Best-in-Class Workforce Management Software from Industry Experts
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How is your Business Carbon Footprint?

October 31st, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Web-Based Time and Attendance Software - (0 Comments)

Many of today’s businesses and governments have embraced the importance of the environment and the compelling science behind it. At Apex Time Solutions, we are proponents of green technology and its many advantages. Our Web-Based Time and Attendance solution provides customers with the ability to access their data on any web browser. With an ATS hosted time management solution this means you no longer need time sheets to track employee hours.

The ATS Workforce Management Software is a powerful suite and provides broad-based capabilities to help companies better manage their business and their labour force.

This solution was designed to meet the challenges of today’s complex and ever-changing business environments. By using the ATS Web-Based Time and Attendance in their workforce management operations, customers will be able to:

  • Accurately collect and report time and attendance data for payroll and other data integration
  • Produce accurate business forecasts to calculate staffing requirements
  • Extract key workforce and business data to create management reports that provide comprehensive feedback

The ATS Web-Based Time and Attendance Solution have the power to optimize your workforce and:  reduce labour costs, improve employee productivity and provide low total cost of ownership. With an ATS hosted time management solution you will no longer need to track employee hours with time sheets and that will save some trees.

To read more about our Software-as-a-Service Solution go to our website. You can also follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn for news and other software product updates.

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Introducing Apex Time Solutions Website Redesign!

October 28th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Absence Management | Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Hosted Time and Attendance Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand - (0 Comments)

With all the hustle and bustle around here, we have not had the chance to let our customers and prospects know that Apex Time Solutions has updated its website!

Our blog page is also new and allows us to share updates about our software and other business intelligence with everyone. We intend to add more functionality to the site with the help of our creative team in the next several months.

The new ATS website contains user friendly content, and provides a better experience for our visitors. It is also easier to get information about our workforce management software and select solutions that match your requirements.

With the new design, we placed an emphasis on specific areas such as, the “contact us” page. We want prospects to be able to reach us quickly, and once they have completed their review of our labour analytics and absence management products.

ATS integrated time and attendance suite saves time, cuts costs and aligns employee performance with a company’s goals. Companies of all sizes are increasingly implementing employee time tracking solutions. It helps you plan, deploy and track your employees and their performance. The result is enhanced productivity and more informed decision-making.

So on behalf of all of us at Apex Time Solutions, we wish you a belated welcome to our new website. Stay tuned!

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Can Workforce Management Software Solve Labour Costs Woes?

October 27th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Scheduling | Time and Attendance Software - (0 Comments)

The answer to this question is a resounding yes! We often hear of companies being sued by employees for not paying overtime or for work rule policies that are outdated. Multi-jurisdictional and flexible workforce management software alleviates headaches for employers and pays employees accurately for time worked. A Time and Labour solution that captures statutory holidays, overtime rules, tracks vacation and offers employee scheduling should be embraced. Best of all, it helps companies streamline payroll costs from 1%-5%, and improve productivity.

ATS Workforce Management Software provides a comprehensive solution to meet your labour and reporting needs. ATS delivers an integrated web-based technology solution set that includes:  time and attendance data collection, absence management, employee self-service and reporting and analytics. Our solution helps organizations streamline workforce-related business processes, control labour costs, manage compliance risk and improve workforce productivity.

Solution Benefits

  • Highly Configurable and Adaptable – Collective bargaining agreements and work-rule policies can be incorporated with ease
  • Web-Based Technology – This hosted application can be accessed anytime, anywhere and from any web browser including FireFox, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Opera
  • Data Integration –  The application can integrate to any Payroll, ERP or HRIS software application
  • Employee Self Service –  Allow employees to the ability to: review hours worked, paid time off and request time off
  • Employee Scheduling – Schedule employees based on seniority, preferences, certifications and business volume

Still not sure if a Time and Attendance Software will cure your company’s overtime and labour woes? If your HR manager is spending time on any one of the following, chances are you need a Workforce Management Solution:

1)       Managing payroll and manual calculation of time cards

2)       Responding to employee questions about hours worked on a daily basis

3)       Keying employee hours into a payroll software

Managers should be spending their time on other important company goals such as improving customer service and growing sales.

