Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software

The Power Of The Cloud Makes The Choice Easy

The growth prospects of cloud-based applications has surpassed all previous projections, and is finally is being realized by businesses the world over. Traditional IT spending on heavy computing servers and software licenses has been usurped by businesses shifting to cloud computing solutions. According to a recent report by Gartner, the amount of money spent on cloud services in 2016 grew 25% over 2015 to $148 billion, and this is number is expected to grow to $216 billion in the year 2020.

The availability and user acceptance rate with cloud-based applications like ATS TimeWork OnDemand have exploded in recent years.

The Power Of The Cloud Makes The Choice Easy

Here is what you can expect from the power of ATS TimeWork OnDemand:

Flexible Deployment Options
ATS implementation team’s approach to our cloud-based time and attendance solution is unique. We offer a best-of-breed cloud deployment for ATS TimeWork OnDemand that encompasses multi-tenancy, single tenancy, and an industry-changing dedicated tenancy model that offers cost savings to our customers and is second to none in the cloud space. This provides our customers with unrivalled levels of choice and scalability on a platform that is specific to their industry.

Scalability
ATS TimeWork OnDemand opens up new capabilities for new and growing organizations. The solution can be scaled in accordance with an organization’s business demands, and financial agility. ATS TimeWork OnDemand provides companies with an opportunity to focus on the core aspects of their business, while knowing, that their time and attendance is always on, accessible 24/7, and always up to date.

Built-In Analytics
ATS TimeWork OnDemand is designed for modern businesses, enabling customers to streamline their mission-critical business processes. And, with real-time insights into key business performance indicators for a unified view of the organization, you will never go back to manual punch clocks or paper timesheets. That’s the power of the cloud.

To learn more about ATS TimeWork OnDemand, go to our website, where you can download a demonstration, or register for a bi-monthly webinar. To reach us by phone, call: 866.294.2467

Analytics, ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Cloud Computing, Gartner, Time and Attendance

When Used Properly, Analytics Can Help Businesses Streamline Payroll Costs

It’s no secret that attitudes toward cloud technology are rapidly changing, and discussions about the potential downsides of cloud deployment are quickly evolving into valid, evaluations of the risks associated with not making the move. Perhaps, it’s a combination of sober thought and some companies witnessing their counterparts in the same or different industries deploy cloud computing technologies, with success hence; the adoption of it. And, with the emergence of cloud-based technology, the use of analytics have also increased. In an op-ed by Rodger Howell, principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers for CFO magazine, he writes;

“Today’s technology, cloud, and IoT-driven world is continually generating a wealth of data, creating both opportunity and challenge for those tasked with deciphering and analyzing it. CFOs in particular are now facing increased pressure to connect the dots between multiple data streams to identify patterns that will optimize a company’s growth and align its costs with its strategy.”

Now, that a statement that packs a powerful punch and is noteworthy, if your company remains unconvinced about the rapid acceptance of cloud technology, and its plethora of advantages it can bring to your business.

Rodger Howell’s article provides a blue print for companies to follow when considering, cloud computing software solutions and analytics. In no particular order, it reads in part:

“Setting Goals and Objectives: CFOs should first identify the organization’s short and long-term objectives, developing key performance indicators to track progress. Consider this step the impetus that will motivate business leaders to introduce data analytics to their day-to-day operations and to assess their impact on business goals.

Proposing Pilot Projects: Once CFOs have buy-in from key players within the organization, they should use this support to introduce pilot projects rooted in data analytics. CFOs can start small by proposing new operations and always being sure to encourage participation from other members of the organization.

Seeking Feedback: CFOs must realize that ongoing feedback from other members of the organization, including its leadership, is necessary after introducing new data analytics platforms, and processes.”

Cloud computing and analytics is an increasing priority for companies of all industries especially, for business executives who want to streamline payroll and overtime costs and other related business expenditure.

When Used Properly, Analytics Can Help Businesses Streamline Payroll Costs

ATS Cloud-Based Time and Attendance is the industry’s most flexible and wholly integrated solution. It’s accompanied by best-in-class services across software as a service (SaaS), platform. ATS Cloud-Based Time and Attendance helps organizations drive innovation and business transformation by increasing business agility, lowering payroll costs, and reducing IT complexity.

To learn about ATS Cloud-Based Time and Attendance solutions, go to our website. You can also download a demonstration or register for one of our weekly webinars.

