Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

The Data Shows Employees Go To Work Even When They Know They Are Sick

Have you ever wonder why your sick coworker chose to come to work? This behaviour continues to confound experts who lament that employees would do well to stay away from work when they are sick. Most of us know when we are too sick to work, yet we push ourselves and end up working too much and, by doing so, we may in fact, be prolonging our recovery time. And, to top it off studies have shown that a lack of sleep can weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to colds.

The Data Shows Employees Go To Work Even When They Know They Are Sick

According to a recent survey by Monster, and highlighted in an article by Lily Martis, a whopping 75% of employees chose to go to work despite being sick. The article reads in part; “In the survey, conducted globally, we found 20% of respondents said they always go to work when they’re ill, and 55% of respondents said they’d only take a sick day if their symptoms are severe. Just one-quarter of the respondents said they’d stay home and either work from home (10%) or take the day off (15%)”.

Most experts agree that if you work for an unreasonable boss or and have to go in to work, try to keep your distance from others, wash or sanitize your hands often, and cover coughs and sneezes with a sleeve or elbow. You can also cover with a tissue but be sure to throw it away immediately and then wash your hands. You can also suggest telecommuting to your manager, for a short period so your co workers are not subjected to your constant sneezing. And, if your manager is concerned about tracking your time while you are working from home, there are a few modern tools including; video conferencing and cloud computing time tracking methodologies. Emailing your manager every hour or so, with an update on projects you are working on, while telecommuting should put her mind at ease.

Cloud Computing, Employees, Sick

Technology Will Continue To Dominate The Future Of Work

The continued rise of technology including; Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, cloud-computing technologies, and artificial intelligence has made the seemingly impossible from years ago now possible. An article by Charles Krome for TLNT HR titled ‘What Happens When Employees Work Out of Their Car?’ raise the eye browse, rightfully so, of many safety experts.

The article reads in part, “It was bound to happen, leveraging the Microsoft Exchange mail and calendar services, In Car Office “knows” about upcoming conference calls, for example, and if you’re in the vehicle, it can automatically dial you in at the appropriate time. Similarly, if other calls are on your calendar, the system also can recognize this and remind you a few minutes before. Or if you’re headed for a face-to-face meeting, the system can automatically set the destination in the car’s navigation system.”

Technology Will Continue To Dominate The Future Of Work

Chances are we are not too far away from this type of technology being deployed by some companies, and of importance is the safety, liability and work-life-balance comes that will feature into this type of technology. The article addresses those concerns with this:

“First off, helping to maintain a safe workplace can be a vital role for HR professionals, so if your employees’ vehicles become part of that workplace, they could become part of your responsibilities, too. Expecting people to be on the clock when they’re in their cars, however, would require resetting that balance — and perhaps rebalancing the company’s books. While it’s too early to know how this would play out, if the time folks spend in their in-car offices is considered “work time,” it could have a financial impact for employers who pay on an hourly basis.”

Will the in-car office ever come to fruition? Only time will tell. The introduction of biometrics some years ago at airports, and in workplaces, coupled with cloud computing technologies were seen as an intrusive tools that did not belong. Today, many companies are deploying cloud-based time and attendance solutions, in large part, to the inherent benefits of boosting workplace productivity and streamlining payroll costs. And, as for biometrics, at airports, they have become so common that consumers go through them without thinking twice.

Artificial Intelligence, Biometrics, Cloud Computing, Robotics, Time and Attendance

3 Common Fairy Tales About The Cloud

The success of cloud time and attendance solutions has made it all that more difficult to find the perfect fit for your company. And, despite what the so called experts are lamenting, it should be noted that the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a solution that’s based on cloud computing technology, not all solutions are created equal.

Implementing a cloud time and attendance represents a huge opportunity for your business, unprecedented affordability, flexibility and scalability to grow. And it will free up your IT staff from routine maintenance and allow them to focus on more pressing matters.

Here are three common fairy tales about the cloud:

With the cloud, you can by-pass some deployment steps-Assuming the cloud gives you leeway to skips certain steps can be a recipe for disaster. For example, skipping some steps during the deployment can cause distress for both vendor and customer— therefore, it’s important that the business process rollout goes through the checklist. Anything less, is sure to have dissatisfied end users.

