Best-in-Class Workforce Management Software from Industry Experts
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A recent study by the USDA brought to light a subject that has been discussed and dissected over the years. In its most recent study, complete with a chart to bolster its case, the USDA states that:

“Most Americans consume diets that do not meet Federal dietary recommendations. A common explanation is that healthier foods are more expensive than less healthy foods. To investigate this assumption, the authors compare prices of healthy and less healthy foods using three different price metrics: the price of food energy ($/calorie), the price of edible weight ($/100 edible grams), and the price of an average portion ($/average portion). They also calculate the cost of meeting the recommendations for each food group. For all metrics except the price of food energy, the authors find that healthy foods cost less than less healthy foods (defined for this study as foods that are high in saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium, or that contribute little to meeting dietary recommendations).”

Proponents for healthier foods argue that there is a high price to pay for eating fast foods which, in turn, leads to obesity and a drain on a country’s medical system. In the context of a stagnant economy others lament that people who either make minimum wage or have lost their jobs simply cannot afford the high price of healthily foods.

While this subject matter deals with the costs of healthy eating, the correlation between the price and perceived value of a product can relate to many things. For example, in the Toronto Star, one ofCanada’s largest newspapers it featured an article titled “Frugal of Cheap: Which one are you”? 

In waxing exponentially about the subject at hand, the author, Krystal Yee cited the following example: “My boyfriend kept buying sneakers that cost $20 to $30, but they never kept his feet dry in the rainyVancouverweather. So, every three months he bought a new pair. Finally he decided to splurge on a pair of higher quality shoes for $90. Three months later they are in excellent condition.”

ATS time and attendance solutions are designed for organizations that want a system built to last. Our solution gives you the power to design and scale your infrastructure and applications as your needs change, in a highly secure, robust and flexible environment. ATS employee time tracking solutions are designed to meet the most demanding business requirements with a cloud based technology that is supported by highly trained specialists to help you create effective workforce management software strategies.

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In a recent conversation that one of our software representatives had with a potential customer, he revealed his disappointment with the way his company was keeping track of employee time. It turns out that they have been using paper timesheets since the inception of the company some 30 years ago, despite having in excess of 300 employees. Naturally our representative asked why his company had not automated the tracking of employee time and attendance before. The customer’s response, “Our corporate culture has been that we do not want to be seen as untrustworthy of our employees.”

The use of workforce management software is increasing as organizations seek to get an accurate handle on payroll costs while simultaneously improving productivity. Studies by industry giant Canadian Payroll Association have shown that companies who automate their business process with workforce management software have historically decreased the time it takes to prepare payroll by about 80% and have saved companies 3-5% on their net payroll costs.

Maximizing cost-effectiveness and productivity is the goal of a workforce management software, and ATS time attendance solutions provides businesses the tools to measure and monitor employee activities. Our application provides a range of real-time reporting and analysis. HR, payroll professionals and supervisors can perform data discovery by drilling down through the integrated dashboard and reports, which represent attendance-related analytics.

In summary, the ATS Workforce Management Software provides you with access to:

1)       An employee self-service portal for vacation and benefit accruals

2)       Visibility of multiple locations in real-time

3)       Seamless transfer of employee data to payroll, HRIS, Talent Management, ERP and other applications

4)       The ability to access the software from anywhere, anytime in the world

5)       A variety of employee data collectors

To learn more about our time and attendance solutions/workforce management software and how they can benefit your company, go to our website and join the conversation with an ATS Software representative.

Managing, tracking and paying overtime is a challenge for some companies. That’s in part, because these companies do not have the right tools to help them with this issue. Overtime has presented itself as a “hot potato” when not applied accurately. Case in point, litigation in recent years has made many companies take note of the rules governing overtime payments.

Canada’s labour code on hours of work and pay states, in part:
“The standard hours of work are eight hours in a day and 40 hours in a week. The maximum number of hours of work for a week is 48 hours. Certain provisions permit flexibility in applying these standards. As well, special regulations cover certain classes of workers in specific industries such as city and highway transport drivers. However, the Code makes no distinction between full-time, part-time or casual workers.”The quote goes on to say:

“The maximum time a worker may work each week can be exceeded for exceptional circumstances such as emergency work or averaging of hours. However, hours of work provisions in the Code do not apply to those who have management functions, or to members of specific groups such as the engineering and medical professions.”