Analytics, CFO, Cloud Computing, Internet of Things (IoT), Overtime, Payroll, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Your Company’s Policy States It Will Not Deploy A Cloud Solution. Really? But Why?

It easy to become fearful of the unknown or listen to the naysayers when you are not certain-but let’s face it, the cloud is not your average “Johnny-come-lately” solution. In fact, it has been around for quite sometime despite the forecast of its demise by a few. And, much to the chagrin of the few doubters, it has not only endured, but has also won over the hearts and minds of many businesses executives who previously thought it was a fad.

Jo Bennett, contributor for Gartner, (the research and advisory firm) penned an article titled “Why a No-Cloud Policy Will Become Extinct” The article, states in part; “Businesses initially stepped gingerly toward the cloud, experimenting with low-risk applications. Today, applications for office productivity and CRM are tried and tested, and use cases are constantly developing in a wider sphere of mission-critical areas.”

Your Company’s Policy States It Will Not Deploy A Cloud Solution. Really? But Why?

Security has always been the concern for some businesses (understandably so) when weighing, the pros and cons of a cloud-based versus an on-premise solution. And so, on the topic of security the article continued; “Security concerns are most frequently the reason organizations avoid public cloud services. The reality is that cloud service providers typically have the ability to support more effective security systems and platforms than are practical for most individual businesses.”

ATS best-of-breed cloud-based time and attendance has helped thousands of businesses capture employee data in real-time with award-winning employee time clocks, and data integration capabilities to ERP, Payroll and HR applications. With ATS cloud-based time and attendance you get up-to-the-minute business intelligence, operational excellence and increase agility with a single global application that aligns to your business processes.

To learn more about ATS Cloud-Based Solutions or to read testimonials from some of our customers, or to download a free demonstration, go to our website.

Cloud Based Time and Attendance, CRM, Employee Time Clocks, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Gartner, Payroll, Public Cloud

Working Long Hours, Does It Improve Or Hinder Productivity?

The Industrial Age brought with it among other things, mass production of goods and manufacturing and also the introduction of the 9 to 5 work day. And with several decades gone, the Industrial Age has slowly become a thing of the past. And with the changes in the working world, one of the new norms have now become the 12 or 13/14 hour shift, which begs the question, can humans actually work that long and still productivity?

A recent article titled “12-Hour Shifts — Are They the Best Fit for Your Organization”? by Jason Gogel for Industry Week, an online manufacturing publication, wrote in part;

“After the Great Recession, many manufacturers had to find new ways to increase productivity and efficiency. Some changed their shift schedules from eight to 12 hours so they lost less production time on shift changes each day.”

Numerous studies including, one for Harvard Business Review, concludes that an individual’s health eventually suffers by working too many hours, with the end result being less productivity. Of course, we have all at one point or another, worked overtime for extended periods, in order to complete or implement a project and that means putting in extra hours but, that’s the exception and not the rule.

Working Long Hours, Does It Improve Or Hinder Productivity?

The Industry Week article continues by stating that; “The biggest concern with 12-hour shifts is lack of sleep and fatigue, which can negatively impact performance, productivity, and safety- on the job and at home. Health professionals typically agree that quality sleep is essential for maintaining good health. Most adults require seven to eight hours of sleep for optimal functioning; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 30% of the nation’s workers are sleeping less than six hours per day.

In addition to fatigue, not getting enough sleep can result in shortened attention spans, memory lapses, and irrational decision-making. According to sleep experts, other sleep-related problems are diminished psychomotor skills, slower reaction times, poor communication, and periods of micro-sleeping.”

You can read the entire article by going to Industry Week web page. Unless you are working for a company like Google and others of its kind, who provides nap rooms for employees who work long hours each week, your productivity will go down, if you continue working extended hours each day.

Another article you might find useful on this topic is called; “Whatever happened to 9 to 5? “ by Rex Huppke for the Chicago Tribune.

To learn more about ATS and how our time and attendance solutions can help your company manage pay policies and overtime hours, go to our website or call; (866) 294.2467.

Working Long Hours, Does It Improve Or Hinder Productivity?

Chicago Tribune, Google, Harvard Business Review, Industrial Age, Manufacturing, Time and Attendance

Is Telecommuting The New Norm?