The Cloud will always be more expensive in the end
That’s likely coming from someone who’s afraid of the advantages that the cloud can yield for their organization. The sheer ubiquity of the cloud means we are all using cloud computing technology in one way or anther, whether it’s banking online or retrieving our pay stubs through an Internet browser. The old way of deployment time and attendance equates to large upfront capital costs with incremental increases as companies add users and modules. And, when you add in the yearly maintenance cost, that typically hovers between 21-31 percent of the total value of the software which increases as the number of end-user licenses and modules increase, the cloud begins to look even more attractive.

All Cloud solutions are the same-Another common misconception that all cloud time and attendance is created equal means that regardless of the solution, they call all fix the same problem. However, the reality is that not all cloud solutions are universally applicable-despite their best intentions, some solutions better support large companies, while other solutions cater to small and mid-size businesses. And, because something gives the impression of being big and well-designed does not mean it is the right solution for your business. The operative words here being “gives the impression”. In short, verify the solution you are leaning towards by actually speaking to some of the vendor’s customers.

Bottom Line: A cloud time and attendance will impact your company by helping you eliminate the headaches of the past. For example, a solution like ATS TimeWork OnDemand is always current, includes all software maintenance, scalability, and drives business process efficiencies.

Want to debunk more fairy tales about the cloud? Go to our website, where you can download brochures, pre recoded demonstrations or register for one of our weekly webinars.

3 Common Fairy Tales About The Cloud

ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Cloud Computing Technology, Time and Attendance

Is The Role Of The IT Manager Still Important Within An Organization?

How relevant is the role of the CIO or IT manager in 2016? That depends on who you ask. Even strong proponents of cloud computing technology (ATS included) agree that while the role of these individuals may have changed over the years, they remain extremely important. There are, as always other factors to consider, like the size of the organization. For example a small company with 50 employees might do well with an outside IT consultant, while a company in excess of 300 employees may decide to employ in-house IT personnel. And, while solutions like cloud-based time and attendance are gaining wider acceptance that does not mean the role of IT is being diminished, in fact the reverse is true.

CIOs and IT managers alike need to remind their organizations of the important role that IT plays within the larger scope of the business. They should also not been seen as an agent who hate change, for example, an unwillingness to accept a cloud solution especially, if other businesses executives are open to exploring the idea.

The role of IT within an organization warrants attention because as technology advances, the future of companies will depend on the IT strategies employed by the key decision makers. However, the lingering question is whether the decision makers for these new and advanced technologies will remain the responsibility of IT or if it will be assumed by others, internally or externally?

To learn about ATS cloud-based solutions, go to our website and download a brochure or demonstration. To attend one of our weekly webinars, call 866.294.2467 or register online.

Is The Role Of The IT Manager Still Important Within An Organization?

CIO, Cloud, Cloud Computing, IT Manager, Time and Attendance

Today’s Businesses Must Adapt To Disruptive Technology

Techopedia describes disruptive technology this way; “Disruptive technology refers to any enhanced or completely new technology that replaces and disrupts an existing technology, rendering it obsolete. It is designed to succeed similar technology that is already in use. Disruptive technology applies to hardware, software, networks and combined technologies”.

Here are a short list of some things that could be considered that are either obsolete or taking traditional industries by storm:

Fax machines-scanning a document and then emailing a document is a cheaper and quicker alternative to faxing.
Landlines (they are slowly being replaced by VOIP and smart phones)
VHS tapes and DVDs.
Video rental stores-they have been replaced by Software-As-A-Service (SAAS) or as commonly referred to “cloud computing” service.
Music CDs- iTunes and Spotify are two cloud-based music streaming services that have replaced them.
Traditional taxi cabs- They are being forced to change with the times and up their game with services like Uber.
Hotels/Lodging Industry-The arrival of Airbnb has given notice to the hotel operators around the world.

In a post titled “12 Disruptive Technologies That Have the Potential to Change Your Business” by Eric Sherman for Inc.com we selected five out of the list, all of which has already disrupted the way in which business operates. In no particular order, they include:

“Internet of Things–With sensors on devices, clothing, machinery, and virtually anything else you can think of, all using wireless and near-field communications to communicate with networks and the rest of the Internet, there will be major impacts on business process optimization, manufacturing, natural resource use, utilities, energy delivery, and remote healthcare.