The above guideline by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada is a good measuring stick that can be used by payroll professionals when determining overtime pay for employees. In addition to this guideline, organizations need to factor in collective bargaining agreements (if applicable), industry type and labour codes unique to the jurisdiction/s in which they operate.

For organizations with several locations in different provinces and/or states, attempting to calculate overtime through an antiquated system can present a herculean challenge. ATS time attendance, and labour management solutions help you increase the speed and accuracy of payroll preparation, improve wage compliance, and optimize a rapid return on your investment.

The ATS time and labour solution shows hours worked in real-time and helps determine when an employee is approaching overtime so you can ensure your company has the right amount of coverage, helping you reduce the costs associated with overstaffing.

3 ways to streamline labour costs and take control of overtime:

Reduce Labour Costs: Control overtime hours while improving efficiencies with employee time capture to reduce manual errors.

Eliminate Technology Costs: With an ATS (SaaS) software-as-a-service time and attendance solution, customers can access the software 24/7 365 days a year through any web browser. Hassles of upgrading software become a thing of the past.

Notifications: The ATS time and attendance solution triggers notifications (including e-mail notifications) in real- time to alert managers of issues requiring immediate attention.

To learn more about our time and attendance solutions including automated overtime tracking methodologies, go to our website.

Cloud computing has become ubiquitous with many things ranging from music, books and just about any other application that can be accessed through the web. In fact, cloud computing has become so prevalent that some people are not aware they have subscribed to it. Of course moving to the cloud can be challenging. ATS Cloud Time and Attendance solution stands out because of our deep expertise and superior accountability when it comes to protecting the integrity of our customer data.

Choosing the right time and attendance vendor is fundamental to achieving the full advantages of an on-demand solution. Here are key considerations to take into account in choosing a provider:

 Security
Some providers claim they have “web-based” or “web-native” software which requires an expensive server which may not part of your budget. That’s not true cloud. Of course, some companies have IT departments and prefer to host the application, but the whole point of true cloud computing is to ease the burden on the customer. Reduce your risk by making sure you ask your vendor the tough questions and understand their proven performance with other companies.

 Savings
Some companies start off thinking about the cloud by comparing service provider rates. Without a doubt, one of the advantages of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) is that upfront fees are less than what you would expect to pay when purchasing an on-premise solution.

 Deployment
True SaaS should be deployed in a few weeks not many months. Of course, some companies have complex requirements but since the software is not installed on your company’s server and desktops, the process should be quick and seamless.

 Fancy Features
Yes, we have them as well, but prefer to focus on the fundamentals. The goal should be on the configurability of the software as it relates to your company’s requirements. Once that’s established, everything else should follow.

 Pay for What you Use
One of the advantages of a subscription based application like ATS Cloud Time and Attendance is that you only pay for what you use. For customers interested in additional models that means a product with scalability. 

Still not sure if cloud time and attendance is the right solution for you? Contact an ATS account executive. You will be pleasantly surprised at the savings, speed and flexibility available to you.

Companies in industries of all sizes are under tremendous pressure to do more with less- from streamlining of resources to adopting business practices that provide optimum value for their customers and shareholders. Many of today’s business executives want real-time information that will help them understand the importance of data integration as it relates to workforce management. Our business software allows managers to validate work and pay, and provides a comprehensive financial view of business operations.

The ATS time and attendance solution provide customers with lower administrative and operating costs, it improves customer satisfaction, and enhances the focus on core business activities. Our integrated software suite combines deep industry expertise and a flawless implementation methodology.

Here are few ways Workforce Management Software will improve your company’s business operations:

Attendance Management: 
Our workforce management software calculates overtime, premium pay and host of other pay calculations based on a company’s specific requirements.  Employee time clocking options include; barcode, swipe and biometric time clocks. Real-time information is sent to payroll and HR systems, providing instant reporting capabilities.

 Human Resources Management:
ATS human resources module includes: employee self-self, vacation planning calendar and benefits administration. Our solution is both flexible and scalable and is offered as a cloud application or an on-premises employee time management solution.

Business Intelligence
ATS Business Intelligence provides companies with the information necessary to streamline payroll and improve data accuracy. With an intuitive dashboard your managers can create schedules and navigate the visual workflow to route work tasks for exceptions and instant approvals.