Remember when Yahoo’s CEO, Marissa Mayer informed her employees they could no longer work from home? Even before this story made headlines there were, and still are, a small number of companies who simply cannot wrap their heads around telecommuting partly, because it does not make business sense and most cases, it’s an unconventional approach for some executives and business owners. It’s important to note that there are several jobs that comprise of the regular 8:00am-4:00pm or 9:00am-5:00pm shifts and that these jobs require employees to be at their desks on a daily basis. But, when outside sales personnel, some creative positions or even software sales engineers who, spend roughly 80% of their time visiting customers– it’s quite baffling to hear that these individuals are required to drive to their company offices every day.

Is Telecommuting The New Norm?

For those who have the option of telecommuting and if you are still having difficulty developing a routine, the following is a few tips, gleaned, from an article titled “7 Ways to Make Remote Work Better” by Eric Samson contributor for Entreprenur.com:

1. Stick to a routine.
Maintain the same schedule at home as you do when you are in the office. This is helpful for a number of reasons. Since you are on the same timetable as your coworkers, you can ask and answer questions in a timely fashion. Another benefit is that you adhere to a normal routine. It is enticing to sleep in and start the workday late. But that might also mean working through dinner and even past midnight. Sticking to a reasonable work schedule will ensure both peak productivity and a healthy work-life balance.

2. Have a designated office space.
Identify a place in your home where you work best without distractions. Designate that space as your office, and nothing else. Of course, it is not enough to simply pick a desk, open your laptop and get to work. One of the most important things is that you create an atmosphere conducive to working. Make sure to have a clutter-free environment to maximize your organization and productivity. Have folders to store files and keep an inventory. This way you save time (and money!) looking for things. A tidy office space also helps you look professional during video conference calls.

3. Adjust your environment.
Take advantage of working alone by changing your surroundings to fit your needs. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that hot temperatures lead to declines in economic productivity. To avoid a sluggish work day, set your thermostat to a temperature that is most comfortable for you. Other researchers have found that playing nature sounds in the background improves employees’ moods and work efficiency. Add nature sounds to your playlist to optimize your ability to concentrate on your job.

You can read the rest of the article by on entrepreneur.com. It appears telecommuting is not as easy as it appears to be. If you are seasoned pro, you probably already know what it entails and if you are starting out, it would be wise to test the waters by doing it one to two days a week.

To learn about ATS and our time and attendance solutions, go to our website. You can download a prerecorded demonstration and to attend one of our monthly webinars, you can register online or call us at (866) 294.2467.

Is Telecommuting The New Norm?

Entrepreneur, Telecommuting, Time and Attendance

3 Tips For Dealing With Holiday Stress

You would think we had some kind of coping mechanism to handle the holiday season. After all, it’s an annual event which many of us look forward (especially the retail sector) to, for the; shopping, eggnog drinking and corporate parties. Ok, some of us look forward to this. And, maybe some or many of us are simply dreading the holiday season because we have to visit with family members that we would rather avoid. Regardless of how we approach the season, the stress permeates the air around us.
In an article penned by yoga trainer, Dana Santas for pros in the; NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA- she offers 3 tips that will help you get through the holidays season with a little less stress if you follow her advice. The following tips are:

3 Tips For Dealing With Holiday Stress

“Breathe your way to calm and control
Relax your shoulders, neck and upper back. Inhale through your nose and exhale out your mouth, emphasizing your exhalation. Be sure to release your rib cage downward as you exhale fully.

Get-off-your-feet pose
Simply lie on your back with your legs elevated by a pillow, up on a chair or even straight up the wall (known as legs-up-the-wall pose in yoga).

Stretch away your stress
While standing, simply raise your arms above your head at shoulder distance. Take five long, deep breaths. Then inhale as you reach and hold your left wrist with your right hand; exhale as you side bend your entire body to the right, stretching out your left side. Hold for a breath or two. Inhale as you return your arms straight above your head.
Repeat on the other side.”

You can read the article in its entirety at cnn.com. Hopefully, these tips help you navigate the hustle and bustle that has become a part of this holiday season.

To learn more about ATS you can join follow us on Twitter, GooglePlus, LinkedIn or Pinterest to join in the conversation. And to register for a free webinar or download a demonstration, go to our website.

Christmas, Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Hockey League, Yoga

Benefit of an ATS Time and Attendance Solution

In order to quantify the benefits of a time and attendance solution, you first have to know what to look for. ATS time and attendance solution can help your company cut payroll costs and, at the same time, enhanced employee productivity.

