Best-in-Class Workforce Management Software from Industry Experts
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Since the invention of the mechanical time clock in 1888, companies have used various types of time clocks to track employee hours. While the changes in time clocks have not been as fast as smart phones and tablet PCs they have made significant strides.  There are still companies, today who use the traditional time clocks that come equipped with a paper time card. When these paper cards are inserted into the time clock, it punches a hole in the card that represents time in, out and other data that’s relevant to the company. Although the fundamentals of employee time tracking remain the same, time clocks have evolved.

Today, verifying employee record of work comes in several forms that include: barcode and proximity, hand geometry, fingerprint, facescan terminals, online/web timesheets, telephones and smart phones and magnetic badges. The functions performed by today’s time clocks range from job costing and schedule reviews to departmental transfers. When combined with labour management software, these clocks store data for the calculation of overtime, premiums and various work policies.

In some cases, time clocks may not be conducive to the needs of an organization.  For example, it might be easier for employees who travel frequently to punch in and out, check their schedules and request time off through their cell phone. A construction company might also find it easier to use a mobile time clock for employees that travel to different job sites.  Companies with remote health care workers might find it easier to use telephony. Phone punch or telephony allows employees to punch in and out from any telephone- all guided by voice prompts.

ATS time clocks facilitate complex attendance and job reporting, including hours worked, breaks, tardiness and absences. These time clocks provide real-time query capabilities and an accurate picture of your employees’ attendance and absences.

For more information on employee time clocks and workforce management software, visit our website.

The use of biometric technology has gained widespread notoriety in many vertical industries.  While there are different types of biometric terminals, they all use a common theme. Some of the ways in which biometrics are used include: security/access control, time and attendance, finger scanning to access laptops and other devices. Biometrics is based on authentication techniques that rely on physical characteristics. The data process of an ATS biometric time clock mirrors that of a barcode or magnetic swipe clock. The big difference is that the authentication process of the biometric unit prevents workers from clocking in for each other. Essentially, when using biometric time clocks, employees have to be onsite to punch in and out.

 ATS biometric technology automates processes, reduces payroll and complies with government and collective bargaining agreements. The combination of our time and attendance software and biometric time clocks helps companies to: schedule the right coverage, track employee performance, comply with corporate directives and align long-term workforce planning and daily operations with your business strategy.

If your company decides to use biometrics, it’s important to figure out what type of biometric device will work in your setting. For instance, a fingerscan reader might be sensitive to elements in a fish packing plant, whereas a hand punch unit or facescan might excel in those areas. ATS account executives have a wealth of experience with biometric technology and can guide you towards a solution that meets your operational goals.

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When bidding on projects many companies seek for better control over how their labour dollars and hours are allocated to those projects.  The ATS job costing module was designed to collect and analyze labour distribution and job allocation information.

The ATS job costing module provides an integrated and seamless method to collect, process and report on job costing data in addition to the standard time and attendance information. Job costing data collection is performed in the same manner as time and attendance data collection. The employee presses the desired function key, scans their badge and then scans the job number and project being worked on.

Functionality and benefits of Apex Time Solutions job costing module include:

The real-time visibility saves money through more efficient monitoring and administration, but also allows supervisors to anticipate and eliminate production bottlenecks.

Our system calculates the hours and costs of payroll in environments with complex business rules, including incentive pay policies. It is extremely configurable and is affectivity date-driven. When policies change, the software is flexible enough accommodate these changes.

Job Tracking Terminals uses input devices such as barcode and laser scanners for on-floor data collection. The job costing report allows sorting on all grouping levels, producing thousands of possible report combinations.

Job transfers can be tracked to many different levels. This job module can be set to several different configurations, allowing for single and/or multiple jobs at any period.

Time and Attendance reports can be combined with job costing reports. Writer module available for user defined reports.

 The ATS job costing module is great for tracking specific jobs for billing purposes, or when employees are paid for working in different departments or locations within an organization.

You can go online and read more about the ATS Job costing and Labour Distribution module.

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Although the terms Workforce Management Solutions and Workforce Management Software are relatively new, they came about when the integration of software with the time clock became a reality. Companies with a hundreds and in some case, thousands of employees could now access their employee’s time and attendance through an automated fashion.

The words, punch clock, employee time tracking, time keeping and time management solution can sometimes all refer to the same thing. Here is fascinating piece from Wikipedia on the evolution of the Time Clock or Time and Attendance as it is referred to, when it’s combined with software that calculates the time of employees.

“A time clock, sometimes known as a clock card machine or punch clock or time recorder, is a mechanical (or electronic) timepiece used to assist in tracking the hours an employee of a company worked. In regards to mechanical time clocks this was accomplished by inserting a heavy paper card, called a timesheet, into a slot on the time clock. When the time card hit a contact at the rear of the slot, the machine would print day and time information on the card. This allowed a timekeeper to have an official record of the hours an employee worked to calculate and pay an employee.”

Today’s choices in time clocks include: magnetic strip cards, proximity cards, key fobs, RFID tags, barcode time clocks and biometrics. In our previous blogs, we discussed the importance of taking time to discuss your environment with a vendor before deciding on a time clock. Some time clocks may not be suited for certain environments, so it’s important to understand the dynamics of your company and its corporate culture, before deploying a time and attendance system.

The advent of biometrics has evolved in the 21st century. Biometric technology recognizes a specific feature on an individual to confirm the person’s identity. These features can range from an individual’s facescan, to fingerprint or the image of their hand. The technology is most often used for security purposes and can be found at most airports in the world. Using an automated, biometric system to track employee time and attendance is beneficial to organizations in a number of ways.

Here is another article from Wikipedia on the use of biometrics in the world of time and attendance:

“Biometric time clocks are a feature of more advanced time and attendance systems. Rather then using a key, code or chip to identify the user, they rely on a unique attribute of the user, such as a hand print, finger print or retina. The user will have their attribute scanned into the system. Biometric readers are often used in conjunction with a access control system, granting the user access to a building, and at the same time clocking them in recording the time and date. These systems also attempt to cut down on fraud such a buddy punching. When combined with an access control system they can help prevent other types of fraud such as ghost employees where employees are actually at work to clock in but then leave for the day only to return after their shift to clock out.”

One of the pioneers of the practical time clock was Edward G. Watkins who went on to create Simplex Time Recording Company, one of the largest time clock companies of its time.  

It’s clear that the time clock has a long and storied history. Companies who deploy a time and attendance system can effectively control labour costs, maximize productivity and gain a competitive advantage over their counterparts.

 To obtain a white paper on “The advantages of using a Time and Attendance System” click here  or go to our website.