 An ATS software solution enables you to align with your workforce and business strategies. Learn more about ATS Workforce Management Software on our website.

To say that the recent economic crisis of 2008 touched every country in the world is a gross understatement. While some countries fared somewhat better than others, there is overwhelming evidence that many countries are still feeling the effects of the financial crisis. For example, in North America the manufacturing sector and several other industries, have been decimated and leaving millions of people out of work. This economic downturn has forced many companies to take a serious look at the many advantages afforded by business automation software.  Manually tracking employee hours through time sheets is not only a waste of resources but unintended errors can cut into a company’s profit margin.

An ATS time and attendance solution is tailored to meet the challenges companies face in the areas of: forecasting, employee scheduling, labour analytics and attendance management. Whether your industry is hospitality, manufacturing, retail or healthcare, our workforce management software is designed to meet those needs and improve business productivity.

Here are three ways our software solution can help your company:

Information in Real-Time: Companies need the latest data so they can determine how to reduce costs while maintaining productivity. ATS time and attendance provides instant visibility and enhanced reporting to help you make informed decisions about your labour force.

Functionality and Scalability: ATS time and attendance software helps organizations automate clocking and streamlines employee time tracking, while communicating with operational departments throughout the payroll process. Our modular solution is scalable and allows companies to activate additional functions as their business and number of employees grows.

Integrated Solution: ATS fully integrated time and attendance solution combines performance into one powerful system—improving efficiency and effectiveness as well as generating critical business intelligence. Our workforce management software allows for integration to a variety of systems including: Talent Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Payroll, Accounting and Financial Management and Customer Relationship Management.

To join our weekly webinar on the advantages of workforce management software for businesses go to our website. To speak to one of our account executives, call us at: 866.294.2467

 

The recent news of Rogers®, a Toronto business and one of Canada’s largest telecommunications company, closing its video rental business came as little surprise to many. When Blockbuster closed shop in 2011 many analysts predicted that the ability to download movies and TV shows through the cloud with NetFlix and Hulu would see more video stores going by the wayside. When we launched our cloud computing SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution several years ago, we solicited feedback from our customers. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with the majority citing 24/7 access and quick implementation as the top reasons for choosing this offering.

ATS cloud computing software application is a secure and resilient solution that can be deployed to organizations of all sizes. Our SaaS time and attendance is delivered in real-time and ensure businesses can operate their workforce management in the cloud with complete confidence

Why Choose SaaS (software-as-a-service) Solution?

  • The product is dynamic, scalable and is delivered as a service through the cloud making it the most sustainable approach to providing an employee time tracking solution
  • Customers enjoy huge capital investment savings, a high ROI and access to the 365 days a year 24/7
  • The database is backed up daily and companies get guaranteed performance with 99.9% uptime
  • Upgrades are free and automatic.  You get access to the latest features and technologies
  • Our SaaS (software-as-a-service) application has a shorter turn around

If you are still not sure how to get started using a cloud technology workforce management software contact, our account executives. We have deep expertise in business management software methodologies and customer support is second to none.  

To view our solutions go to our website or you can contact us by phone.

The effect of the 2008 economic downturn has lingered and many companies have had to change the way they operate in order to remain competitive. Rising fuel costs have also forced companies to scale back on growth opportunities. Of course it’s not all bad news as some industries have fared better than others. In an era of austerity measures, organizations must remain vigilant towards their goal of increasing productivity while streamlining costs without affecting customer service.

So, faced with these challenges what should companies do?  A good place to start is by automating mundane business processes. SaaS Workforce Management Software from ATS makes automation a reality.

We remove the complexities involved with recording employee attendance, managing absences and simplifying them. This, in turn, allows companies to focus on their core competencies within their organizations, while we handle the employee time tracking, payroll and HR process. And it’s all delivered with outstanding customer experience throughout the entire product life cycle.

So why choose ATS? Because our solutions are easy to configure, they adapt to complex work rules and pay policies, calculate hours in real-time and can be accessed 24/7 365 days a year through the cloud.

Learn about ATS by downloading a demo of our products and services on our website.