Benefit of an ATS Time and Attendance Solution

If your company is using paper punch clocks or paper time sheets, and you are interested in automating the process, here are some key benefits you can expect after implementing an ATS Time and Attendance Solution:

Reduction in the use of paper and fraud

ATS time and attendance solution will reduce the cost associated with creating and distributing paper timesheets
No more transferring of time sheets from employee to supervisor for review and then onto payroll and HR department for processing.
Employees can fraudulently increase the number of hours they get paid for by having a coworker punch them when they are late or not at the work site.

Improved Data Quality

Through the use of ATS time clocks, Employees can find out how much overtime they have accumulated during the week, review schedules and request time-off.
Employee hours can be sent automatically to your payroll software with the click of a mouse.
By eliminating the administrative tasks of paper time sheets you improve workforce productivity, and your employees are now free to focus on more value-added activities.

Let’s face it, how many employees complain if they get overpaid? If a small fraction, of your workforce is consistently getting over paid, it will affect your company’s revenue. And, when employees get underpaid they will complain, thus, resulting in the company having to make adjustments, and that in and of itself is costly.

Employee pay is one of the biggest controllable expenses in most organizations. As an organization, you should have accurate information about; employee attendance, vacation eligibility, the ability to schedule accurately to meet customer demands, the number of projects your company completed in the last two months, and access to real-time analytics to help you make informed decisions. Manual time sheets will not help you with those objectives and will waste time and take a bite out of your profits. In an ever increasing global and competitive business landscape, wouldn’t it be better to identify and eradicate manual time and attendance bottlenecks?

So why go with ATS? Because our time and attendance solution is easy-to-use and they deliver, up-to-the-minute and high-quality information you need to make better decisions

To explore our solutions, you can download brochures; sign up for one of live product demonstrations. You can also reach us by phone at; 1.866.294.2467.

Benefit of an ATS Time and Attendance Solution

Productivity, Time and Attendance, Vacation

How You Can Make Cloud Time And Attendance Work For Your Business

With so much choice available in the cloud-based time and attendance industry, it’s very tempting to assume they all work the same way. At first glance, all cloud providers promise to give your business all the benefits of real-time analytics, 90% plus uptime, a solid infrastructure and the list goes on. Bypass the glitz and glamour and drill down to the “nitty gritty”, your actual business requirements.

If you can remain focus on your actual business, chances are you will end with a good provider. With ATS TimeWork Attendance OnDemand, your company gets an intuitive and robust central system that automates, and simplifies employee attendance of all aspects of your business processes.

ATS TimeWork Attendance OnDemand helps your company manage its business requirement through:

Complete automation- ATS industry-leading TimeWork Attendance OnDemand, contain components that helps companies manage fewer discrepancies and errors through data capture and up-to-the-minute information.

Real-time reporting- management have instant access and visibility accurate alerts and dashboards analytics based on workforce activity, designed to provide business insight.

Self-service portal- Employees and managed become empowered with flexible, anytime-anywhere access to personalized data including, time-off requests, reviewing of schedules, overtime allotment from any smartphone, tablet PC or workstation.

ATS cloud-based time and attendance provides companies with a way to expand and data storage without worrying about internal IT resources, server capacity or expenditures. And with the use of ATS TimeWork OnDemand, you can scale accordingly, based on the needs and growth of your business.

To experience ATS TimeWork OnDemand, go to our website and request a demo.

Employee Self Service, Time and Attendance, TimeWork OnDemand

Disruptive Technology Is The Future For Growing Businesses

At a recent meeting between ATS professional services team members and executive managers of a Midwestern U.S., 500 employee food manufacturing plant, who also happens to be an existing customer of ATS-the discussion centered on the company’s growth plans to add locations in a few more states and some provinces in Canada over the next 18 months. One of ATS professional services team member suggested that the customer migrate to our cloud-based time and attendance system to leverage its business growth potential. Cloud computing is disruptive and has no boundaries, two elements that should be embraced by organizations.

A recent report by IDC, reads in part, “The cloud has changed the fundamental nature of computing and how business gets done and it will continue to do so through 2020. In fact, IDC predicts that by 2020 clouds will stop being referred to as “public” and “private” and ultimately they will stop being called clouds altogether. It is simply the new way business is done and IT is provisioned. IDC research also shows that the global cloud infrastructure is super-scaling and becoming the launch pad for infrastructure innovation and as a result, hardware vendors’ innovations are shifting to “cloud first”.

