Best-in-Class Workforce Management Software from Industry Experts
Header

Why Do Small And Midsize Businesses Need A Modern-Day Cloud Solution?

July 30th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Why Do Small And Midsize Businesses Need A Modern-Day Cloud Solution?)

There are several reasons why many of today’s small and midsize organizations need to modernize their time and attendance data gathering processes—chief among them; improve decision-making, reduce the cost of labor and grow their business.

ATS recently conducted a straw poll with several of its customers across North America to measure the success rate and user adoption of their time and attendance solution six months after it was initially deployed. The poll revealed, on average, a staggering 97% of these companies are now completing their payroll process 30 minutes as oppose to the two and sometimes three days it took them to complete the same tasks, prior to using ATS Time and Attendance Solution. Why? Because these companies were using, various complex and old-fashioned time and attendance systems that were not meeting their needs, and, which resulted in Payroll and HR practitioners spending an excessive amount of time trying to reconcile employee data.

Here some 5 modern business practices that our customers have taken advantage of while using the ATS Time and Attendance Solution:

Why Do Small And Midsize Businesses Need A Modern-Day Cloud Solution?

Elimination of Productivity Issues
Antiquated and complex time and attendance systems that are not designed for the Canadian market-place contains erroneous pay policies and time tracking rules that cannot accurately calculate employees pay. A modern time and attendance solution should have a built-in forecasting, job costing, business analytics, geo-fencing and scheduling tools that can manage unique complexities, including collective bargaining agreements and, with the ability to streamline payroll costs and increase workforce productivity.

Information in Real-Time
No more guessing. ATS Time and Attendance provides you with up-to-the-minute view on overtime or productivity issues before they occur. Being able to view critical productivity data instantaneously allows for informed real-time adjustments that can make a sizeable impact on cost control.

Streamline Work and Pay Policies
Pay policies can be challenging to apply accurately and consistently across an entire organization, especially ones across multiple provinces and/or states. ATS Cloud-Based Time and Attendance robust technology knows no boundaries and is adept at streamlining the most complicated rules, ensuring equitable and accurate results.

Give Employees Access to Their Own Data
Employees feel empowered when they have the ability to; track hours worked, request and view vacation and sick days and make scheduling requests. With ATS unified Workforce Management self-service portal, this solution eliminates redundancies and reduces errors while making employee and manager self-service a reality. Above all, it delivers a user modern-day dashboard user-interface and experience that is friendly, intuitive and consistent.

Workforce Compliance and Data Integration
ATS Time and Attendance fully integrates to Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Payroll and Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) systems for a fully compliant and more accurate reporting process. The data gathering and analytic dashboards provides functionality to departmental managers with a complete view of time and accurate pay data. Thus, if your payroll and HR managers are spending less time on data entry, this means, you will have greater efficiency throughout your enterprise.

In conclusion, our study revealed that today’s businesses want to modernize but don’t know how. And, without an effective workforce management solution strategy, the productivity, flexibility, and agility that these companies seek, remains frustratingly out of reach. With ATS Time and Attendance, today’s organizations will find new ways of executing tasks with an easy-to-use, cloud-based solution that supports innovation and business growth.

Want to get started? You can download a demo or call us at 866.294.2467.

Why Do Small And Midsize Businesses Need A Modern-Day Cloud Solution?

, , , ,

How To Streamline Payroll And Avoid The High Cost Of Overtime

July 29th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Forecasting | Hospitality Industry | Labour Analytics | Leave Management - (Comments Off on How To Streamline Payroll And Avoid The High Cost Of Overtime)

Business owners in small and large organizations are fearful about the proposed overtime rule. This bit of news is not sitting well with several businesses and, has caused sleepless nights for some executives, as they come to terms with trying to find ways to adjust in their daily operations. If your business is going to be affected by this proposed legislation, one of the best tools to use, to capture overtime is an ATS time and attendance solution. Payroll is one of the largest expenses of any business, regardless of size and automating employee time and attendance can be a good first step to controlling overtime.

Through the use of an ATS Time and Attendance solution, here are some ways your business can control overtime:

Overtime Equalization: In the retail, hospitality and healthcare space, overtime is almost unavoidable and that’s due, in large part to the nature of these industries. Therefore, accurately tracking and paying the correct overtime is paramount. ATS Overtime Equalization solution provides managers with timely visibility into key workforce performance indicators such as labour, overtime, and attendance. Real-time alerts notify managers when performance thresholds are breached; helping prevent labour issues such as excess overtime, budget variances and compliance violations.