Everyday we receive several requests about the ATS Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) software delivery model. The questions we deal with are wide ranging and include: security, benefits, features, deployment and after-sales support. Below is a list of the 5 most common questions our account representatives respond to:

1. Why should our company implement an ATS SaaS time and attendance solution over an on-premises solution?
ATS SaaS Time and Attendance has proven repeatedly to be a successful and lasting solution for organizations of all sizes and types – from the largest multinationals, to small businesses and non-profits. With the ATS SaaS time and attendance you are always using the most current version with the latest innovations available to you.  There are no messy upgrades or yearly maintenance fees.

2. Will your system work with the other software applications we have at our company?
Our solution is non propriety and is designed to integrate with other applications including: talent management, customer resource management, payroll, enterprise resources planning (ERP) and human resource information systems (HRIS) platforms.

3. How long does it take to implement your system?
With no software to install on your computers or network, our implementation timeframe is measured in days and weeks – not months or years.

4. Who do I contact for support of our time and attendance system after it has been installed?
After-sales support is at the heart of what we do. Each customer is assigned a dedicated support rep after installation of the system. We believe that our attitude towards uncompromising service is what makes ATS stand head and shoulders above others. We strive to maintain strong retention rates by continuing to provide our customers with exceptionally high levels of service and support.

5. What makes your product unique?
ATS TimeWork is fundamentally sound and was built by software engineers with deep expertise in our industry. Our product has evolved over the years and comes equipped with a variety of modules including: human resources, attendance management, forecasting, vacation planning calendar, employee self-service, incidents and points and absence request.

ATS SaaS Time and Attendance is accessible through any web browser and does not require a large investment. ATS’s true Software-as-a-Service solution architecture provides customers with high flexibility, reliability and lower IT costs. 

If you require additional information call at 866.294.2467 or go to our website.

The theme of a recent call-in show on CBC radio dealt with the wave of small and mid-size businesses that were participating in offering coupons to consumers. In return for handing out coupons, these businesses were told that is was a form of free advertising. There are lots of bargain-hunters looking for the cheapest and best deals and these businesses should not expect customer loyalty. If the business participating in the coupon campaign does not have what the bargain hunters are looking for in terms of price, they will go on to the next company. Price is then the single driving force behind the consumer participating in these coupon deals.

Some of the consumers who called in complained that upon arrival at the participating businesses, the products that they were hoping to scoop up with their coupons were all gone. Others said their coupons were not honoured and they were asked to purchase a higher priced item. Business owners on the other hand, lamented that the bargain-hunters wanted products of greater value and higher price points, but did not want to pay for them.

While companies have been sending out coupons to consumers for many years, companies like Groupon and the TV show “Extreme Couponing” has made it trendy to collect coupons.  Janice M. is a contributing blogger to the site “Talking Cents” she recently wrote a piece titled “To Clip or Not to Clip? The Great Coupon Debate.” Here is an excerpt of that blog:

“People love coupons. As you know, if you read my recent grocery challenge update, I am not one of those people. Not only are coupons not necessary for a thrifty lifestyle, but they can even be detrimental to your wallet and your budget. According to Nielson Clearing House (NCH), 78% of consumers report using coupons on a regular basis. This stat alone implies that my stand on coupons is not parallel with the majority. Although plenty of you won’t agree with me, the following are a few reasons why I don’t clip coupons.

More often than not the coupons out there provide a discount on the items that are the priciest. Therefore, you are not getting the best deal on a specific item (i.e. cereal) you are just getting a discounted price on the already higher priced, premium item (i.e. brand name cereal). I’ve seen it first-hand (as I know I’ve mentioned before). I’ve clipped the coupon, gone to the store, and realized that I can get the same item (different brand) at a cheaper price without using a coupon.”

Shopping for consumer items like frozen pizza, ice-cream and chocolate bars with coupons is one thing. When shopping for a time and attendance system the coupon bargain-hunter mentality should not apply.  A time and attendance software streamlines payroll, increases productivity and is a long term investment. While it is true that some of the basics might be similar, the manner in which an employee time management application computes data is different. Moreover, implementation and after-sales support should also play a large role when comparing software solutions.

At ATS, we do not sell a one size fits all cloud-based time and attendance system. That’s why we remain committed to offering a broad range of workforce management solutions that give companies flexibility and choice.

To learn more about ATS cloud time and attendance solutions, go to our website.