And in an economic climate, that is still struggling with; effects from 2008’s recession, continued job losses and, where shareholders expect a rapid return on investment from IT and other related expenditures, the report goes on to say; “IDC is seeing organizations leverage cloud services as a foundation element in this strategy and layering on advanced analytics, collaboration capabilities and new technologies to drive rich customer experience, speed to market in of new products/services, creative digital marketing, mobile commerce and optimization of operational efficiencies amongst others.”

If your company is one of those growing businesses, and if you decide to migrate to the cloud, you will gain:

Unprecedented Flexibility — ATS provides its customers with the freedom to choose the timing of their Attendance ONDemand time and attendance upgrade. Just imagine having your software match the needs of your organization through release updates.

The Power of ATS Cloud Computing Database Migration — ATS Software-As-A-Service platform enables organizations to migrate their on-premises data effortlessly to our platform without concerns of sacrificing control or flexibility.

24×7, 365 Days A Year Of Access—ATS customers can leverage a cloud-based environment to get instant access to attendance, on-the-spot analytics and address leave management challenges, all on your smart phone, tablet PC or workstation from anywhere. Now that’s the modern way of business management.

As a leader of cloud-based workforce management solution, companies depend on ATS Time Attendance OnDemand to run mission-critical business processes globally and in the cloud. ATS cloud-based time and attendance lower IT costs, while increasing productivity, as the adoption of the cloud services is accelerating around the world.

To learn more follow Apex Time Solutions blog, LinkedIn business group and Twitter handle for real-time updates.

To have one of our account executives contact you go to our website.

Attendance OnDemand, Cloud Computing, IDC, LinkedIn, Manufacturing, Software-as-a-Service, Twitter

Here Is What You Should Expect From Your Time and Attendance Vendor

We have espoused the virtues of time and attendance and its tremendous benefits numerous times on this space. We have also described our software solution as robust simple, powerful and affordable. The right time and attendance solution can help transform business operations. TimeWork On-Demand is such a cloud-based timeand attendance solution that provides broad functionality and is delivered in a manner that minimizes complexity.

With ATS TimeWork On-Demand, your managers can view employee attendance records online, receive alerts and respond to personal time off requests (PTO) all at the click of a button. And there’s more. With a plethora of workforce management software tools at your fingertips; you can forecast, plan and schedule employees according to business needs. ATS provides an implementation methodology that’s been used by thousands of customers over many years.

So What Should You Expect From Your Vendor?

Software Simplicity
A software application that’s difficult to navigate should not even be considered. If the intent of the software is to help streamline business process, then why should it be difficult to use? In actuality, this defeats the purpose. TimeWork On-Demand eliminates many of the barriers that prevent companies from implementing a time and attendance solution; moreover, TimeWork On-Demand has the tools that will help executives to remain focus on their core business while leaving the workforce analytics aspects to us.

Scalability
While we are proponents of easy to use software, we also believe your software should be able to grow with you. TimeWork On-Demand has leverages deep core functionality that has been in use for over 25 years and is installed at thousands of customer sites. With ATS TimeWork you have everything in one robust an integrated workforce management solution to manage your business and decrease operational costs. ATS time and attendance eliminates the need for paper-based time sheets.

Data Integration Your Way
Integrating to your existing payroll, CRM, ERP, or HR systems with ATS TimeWork On-Demand is an easy process. ATS cloud-based data integration tools that allows companies to access data in formats that they are use to.

Exceptional Implementations
This is where the rubber meets the road. You can expect a dedicated implementation specialist who will guide and coach you through the entire process. This will include system configuration validation, data integration process execution, preparation of user-acceptance testing, execution and flawless deployment.

Unwavering Customer Experience
From the first time we talk, you will be in constant communication with employees who has deep knowledge our product and the industry. After sales assistance is handled by highly experienced technical support personnel who will always be available whenever you need them.

ATS TimeWork On-Demand was designed to help you reduce complexity, get up and running quickly, and decrease on-going operational costs. Over the years, we have talked to thousands of companies about their time and attendance needs. That is why TimeWork is fully configurable to meet the specific needs of your organization’s workforce management software strategy – allowing customers to match our solutions with specific business processes and workflows.

Want to automate your time and attendance business process? Go to our website or join our LinkedIn Business Group.

ERP, TimeWork On-Demand, Workforce Management Software

Working Long Hours, Does It Improve Or Hinder Productivity?

Is Telecommuting The New Norm?

3 Tips For Dealing With Holiday Stress

Benefit of an ATS Time and Attendance Solution

How You Can Make Cloud Time And Attendance Work For Your Business

Here Is What You Should Expect From Your Time and Attendance Vendor

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