Cloud–Cloud technology can provide centralized computing resources to serve many users, whether internally in a company or through a third-party service. More efficient use of resources will put pressure on the computer and IT industries, as more work is done by fewer machines and people. At the same time, cloud can offer software and computing services that let businesses run more efficiently and enable many technology entrepreneurs to get the resources they need far more economically than by building their own systems.

Advanced robotics–Exoskeletons, artificial and enhanced sight and hearing, remote physical manipulation, and artificial intelligence will make changes in manufacturing, healthcare and surgery, such basic service activities as food preparation and cleaning, and consumer use.

3D printing–Whether high-profile use in producing individual guns or research that could allow devices to literally make meals, 3D printing is rapidly gaining prominence. Printers could change the way companies make almost anything through distributed manufacturing, enable consumers to make products themselves, or create tissues and organs for transplanting.

Advanced materials–Materials science has been an important area that many people have ignored. But modern plastics, specialized automotive steel, and semiconductors are just three areas where it has been important. The influence will only expand as such technologies as graphene, carbon nanotubes, nanoparticles, and memory and self-healing materials affect energy storage, computer displays, enhanced chemicals and catalysts, consumer electronics, medicine, and many types of manufacturing.

These changes and others will continue into the future. Companies who choose to stick to all things traditional are likely the ones who will be blindsided as these changes occur.

Keep current with ATS:

Follow ATS on Twitter
Join the conversation with ATS on LinkedIn
Follow ATS on Google Plus

Today’s Businesses Must Adapt To Disruptive Technology

3D Printing, Advanced Robotics, Cloud Computing, Healthcare, Internet of Things, Manufacturing, Software-as-a-Service, Spotify

What’s The Best Way To Deal With An Employee Who’s Wrecking Office Morale?

October 11th, 2016 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Benefit Accruals | Time and Attendance On-Demand | Time and Attendance System | Workforce Management Solutions - (Comments Off)

In a perfect world all employees are great to deal with i.e. arrive on time for work, takes the initiative and goes over and beyond the call of duty. Of course, we do not live in a perfect world. So, what are the strategies for dealing with difficult employee? Experts suggest dealing with the bad behaviour of employees as soon as possible so, it does not permeate through the organization thus, affecting the morale of your workforce. There is no dodging from dealing with a difficult employee and this burden of responsibility should be shared between HR, the manager who that employee reports to and senior management.

Here are some tips from Amy Gallo contributing editor at Harvard Business Review from an article titled “How to Deal with a Toxic Employee”

Do:

Talk to the person to try to understand what’s causing the behavior.
Give concrete, specific feedback and offer the opportunity to change.
Look for ways to minimize interactions between the toxic employee and the rest of your team.

Don’t:

Bring the situation up with your other team members. Allow them to mention it first and then provide suggestions.
Try to fire the person unless you’ve documented the behavior, its impact, and your response.
Get so wrapped up in handling the issue that you ignore more important work and responsibilities.

Employees do not automatically become bad apples overnight; something had to have happen for their behaviour to change. The trick then is to dig deeper, and figure why this is happening and how your organization can resolve it so, it does not become a determent to the health of your workforce. Some might argue and they will be right, that the employee did not exhibit this type of behaviour during the interview process. That’s also true, but how many employees are going to show his or her lest than pleasant side during the interview process, let alone five months into their new job? It is also naïve and unrealistic to expect that all co-workers will truly like and appreciate each other. It’s not, however, unrealistic to expect a respectful, courteous and productive work environment.

In closing, a change in behaviour of employee from good to bad could stem from a personal situation in her life. It could also be that the manager he reports to is horrible to deal with, or perhaps, they are being shunned by co workers etc. However, you decide to deal with a difficult employee, diplomacy should prevail, because your other employees will be watching how you deal with it.

Keep current with ATS:

Follow ATS on Twitter
Join the conversation with ATS on LinkedIn
Follow ATS on Google Plus

What’s The Best Way To Deal With An Employee Who’s Wrecking Office Morale?

Employee Interview, Harvard Business Review, HR

Why Time And Attendance In The Cloud?