Choose The Right Data Collector: Not all employee time clocks are created equal and, so selecting an employee time clock is as important as making sure you have the right time and attendance software for your organization. For example, putting a fingerprint reader in a very dusty environment or food processing plant, for is a recipe for disaster. ATS Time and Attendance data collectors are fully optimized, feature-rich employee self-service platform and are capable of serving the full spectrum of your requirements. Through the use of ATS time clocks, your business is transformed into “On the Spot” information that helps managers and supervisors control overtime and keep jobs on time and within budget.

How To Streamline Payroll And Avoid The High Cost Of Overtime

Real-Time Business Analytics: If a business is not using the right tools to control overtime, this can lead to an unhealthy balance-sheet. And, when left unchecked, overtime can become an uncontrollable payroll nightmare. While not completely unavoidable, reining in unnecessary overtime is critical to bringing down expenses and ensuring the most effective use of labour resources. ATS Time and Attendance Analytics allow for a complete view of your business landscape and includes actual versus budget hours. The intuitive dashboard contains future schedules, and alerts managers of preventable overtime situations and incidental overtime occurrences.

Bottom-line, getting a handle on your company’s overtime should be an important first step but the impact of overtime extends far beyond a balance-sheet. Controlling overtime is a healthy strategy for financially sustainable organizations in uncertain times.

To learn more, you can attend one of our monthly webinars or download a demonstration. We also have an active user-group on our LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Google Plus pages. To speak to one of our account executives call; 1-866.294.2467.

How To Streamline Payroll And Avoid The High Cost Of Overtime

, , , , , ,

Should We Put A Policy In Place With Our Time And Attendance Solution?

July 23rd, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Absence Management | Benefit Accruals | Employee Self Service | Time and Attendance | Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Should We Put A Policy In Place With Our Time And Attendance Solution?)

ATS project managers often get asked this question during customer site-visits and prior to the implementation of our time and attendance solution. The answer to this question is always a resounding yes. Whether you are replacing your current time and attendance system or implementing one for the first time, a set of guidelines is a good way to achieve compliance. Here are some additional tips you can use in your company’s new policy:

Define and set expectations
Let employees know how much leeway they have with lateness and absenteeism and make sure this is configured within the system. Having a time and attendance system in place should not be viewed as “Big Brother” mentality and the more open you are about it the greater the compliance you can expect from employees.

Employee feedback
When crafting a time and attendance policy, your best ally are your employees. Get them involved by seeking feedback. You’d be surprised at how engaged employees can be when their suggestions are solicited by management prior to the deployment of the system.

Leave Management
It’s important to clarify terms and conditions for paid and unpaid time-off to include; leave of absence, vacation, jury duty, medical and family leave. ATS Self-Service portal is a good tool for employees and managers alike.

ATS team has deep industry experience have performed numerous deployments over the years and so, it’s likely some of our team members can provide your organizations with tips on what type of information to include in your policy.

To learn more register for one of our monthly webinars, download a demonstration or simply contact us by phone at; 866.294.2467.

Should We Put A Policy In Place With Our Time And Attendance Solution?

 

, , , ,

Stuck In A Technology Cul-De-Sac?

July 21st, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Scheduling | Forecasting | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Stuck In A Technology Cul-De-Sac?)

The early purveyors of time and attendance, was simple and, included some of the following:

 Software installed on a computer
 Time clock connected via a cable which would then be connected to the serial port of a computer
 A polling mechanism that required said computer to be left on overnight so, employee attendance (or punches as it’s commonly referred to in the industry) could be uploaded to the computer.

Imagine the surprise of one of ATS lead software engineers when she visited the prospective customer and found out they were using a system that mirrored what was described above. Talk about a by-gone era? And, this prospective customer has 9 locations spread across; Brazil, Germany, South Africa, Argentina, Toronto, Halifax, Colorado and Asia Pacific. Suffice to say, our implementation group worked as quickly as possible to bring this customer into the 21st century and they now have access to:
Real-Time Insight-Unlike their previous system this 3500 healthcare provider has access to on-the-fly data across their various locations for maximum effectiveness and efficiency. ATS cloud-based time and attendance transforms payroll processing, accrual benefits, human resources, job costing and employee self-service into a unified system that delivers results.

Flexibility-No one should be subjected to cumbersome software or have to go through several screens of that software to get a single report. ATS TimeWork is a flexible time and attendance solution that provides the tools and insight you need to reduce costs, eradicate high payroll costs and grow revenue.

On-The-Spot Forecast- ATS TimeWork helps evaluate risks with the forecasting and budgeting modules and monitor performance in real-time with user dashboards, business intelligence, and Big Data reporting tools. ATS forecasting and budgeting helps organizations meet business demand by understanding business patterns and then, helps managers schedule and put the right person, in the right place, at the right time. With ATS TimeWork your business can discover new ways to improve efficiencies, growth, and profitability with today’s modern time and attendance software

Today, this healthcare company is using many of ATS TimeWork modules, is one of our happiest customers and have become part our user group, on the healthcare community boards.

Is your company stuck in a technology cul-de-sac with a time and attendance system that is no longer meeting your needs? If so, you to can make the switch and enjoy the benefits of robust cloud-based solution that will significantly reduce the amount of time your HR and Payroll personnel spend processing employee time.

To learn more take a product tour of TimeWork. You can also follow us on Pinterest, LinkedIn or Twitter. To reach us by phone, call; 866.294.2467.

Stuck In A Technology Cul-De-Sac?

, , , , ,

3 Key Lessons From The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games

July 15th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Employee Self Service | Payroll | Talent Management | Time and Attendance Canada | Time and Attendance On-Demand - (Comments Off on 3 Key Lessons From The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games)

The Toronto 2015 Pan Am games kicked off with a bang and so far, Canada is hanging tough with a lead in the medal count. History suggests that events of this magnitude come with some wrinkles. To date, three lessons have come to the forefront:

HOV Lanes
Ministry of Transportation says it gave ample warning to the public about changes to the HOV lanes from two person minimum to three during the games. Despite these warnings, it has been a nightmare for many motorists as they get accustom to these changes. Some have argued the change was not necessary and, was poorly planned and executed, resulting, in long delays on the major highways.

Adoption of Work from Home
The Pan Am games traffic nightmare across GTA highways have enabled and also forced some companies to adopt a work from home policy. In an era of cloud computing and The Internet of Things, technology have made it easier for employees to work from home. Employers can make use of cloud-based time and attendance, complete with Geo-fencing to track and manage employee attendance with work and payroll policies.

Uber
Uber, the transportation network company have caused many sleepless nights for the taxi industry in most cities around the globe, including Toronto. Its latest program called “UberPool” allows drivers to share rides and costs while taking advantage of the three person minimum on the HOV lanes during the Pan Am games.

Whether you are a fan of the Pan Am games or not, Canada’s athletes are basking in the glow of representing their country. We wish them well. Go Canada Go!

3 Key Lessons From The Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games

, , ,

Who Doesn’t Need A Little Relief From Work?

July 9th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Overtime | Payroll | Scheduling | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance System - (Comments Off on Who Doesn’t Need A Little Relief From Work?)

Practitioners in the field of psychiatry have been saying for years that most us are overworked and too stressed to enjoy life. The answer to this has been a proliferation of companies offering recognition and loyalty programs designed to help executives and employees better deal with the rigorous work schedules and achieve the much sort after, work-life-balance.

If you happen to be in a job that requires 11 hour (perhaps more) work days, here are some suggested books on meditation by David G Allan in an article, titled “Is this the answer to office stress.”

The list of recommended readings include:

Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan. In his book on mindfulness and happiness, Meng offers meditation techniques he introduced at Google that range from basic to one (my personal favourite) that asks you to visualise yourself as a force multiplier for goodness, as if you are (my words) some kind of Buddhist superhero.

Stop, Breathe & Think. This app has a growing library of meditations. These all start the same, which is repetitive, and the narrator’s voice so soothing it threatened to put me to sleep. But guided meditations can be useful for beginners and the app tracks your progress, as if you were going to a transcendental gym.

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hahn. The renowned pacifist Buddhist monk has written many volumes, but this classic has a whole chapter of meditations, some as little as 10 breaths long. The narration contains others, so it’s worth reading the entire short book.

Whether the countless hours we spend working overtime at the office is by choice, or the subtle pressure we feel when we see our colleagues do it, the experts all agree, it takes a toll on our health. Hopefully, at some point, we will the take time to smell the roses.

About ATS:
ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.

To learn more, download a demonstration and you can see why today’s leading organizations choose ATS.

Who Doesn’t Need A Little Relief From Work?

, ,

Is Today’s Workplace Still Trying To Understand Millennials?

July 8th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Workforce Management Solutions - (Comments Off on Is Today’s Workplace Still Trying To Understand Millennials?)

Some have argued that the workforce either does not understand millennials or, simply can’t be bothered. Whichever camp you fall into, they are the future and taking time to understand them will be well worth it in the long run.

Article by Steve Sims on Ceo.com puts it quite succinctly in an article titled; “Top Five “Ways To Reach Millennials In The Workplace.

In the article, he goes on to say:

“So what do millennials value in the workplace? Experts who have studied the group have identified an affinity for training and development opportunities, schedule flexibility and meaningful work. Millennials also tend to be less focused on compensation, advancement and people management than prior generations.”

There are five tips in this article about how to better engage with millennials-and while they are all important, but we chose numbers 3-5. You can read the article in its entirety

3. Offer work schedule options and be as flexible as the job will allow:
Millennials value their downtime a great deal. Flexible scheduling will allow them to pursue outside interests while staying focused when they are at the workplace.

4. Engage in conversations about what is meaningful in day-to-day work:
Millennials like to know that their efforts are valued and that they are making a difference. It’s not all about money to them, so make a point of engaging them in conversations about their role.

5. Rethink career progression strategies:
Traditional career paths tend to emphasize moving toward people management roles and using compensation as a carrot. Millennials might not respond to these incentives, so consider strategies that speak to their unique values.

Whatever you think of millennial, just remember they will be future leaders of business, academia and politics, so treat them well. And to Steve Sims who wrote this article, what can we say? Amen!

About ATS:
ATS offers a broad portfolio of time and attendance solutions that streamlines the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours for workforce management and eliminates the manual tasks of payroll preparation, increasing efficiency and reducing errors in corporate payroll departments.

For a live product tour of our cloud-based time and attendance application, go to our website. You can also contact one of account executives by calling; 1.866.294.2467.

 

Is Today’s Workplace Still Trying To Understand Millennials?

, ,

Let’s Hear It For The Cloud

July 7th, 2015 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Let’s Hear It For The Cloud)

In previous blogs, we espoused the virtues of cloud-based business software and we are not about to stop anytime soon. The pace at which companies are now embracing cloud-solutions is at an all time record. This shift is as much to do with many companies finally realizing the benefits of adopting cloud computing and vendors adjusting the product to suit the marketplace.

ATS TimeWork OnDemand is our best-of-breed time and attendance solution that’s designed for mid-market and enterprise businesses. ATS TimeWork OnDemand is rich in functionality and supports multiple browsers with intuitive dashboards and, at the same time, allows companies to roll out a scalable solution with reduced timescales and hardware costs.

Let’s Hear It For The Cloud

 

ATS TimeWork OnDemand Include:

Real-Time Analytics
Analytics has proven to be a driving force for North America’s major leagues including: National Football Association (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Executives of these sports leagues use the power of analytics to help them devise the best way to construct and get the best of out of their teams. ATS time and attendance analytics provide senior level managers with a comprehensive platform for real-time analytics that delivers insight into key business information. And, through the use of ATS TimeWork OnDemand Analytics, you can ensure that your organization has access and visibility to accurate, real-time attendance data.

Anywhere Access
ATS TimeWork OnDemand allow managers to access data through any device that’s connected to the Internet so, they act on critical time & attendance information without being confined to a desk.

Speed Up Payroll Processing
ATS data collectors help to increase productivity by reducing employee lateness, unauthorized long breaks and early departures. ATS data collectors solutions help optimize your workforce for a direct and positive impact on your bottom line — no matter your industry.

ATS Time and attendance Solution automate processes to help engage employees and increase operational efficiencies. Learn how we can help your organization control labor costs, minimize compliance risk, and at the same time, improve workforce productivity.

To find out how ATS can help your business, take a product tour or call us at 866.294.2467.

Let's Hear It For The Cloud

, , , ,