of day to day employee activities. This data and the corresponding reports can be accessed 24/7 via any browser.

To learn how other companies have taken advantage our integrated time and attendance software solutions to streamline costs, go to our website. To arrange a demo visit us online.

Biometric Time Clocks, Employee Time and Attendance, Employee Time Clocks, Employee Time Tracking, Hosted Time and Attendance Software, Time and Attendance Canada, Time and Attendance Software, Time and Attendance Solutions, Time and Attendance System, Time Management Solutions, Workforce Management Software

Back to School and Back to Work

September 6th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time and Attendance | Time and Attendance - (0 Comments)

You don’t have to look very far to be inundated with back to school items that are on sale (We are not sure what large screen 46” TVs have to do with back to school but that’s for another blog) during the summer and through the fall. To understand how big the back to school bonanza has become, just turn on your TV, radio or mobile device. For example, the Yorkdale Mall has a column completely devoted to back to school items that are on sale. Cynthia Nellis, of About.com has a great article titled “Back to School Blog” in which she touches on the media hype that surrounds us on this very topic.

It should also be noted that many parents (some of whom are decision makers in their companies) returning to work are confronted with their own set of business challenges. These challenges include finding ways to increase profits and productivity while streamlining labour costs. There are many factors that drive business executives to consider maximizing their business efficiency with software like the product offerings from Apex Time Solutions. The benefits offered by our time and attendance system are many: streamlined business processes, increased profits, efficiency across the organization, and the elimination of double data entry are just a few that springs to mind.

ATS time and attendance solutions enable you to reduce labour costs and manage your workforce more effectively. Our biometric time clocks offer an effective means of addressing the buddy-punching dilemma by directly linking an individual worker to a personal labour record. ATS software solutions streamline your payroll process and helps companies raise efficiency and reduce costs.

If you are a prospective customer, we invite you to take a tour of our website and read more about this powerful time and attendance tracking software.

Biometric Readers, Biometric Time Clocks, Employee Time and Attendance, Payroll Interface, Payroll Process, Time and Attendance, Time and Attendance Canada, Time and Attendance System, Time and Attendance Tracking Software, Time Tracking Software