If you are considering a time and attendance solution for your organization, chances are you’re being bombarded with choices. And, having choices is a good thing. But as you explore your options, one of the most important decisions you will need to make is whether to select a cloud-based time and attendance or one that will be installed locally on your server and workstations within your organization.

The basic difference between a solution installed on your server (or as its commonly referred to, “on-premise”) and a cloud time and attendance is clear: a solution installed on your company’s server is typically managed your IT resource/consultant, while a cloud time and attendance—is provided as a service. This type of deployment brings with it a range of flexibility. For example, cloud time and attendance data is managed centrally by the vendor and is accessed by customers through any web browser (in the Internet “cloud”) including; Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari and Microsoft Edge

Here are some key factors to consider when deciding whether to deploy a cloud time and attendance or one an on-premise.

Cost of Ownership
An on-premise time and attendance usually require large upfront and ongoing investments to purchase and manage the software, hardware, servers, to run it. If, for example your organization does not have internal and/or an experienced IT team that means additional costs that you may not have budgeted for. And, when its time to upgrade, your IT resource has to go through the arduous steps of reinstalling the time and attendance and any customizations that were installed on the previous version.

ATS Time and Attendance in the cloud, initial costs are typically lower, when compared to an on-premise, because the software is configured and deployed using your company’s specific requirements. ATS hosts and maintains the IT infrastructure, thus, ensuring your system is always running with the latest updates without breaking your previously implemented configurations. And, with a predictable, pay-as-you-go subscription model this can make cash flow management and planning much easier for companies.

Why Time And Attendance In The Cloud?

Deployment
Deploying time and attendance requires careful planning and takes time. ATS time and attendance in the cloud, offers superior advantages when compared to an on-premise deployment. In the world of on-premise deployment a company has to install an IT infrastructure, and additional hardware to maintain the application. With ATS time and attendance in the cloud, it can be deployed across multiple regions, provinces, divisions, subsidiaries and countries thus, avoiding associated costs with those rollouts. When you select ATS time and attendance in the cloud, it usually takes 2-4 months of roll out compared to the12 months it takes to implement an on-premise solution.

Always On, Anywhere Anytime
With ATS time and attendance in the cloud that means you gain instant access to a suite of workforce management tools that your teams need to make more informed decisions. The solution provides real-time data that can be accessed via the Internet anywhere at any time. That means that staff at your company can see accurate information on smart-phones, tablet devices and laptops while they travel or telecommute. And, whether your workforce is located in the same building, different locations, or on the other side of the globe — ATS time and attendance in the cloud deployment means you’re all working in unison.

When it comes to deploying ATS time and attendance in the cloud, you can count on ATS for the experience you expect. This agile deployment methodology is combined with innovative cloud computing technology, and deep domain expertise, working with customers across industries and geographies, to streamline your cloud deployment and speed your time to value.

Every business is unique, so taking the time to consider how different your time and attendance deployment options will affect your company is critical. To learn more about deploying ATS time and attendance in the cloud solution, contact us.

Cloud Computing, Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Safari, Time and Attendance, Workforce Management Software

How You Like Us Now? We’re Talking Analytics

Empowering employees to make informed decisions is goal of most organizations. However, without the right tools it’s really difficult to see how these employees can be seen as being empowered. ATS Workforce Analytics is a set of easy-to-use tools that seamlessly combines existing enterprise data, external data, and unstructured big data. Knowing that you need the power of data to help spur decision making is one thing-but having the right tools to extrapolate that right kind of information, within your organization-well, that’s 21 century thinking.

Today’s employee has a pretty good idea of what their company should look like when asked to use data collection terminals for the purposes of tracking their time. They expect these tools be; intuitive, mobile-ready and accompanied by automated processes with real-time visibility. And so, with this in mind, let’s talk analytics, ATS Workforce Management in the cloud encompasses; accrual benefits, absence planning, budgeting and forecasting and– has seamless integration to; payroll, ERP, HRIS and range of other software applications. And, with a solution that’s built on so much flexibility it makes easier than ever, to optimize productivity, eliminate errors and duplicative work thus– ensuring compliance to maximize bottom-line growth.