To learn more about ATS Web-Based Time Management Solution, visit our website. To arrange a demo call us at 1.866.294.2467.

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Software-as-a-Service versus On-Premises Installation

October 26th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Hosted Time and Attendance Solution | Hosted Time and Attendance System | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Web-Based Time and Attendance Software | Workforce Management Software | Workforce Management Solutions - (0 Comments)

In some of our earlier blogs we highlighted the difference between a legacy time and attendance solution that is installed on a company’s network versus a Software-as-a-Service (Saas) application. Today, many companies offering cloud computing and web-based technology products.

The inspiration behind this blog has to do with a recent conversation one of our support representatives had with a prospective customer. This company had been looking for an employee time tracking software for several months and could not decide on a solution that would meet their needs. While they were enamored with the idea of a hosted time and attendance application, they were concerned about privacy issues and downtime. In our view, these are legitimate concerns and should be discussed before deploying web-based workforce management software.

We recognize that some companies have reasons for choosing a legacy application over a Software-as-a-Service time management system and that’s fine. It should be noted that ATS espouses the virtues of web-based technologies because it quickly adapts to the needs of today’s modern enterprise and is also highly configurable.

Listed below are some differences between a time and attendance software installed on a company’s network or office PC versus accessing the application through an internet browser.

Software-as-a-Service Workforce Management Software:

  • Implementation is quicker because there is no software to install on a company’s network involving your IT department and more than likely the purchase of a new Server
  • There are no additional costs for maintenance agreements and software updates
  • Companies with multiple sites do not need to build remote access to an existing network. All that is required in a remote location is a computer with access to the Internet
  • Mobile workers can record their time and review accrual balances through any smart phone: Apple iPhone®, iPad®, and the iPod® Touch, BlackBerry® and Android Phones
  • Our hosted time and attendance can be deployed at a much smaller cost

Time and Attendance Installed on a Company’s Network:

  • Annual maintenance costs for the software is generally between 15%-20%
  • A company is prepared to undergo a 6 -12 month implementation process, depending on the size of the organization
  • Large out-of-pocket expenses for the initial investment
  • On going maintenance of a company’s network and the resources of an IT person or department to manage the software
  • Costs for software updates or upgrades

The ATS Software-as-a-Service time and attendance solution offers companies the ultimate in flexibility, a quick ROI and low total cost of ownership. However, we suggest a company evaluate and decide what’s best for their business.  For some companies, software installed on their network and managed by their IT personnel is more suited to their organizational structure. For others, their ability to access the software from any web browser without having to upgrade servers aligns with their corporate goals.

You can download a white paper on the difference between an On-Premise versus Software-as-a-Service Workforce Management Solution on our website. To speak to one of our account representatives call us at 1.866.294.2467.

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Time and Attendance Software for the Hospitality Industry

October 24th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Self Service | Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance Software | Web-Based Time and Attendance Software | Workforce Scheduling Software - (0 Comments)

One of the hospitality industry’s biggest challenges apart from controlling costs is the ability to schedule the right people at the right to meet business volume. Whether it’s a quick serve chain, a large resort or urban hotel, the inherent challenges mirror each other. In a time of persistent economic uncertainty and intensifying competition, finding the right tools is essential to help control costs, increase revenue, and sustain customer satisfaction.

The ATS Time and Attendance Solution delivers real time activity based costing and helps to govern and automate the entire process from punch to pay. The pay rules library and flexibility allow for 100% automation of rules without costly changes to the core code. Hours and wage rule compliance is consistent and automated with alerts when a threshold for violation is approached – providing proactive reconciliation. The self-service capability of time and attendance increases productivity and managers will spend less time managing administrative tasks and more time focusing on customers.

The ATS Hospitality Workforce Management Software suite provides the following benefits:

  • Tracking of overtime, on-call shifts, premiums and tips
  • Labour forecasting and optimization
  • Employee scheduling by preferences, seniority and certifications
  • Tracking and managing split shifts and location of staff
  • Ability to configure and maintain various collective bargaining agreements through the software code
  • Schedule versus actual labour
  • Recognition of the real hours worked by individual employees
  • Elimination/reduction of manual processes e.g. timesheets and spreadsheets
  • Efficient processes through accurate transfer of data to payroll
  • On the spot human resources and labour reports
  • Accurate alignment of resources with the needs of the business

ATS Workforce Management Software for hospitality enables customers to accurately collect and report time and attendance data for payroll generation and benefits administration, produce enterprise-wide forecasts of upcoming business, calculate staffing requirements, automatically generate optimized schedules that meet forecasted workforce requirements, and extract key workforce and business data.

To read more about our hospitality time and attendance software suite or for a demo go to our website.

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How to save on Labour Costs in a Slow Economy

October 19th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Absence Management | Employee Self Service | Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Hosted Time and Attendance Software - (0 Comments)

We are in an era of budget restraints, cost cutting and reduced work hours for employees. That’s a clear indication that many companies have not escaped the economic slow down.

When employees are asked to work reduced hours they want to be assured they are paid for every working hour. Meanwhile, employers want assurance that their labour costs are in line with expected business volume. Corporate culture notwithstanding, a manual time keeping system does not provide accurate attendance records. Manual collection and calculation of employee hours through time sheets is both cumbersome and time consuming.

Our Time and Attendance system helps you manage your workforce and track employee attendance more efficiently. ATS industry leading, integrated Workforce Management Software, takes into account your organization’s specific requirements, collective bargaining agreements, work rule policies, labour laws and shift patterns. Our software solution enables you to streamline payroll preparation, improve wage and hour compliance, and optimize your labour investment. That, in and of itself, is a tall order for any manual timekeeping system. 

Benefits to using an Automated Timekeeping System:

  • Minimize employee inquiries to HR for attendance and accrual information with Employee Self Service
  • Track and maintain employee attendance records
  • Cost savings through the automatic tracking of attendance,  overtime, and eliminating human errors
  • Eliminate payment for unapproved overtime
  • Accurate payroll calculations assure correct pay for actual hours worked
  • Minimal administrative tasks through the automation of processes
  • Identify exceptions such attendance and absenteeism

The ATS Time and Attendance solution helps simplify employee time tracking by giving you the tools to ensure workforce compliance and also helps streamline your labour costs.  Our workforce suite includes tools to schedule employees based on skills, preferences, availability or other demands of your business. 

To speak to an account representative call us at 1.866.294.2467. You can also join the conversation on our LinkedIn group for product updates.

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Eco-Time Solutions- Anywhere, Anytime

October 18th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking | Hosted Time and Attendance Solution | Payroll | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Workforce Management Software - (0 Comments)

Collecting and analyzing attendance data, reducing labour costs and improving compliance are strategies for industry leading companies today. Software as a Service (SaaS)-based time and attendance solutions offer strategic advantages to businesses in a variety of sectors.

ATS Time & Attendance is an integral part of our Workforce Management Software suite. This web-based solution captures time and labour and automates the most complex pay rules. With this hosted solution companies avoid costly server purchases on which to host the software, licenses and version upgrades. Instead, companies can free up internal resources to focus their time on the day to day operations of their business.

Web-Based Time and Attendance Solution Features:

  • Online time card captures employee time and management adjustments
  • Data integration to a variety of Payroll, HR and ERP application
  • Labour analytic reports cover all aspects of attendance, absence and overtime
  • Employee Self Service allows employees and managers access to data based on authorization levels
  • Overtime equalization calculates which employees are eligible for overtime and when
  • Tracking of attendance through time clocks such as: biometrics, smart phones and badge collectors
  • The automation of accruals accumulates; vacation, sick days, jury duty, etc.

ATS hosted Time and Attendance is an eco friendly solution that automates and tracks essential processes that include: work hours, overtime, sick leave, vacations attendance and absences.

To read more about ATS measures to reduce our impact on the environment go to our website. Follow us on Twitter or join our LinkedIn group for Eco-Time Management solution product updates.

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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.

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3 Ways to Streamline Payroll Costs

October 12th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Uncategorized - (0 Comments)

In today’s current economic climate, businesses are looking for ways to reduce their labour costs and remain productive. One of the most effective ways to curb labour expenses is with the help of an effective timekeeping system. A business can employ workforce software strategies as a way to control and lower labour-related administrative costs.

Our Time and Attendance Solution integrates human resources, payroll and ERP business data to deliver predictive analytics. The ATS workforce management software provides a strategic approach to business automation.

Here are three ways an effective time management solution can help your organization: 

1)       Real-time employee hours calculated with totals and pay summaries for accurate, real-time payroll reporting

2)       Two-way data integration updates to ERP, Payroll and HR system all at once- payroll and HR practitioners do not have to key information in separate systems

3)       Simple and intuitive supervisor interface provides an overview of employee hours for informed decision making.

The ATS time and attendance system calculates employees’ regular and overtime hours and provides real-time reporting functionality.

To view a demo visit us online and to download brochures of our solutions visit our website.

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Purchasing a Time and Attendance Solution

October 6th, 2011 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Time and Attendance | Employee Time Tracking Software | Hosted Time and Attendance Solution | Overtime Equalization | Payroll | Time and Attendance Blog - (0 Comments)

You have finally decided to replace your manual time sheet and equip your company with a 21st century time and attendance solution. Of course, you want to get the best bang for your buck! Before we continue, it is important to note, that the cheapest is not always the best. As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for”. At the same time we are not suggesting that you “give away the farm” but that you get a system that will meet your requirements.

Once you have compiled a list of requirements you are ready to start!

Do some research: Start by trying to find a solution that matches the requirements on your list. Ask your work associates and other companies within and outside your vertical, what system they are using.

Keep it simple: Over the years, time and attendance has grown to include HRMS, Overtime Equalization, Employee Self-Service, Job Costing, Labour Forecasting and a range of other modules. If you are deploying a time and attendance system for the first time, the basics will likely do. If you are switching vendors, it’s likely you are familiar with some core features as well as other workforce management modules. If that’s the case, a more comprehensive system may be needed and that will also depend on the size of your organization and work rule policies.

Data Integration: The Payroll, ERP or HRMS interface. Many of today’s applications have import files. Some vendors are still stuck with a 1980s mentality and they will tell customers that their payroll software cannot integrate to any other product unless it is certified by them or a partner of theirs. If companies are still selling software (Payroll, ERP and/or HRMS) that cannot be integrated with other applications, you should steer clear of them.

Timelines: If you think you have found the product and company, ask for timelines. Most experienced companies will be able to give you an approximate timeline.

Support: The length of time a company has been in business and the number of awards it has on its walls has no bearing on the quality of service it renders to its customers. Providing quality service is a corporate philosophy that’s either ingrained within an organization’s DNA or it’s not. When choosing a system that meets your needs, focus on this important aspect.

For example:

  • How long does it take to get a response when you call support?
  • What happens to sales person after you purchase the product?
  •  If you require additional training and/or configuration of your software, (several months after the implementation) will you be redirected to watch online videos?

There are a number of inherent factors that can contribute to cost savings of an automated Time and Attendance Solution. Some of these factors include: reducing payroll processing errors, eliminating manual data entry, and lost time or from long lunches and breaks, tardiness and early departures.

To determine how much your company can save with an ATS Time and Attendance Solution, go to our website. Download a copy of our white paper on “Finding the Right Time and Attendance for your Organization”.

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