How You Like Us Now? We’re Talking Analytics

So, if your company truly wants to empower its employees, why not start with a modern day workforce management solution? It’s resides in the cloud, has a suite of best-in-class workforce analytics tools that provides concrete and actionable insights on workforce data to drive your business strategy today and help you plan for the future.

To learn more about ATS Workforce Analytics download a brochure. You can also download a demonstration or sign up for one of our weekly webinars.

No Two Cloud Solutions Are Created Equal

Today’s business executives face a plethora of choices, when shopping for a cloud-based time and attendance and yet, not all cloud solution vendors and/or their deployment methodologies are born equal. ATS TimeWork OnDemand is designed to accommodate robust data capture, adhere to ever changing workforce compliance and complexity, and is equally matched by dependable performance in the cloud.

No Two Cloud Solutions Are Created Equal

When faced with a bewildering choice of cloud-based time and attendance vendors, business executives, should look for some of the following:

Scalability
The fact that you are shopping for a cloud solution, probably means you understand there are cost savings with not having to purchase expensive Servers and yearly licenses not to the mention the cost of an IT department or person to manage said Server. So, with this in mind, the chosen solution should be nimble enough to grow with your business and, at the same time allow you to scale down if and when necessary.

Ease-Of-Use
The whole point of deploying a cloud-based time and attendance is that it should not be a burdern your HR and Payroll practitioner. In fact, it should lessen the workload with a set of easy-to-use, dashboards, broad-based capabilities and slew of analytics, at your fingertips, with a goal of improving productivity.

Deployment
Unlike traditional on-premise time and attendance takes time and requires a great deal of planning but ATS TimeWork OnDemand offers significant advantages when you consider its speed of deployment. Since ATS TimeWork requires no additional hardware, this means there is no need to install an IT infrastructure and/or apply Server updates and buy expensive licenses.

Bottom-line, every business is unique, even those that are in the same industry so taking the time to consider the differences in time and attendance cloud solutions and, the options they each one offers will affect your company’s decision. To learn more ATS TimeWork OnDemand and our deployment methodologies, contact us.

To download ATS TimeWork OnDemand demonstration, go to our website. You can also register for one of our bi-weekly webinars.

HR, Payroll, Time and Attendance

Robust, Agile And Efficient Workforce Management, Built For The Cloud

The rapid growth of the digital era provides a multitude of choices for manufacturing companies to improve their processes and decrease overall costs. If for example, your company has elected not to jump on the band wagon of these, progressive cloud computing technology, it simply means your competitor has a distinct advantage.

Here are some of things you are missing out on if you decide to remain on the sidelines

Workforce Management Manufacturing Scalability
If your competitors have adopted a workforce management solution they are taking advantage of today’s technology, the cloud—to innovate, streamline payroll costs and improve workforce productivity. Now, your plant manager and other operational managers can focus on servicing your customers instead of writing employee hours on manual time sheets.

Workforce Analytics
With ATS Workforce Analytics manufacturing companies have the ability to access and analyze real-time data and benefit, from sophisticated forecasting and budgeting modules to —help uncover visibility into critical resource gaps.

Robust, Agile And Productive Time and Attendance; Built For The Cloud

Continuous Innovative Cloud Computing Technology
Only an ATS cloud workforce management solution—designed for today’s manufacturing, entities, can—enable you to take advantage of innovations software updates as soon as they are available. In short, your company will no longer be hamstrung by backward technology.

Deploying an ATS cloud workforce management ensures that your manufacturing enterprise will leverage up-to-date innovation. The rich functionality of ATS cloud application can benefit manufacturers, because it comes with a much lower upfront costs than a legacy solution thus, helping your business to thrive. And, with a well designed architecture that provides real-time insights into key performance indicators—the intuitive dashboard provides a 360° degree view of business operations, from any platform, at anytime, anywhere.

To learn about ATS innovative cloud solutions, you can download a brochure or demonstration or register for one of our weekly webinars.

Cloud Computing, Forecasting and Budgeting, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Manufacturing, Workforce Analytics

What’s The Best Way To Deal With An Employee Who’s Wrecking Office Morale?

How You Like Us Now? We’re Talking Analytics

No Two Cloud Solutions Are Created Equal

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta