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Many of ATS monthly blogs deals with the tangible benefits of automation, while at the same time, espousing the economic advantages of deploying, a Human Capital Management (HCM) solution. Those sentiments are reiterated in a published article, titled 10 Automation Mistake to Avoid by Laurence Goasduff for Gartner. Additionally, the article provides potential pitfalls to avoid, when automating business processes.

Here are the 10 mistakes to avoid based on a recent Gartner survey:

  1. Falling in love with a single technology: Once an organization has purchased and implemented a specific process automation tool, such as robotic process automation (RPA), successfully, it’s natural that colleagues want to adopt it more widely. “However, the wrong approach is to drive automation from a single technology perspective. Instead, lead with the business outcome and then align the correct set of tools,” says Sturgill.

2. Believing that business can automate without IT: More and more business users believe that the adoption of RPA and low-code/no-code applications don’t require the assistance of IT. But business users may lack knowledge of how customer and data records work, for example, and there’s a risk of mishandling the information. Additionally, those applications are integrated with other systems, which require regular upgrades. When the IT team isn’t involved, changes during upgrades don’t pass through, causing failed processes.

3. Thinking automation is always the solution: Automation may be the best long-term option for business and IT processes, but leaders cannot simply use it to cover gaps in a poorly designed process. Automation is not meant to make up for failures in systems or defer system replacement; using automation in that way simply extends the life of suboptimal legacy applications by creating savings that mask underlying inefficiencies.

4. Not engaging all stakeholders: Automation, by nature, has a broad impact on the enterprise, which means you should engage stakeholders from across the organization for decision making and sign off. For example, if adoption of new automation processes changes the nature of people’s roles, involve HR; changes to access rights and IDs, or server requirements must involve security or IT. 

5. Failing to devote enough time to testing: Automation technologies only work when the algorithms and rules are exactly correct. The technologies may seem easy to use, but they are unforgiving when programmed incorrectly. They can very quickly wreck business data and fail to deliver the desired business outcome. 

6. Wasting effort on overly complicated processes: At times, organizations find themselves in a quagmire when automating a process. That most often happens when processes are not well-documented or understood, if the workflow is not consistent or if there are too many variants in the decision-making process. Don’t waste time and effort by failing to halt such processes promptly. 

7. Treating automation as simple task replication: Using automation tools to copy exactly what is being done manually misses a critical benefit of automation — improving the end-to-end process to create a better customer and employee experience. If process redesign is not part of the automation process, you may use the wrong automation tool and lose the business outcome you hope to achieve.

8. Failing to monitor in postproduction: Just like any system implementation, automation projects will require extensive “hands-on” IT involvement after implementation. For example, for RPA rollouts, establish continuous assessment, monitoring and regular quality checks to ensure that robots have been scripted correctly and are continuing to work as expected. This avoids huge data cleanup tasks. 

9. Using the wrong metrics to measure success: It’s typical to measure technology applications and tools to ensure that they are working as designed. However, this doesn’t reflect whether or not the project is successful. Measuring the impact on processes and the enterprise as a whole is key to the success of automation. 

10. Ignoring the culture and employee impact: While it’s critical to focus on how to adopt and scale automation, it is equally important to consider the impact on employees, especially if roles are eliminated or reimagined. 

Bottomline: Involve all parties who will be impacted by the deployment of the HCM solution, in particular non-management staff. And never settle for a solution that may not work for your organization. When exploring HCM solutions beware of the one-size-fit-all approach. If the vendor does not know the challenges you face regularly, you could add time and money to your deployment, while at the same time, negatively impacting the overall results of the solution. Choosing an HCM vendor with deep industry expertise will lead to greater efficiency and better user experiences.

To request additional information, learn more about ATS, or to download a demo, go to our website. To reach an account executive by phone, call; 866-294-2467.

As proponents of artificial intelligence (AI), at ATS, we see how the technology can transform (when used the way its intended) HR departments and not to make them redundant. Essentially, many HR and other c-Suite executives already use the technology in some form or another, in their personal lives; whether it’s Siri, Alexa, or Cortana or a range of others on AI-based devices. In the workplace, AI is evolving into an intelligent assistant to help us work smarter. The technology also offers the potential to revolutionize key HR responsibilities, such as human capital management (HCM), talent management, benefits accruals, absence management, employee self-service, performance evaluation and onboarding for HR professionals.

A recent Gartner worldwide artificial intelligence forecast suggest that a whopping $62.5 billon in revenue is expected in 2022. And, a recently published article, by The HR Director, outlined 3 important ways that AI is being used in the world of talent management. They include:

  1. “Sourcing-AI is used to find and connect with talent more quickly, with the overall results of the sourcing being of better quality than before.
  2. Screening-with the help of AI screening tools, deriving important information is more efficient than ever – instead of going through and opening each and every resume, the tools will give you needed results in minutes.
  3. Interviewing –AI can be used for analyzing facial expressions of candidates during video interviews, giving the employer a better look into their personality traits, as well as using chatbots or pre-recorded videos to be more precise with checking the skillsets of candidates.”

Bottomline: Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration into human capital (HCM) management and human resources (HR) applications will make organizations better because these applications can analyze, forecast, capture data and diagnose to help HR teams make better decisions. Today, more than eve, more organizations are turning to power of AI and machine learning to streamline costs and improve productivity.

To learn about ATS Machine learning and AI software solutions, go to our website. To reach an account executive by phone call: 866.294.2467

A recent survey by Gartner of over 500 HR leaders across several countries, and all major industries revealed that “building critical skills and competencies tops the list, but many HR leaders will also prioritize change management, leadership, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives”.

As the end of 2021 draws to a close, now is the time for organizations and HR professionals to start preparing for the year ahead and align their internal goals with larger HR trends that are emerging. Here are 5 things that will become priorities for People & Culture leaders in 2022:

1.Embrace and Deliver Experience Remotely: While a majority of the workforce have been inoculated and some have returned to the office, many companies are viewing hybrid and virtual work as a long-term strategy.  And, this means, when it comes to investing in technology, the employee experience should be included in the broader picture.

HR leaders will have to adjust to working with a remote workforce and so, screening, interviewing, and onboarding new employees will be done remotely but, if it’s done properly, it should not be a challenge.

2.Cloud-Based OnDemand Applications are on the Rise: All encompassing, Human Capital Management (HCM) applications are shifting the dynamics in the workplace. In particular, employee management apps that allows a company to; automate time tracking, enhance employee on-boarding, and enhance payroll processing in real-time, to make informed business decisions and improve productivity.

3.Make an Effort to Understand the Current and New Generation of Workers
Millennials and Generation Z view work differently from the generation before them. HR professionals, will need to start adjusting to the new world of work. Millennials have been entering the workforce for several years and, at the same time Generation Z are also graduating from high school or university and entering the workforce.

This cohort of workers expect HR departments to adjust their policies to match flexibility and the collaboration they crave. And, when a company has a workforce that comprises of both young and older workers, HR has to walk a tight-rope and carefully manage employee needs without alienating either side.

4.Incorporate Wellness into the Fabric of your Organization
The coronavirus pandemic has created a fundamental shift in how work places are conceived. Health and wellness have moved from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘must have’. Don’t be surprised if candidates inquire about your company’s approach to health and wellness during the interview stage. The pandemic has shone a light on the importance of health and wellness.

5.Create and Maintain a Positive Work Culture
A company that’s enamoured with profits over people will likely have a lot of staff turnover. A positive and healthy working environment will generate happy and hardworking employees.

A positive work environment allows employees to feel comfortable sharing and exchanging ideas-all of which, can lead to a boost in productivity and increased profits. When employees feel empowered and included in company’s goals, this can foster team building.  

Bottomline: keep the lines of communication open with employees at all times, whether they are working remotely or onsite. Simply asking them how they’re coping with work and other challenges will mean a lot. As an HR leader, you can do daily virtual meetings, send weekly email updates to connect with the team. And, you notice one of your employees are not as engaged, or a quick phone call to do a one and one chat the individual could go a long way to helping them feel part of the team.

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.

Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce. ATS cloud services offer rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.

Before COVID-19 the seemingly, always-too-long and dreaded meetings took place around a conference table with colleagues. Today, many businesses have adopted remote work because of COVID-19 pandemic, and for the most part, those meetings— have shifted to virtual video conferencing with popular platforms like; Microsoft Teams, GoToMeeting and Zoom amoung others.

But can these constant video meetings become “excessive,” when for example, a telephone conference would suffice?

A recent blog by David Dye for SHRM titled, Too Many Meetings: How to Free Your Team to Build, Create, and Thrive offers a few tips that are worth considering when planning your next team meeting.  These tips include:

“Make Every Meeting Count
If you’re having a meeting to discuss the meeting and then to follow up on the meeting, you can free up time by consolidating. Socialize ideas and provide people the information they need asynchronously. At the end of every meeting, take a few minutes to schedule the finish and ensure everyone knows who is doing what, and by when.

Engage your Team and Ask “How Can We…?”
You’ll find willing thought-partners when you ask your team for their ideas. Use your asynchronous channels to ask “How can we meet less?” (Please don’t have a meeting about meeting less—it’s unnecessary until you have some concrete ideas to discuss.)

Think First, Then Meet
This will help your introverts and cut down on the number of meetings and make the meetings you do have more productive. Solicit ideas ahead of time. Give people time to think about what might work. They’ll likely be more creative when on a walk than staring into a computer camera. Once you’ve collected ideas, establish your success criteria, and then meet to prioritize or make a decision”.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Gartner survey of 127 HR, legal and finance professionals said they “intend to permit remote working some of the time as employees return to the workplace. For many organizations with employees working both onsite and remotely, adapting to a new, more complex hybrid workforce is the challenge as how people work together to get their job done evolves”.

Bottomline: Some companies will do some sort of hybrid remote work after the coronavirus pandemic, while others may adopt it permanently. A virtual meeting via videoconferencing is a powerful way to make use of technology— and will likely become part of the future, but it should be used in appropriate doses. In fact, as a manager, try switching it up, by having a phone conference for your next meeting—and see how it impacts team engagement and morale.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

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.

Thousands of organizations across North, Central and South America and Europe- including more than half of the Fortune 500 – use ATS TimeWork OnDemand, Workforce Planning, Employee Scheduling HR and payroll solutions to manage their workforce. ATS cloud services offer rapid deployment, support services, software updates, and enhancements; and consulting and training services.

The use of biometrics at theme parks, airports and in the workplace, has become ubiquitous. However, facial recognition for the purpose of recording an employee time in/out at work, is different than what it is being used at an airport. For example, a biometric time clock, in a workplace will record (for the purpose of payroll) the time an employee clocked in for a day or week-whereas, the purpose of biometrics at an airport will be for security and a range of other purposes.

Installing biometrics in the workplace can help with HR related issues like time theft, buddy punching and payroll errors. However, it is important to let your employees know if you decide to install biometrics for the purpose of tracking time and attendance, especially if your company, have been using paper time sheets to track hours before that.

In a recent article titled, Workers push back as companies gather fingerprints, retina scans by Te-Ping Chen for The Wall Street Journal amoung other publications, an excerpt of the article reads in part;

“As more companies track their workers with fingerprint and facial scans, employees are increasingly challenging firms in court over how that biometric data gets used and stored.

Scores of lawsuits have been filed following a recent state Supreme Court ruling in Illinois, which has the most stringent privacy law protecting such information in the U.S. The suits assert that employees weren’t told what would happen to their biometric data and that it is being put at risk.

Some workers said they don’t see the need for biometrics in the workplace.

“It’s not a secretive place that we work in,” said one worker at a country club outside Detroit, whose employer uses fingerprints to take attendance. She said she was uncomfortable with the practice, adding that she hadn’t been told how her information would be used or stored.

From warehouses to restaurants, the use of biometric data is moving from a niche practice to become a more mainstream way to verify employee hours and check workers in and out of facilities for security reasons. Among companies in the U.S., Europe and Canada surveyed in 2018 by Gartner, 6 percent said they track employees by using biometric data. Europe and Canada surveyed in 2018 by Gartner, 6 percent said they track employees by using biometric data.”

Bottom line: If you decide to explore the many options that a biometric time clock system offers, let your employees know of your intention. Chances are they will be more accepting if they know in advance and you will avoid issues of them not being receptive to it. Afterall, employees are familiar with biometric technology and have likely used them at airports or with their current smartphone.

To learn about ATS Biometric Time Clocks, go to our website. You can also download a demo, or you can attend one of our bi-weekly webinars. And, to reach an account executive, call 866.294.2467.

Here is an example of the how the future of work has changed. Cold calling used to be the way to reach new customers. Try that in 2018 and you are likely to get lots of voice mails. In fact, cold calling has been dead for many years and some companies have acknowledged this and made changes in how their reps reach new customers. There are however, a small minority of companies, who refuse to accept this practice is passé and so, they stubbornly ask their sales people to dialing those numbers in the hope that they might reach some customers, who are waiting by their phone to get a call from a sales rep. Change, sometimes has to be disruptive, for it to be accepted and the use of robotics and the pace of automation will continue to increase, despite resistance to it, by those in the minority who hang on to past practices.

Are You Ready For The Future Of Work?

Christy Petty’s article for Gartner 6 Future Work Trends sheds some light on the how the way in which we approach work has and will continue to change

Some of these work trends include:

“Digital dexterity is monitored and measured: The growing recognition of the importance of digital dexterity creates a demand for measurement, which aligns with analytics becoming more pervasive in the enterprise. f Social science-based surveys and observations are increasingly accepted to collect relevant digital dexterity data, which can be combined with machine-generated IT, HR and business data to measure workforce digital dexterity.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will prevail: The conversion of rich input patterns into data that can be readily processed by conventional software is at the heart of today’s AI hype. AI will have a profound impact on how work is assigned, completed and evaluated. Cain suggests that although AI will provide a number of workplace trends in the coming years, workers are experiencing the impact of robobosses and smart workplaces right now.

Robobosses on the rise: While employees will not report to an AI construct, the implementation of robobosses will lead to more automated management duties and more online worker activities. There is opportunity for greater tracking of worker activities and performance. This data can be run against a series of algorithms that can programmatically offer assistance in improving performance or meeting goals.

The gig economy will thrive: Organizations will increasingly learn and borrow from freelance management and gig economy platforms, which dynamically match short-term work requirements directly with workers who have the relevant knowledge, experience, skills, competencies and availability. This will mean moving away from traditional structures to more fluid arrangements.

Employees get work through employment marketplaces: Freelancer marketplaces make it easier for employers to tap into a set of contractors for short-term work commitments. In parallel, professional social networking platforms and recruiting technology providers have been investing heavily in matching algorithms to pair up talent supply and demand.

Jobs get deconstructed: Traditionally, organizations have invested in mapping out clear career paths for employees. While workers need a purpose-focused direction, a portfolio of experiences builds knowledge and skills and allows for the practice and improvement of competencies. Employees will increasingly find the accumulation of experiences to be more realistic than a carefully plotted-out career path”.

Some things were somewhat predictable like cloud computing as it slowly began to edge onsite Server installed applications. But who could predict Apple’s dominance in mobility computing or Google’s search engine literally taking over the world, leaving competitors in its dust? The future of work and its trends will not affect all organizations equally, so it’s important for senior executives to understand where their organization is right now, where it’s going, and how they plan to embrace change as it happens.

Keep current with ATS: 

Does Your Company Offer Fridays Off?

July 26th, 2017 | Posted by ATS in Absence Management | Benefit Accruals | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Does Your Company Offer Fridays Off?)

The concept of a four day work week, employees being allowed to leave early on Friday or get have it off isn’t new. If fact, it has been the norm in the health and medical field and other industries for years. According to the Society for Human Resource Management this perk is offered as an option to some employees 43% of companies, yet only 10% of those companies make it available to all or most of their employees. Lately, companies have been using it to attract and retain top talent. And why is that? Many of today’s workforce especially millennial are not interested in jobs that require one to work 60 hours a week, and instead, value time-off from work to spend with friends and family.

Does Your Company Offer Fridays Off?

A recent study by CEB, now Gartner says that Organizations Are Offering Flexible Schedules, Reduced Hours to Retain Employees Who Are Feeling More Confident About the Labor Market.

In its press release on the study, it revealed the following:

“Summer Fridays” are days that organizations offer employees the flexibility to leave early or take the entire day off. Organizations that offer this type of perk may have a competitive advantage when trying to retain their top talent.

According to data from the CEB Global Talent Monitor, employee confidence in the business environment and their personal economic prospects increased again in Q1 2017 – the fourth consecutive quarter. In addition to feeling better about the global labor market, employees are increasingly seeking out new jobs in several major economies, including the U.S., China and Germany.

“As the number of employees feeling more confident about their personal job prospects increases, companies must find creative ways to reward and retain their top talent,” said Brian Kropp, HR practice leader at CEB, now Gartner. “Giving employees the gift of time via Summer Fridays is one low-cost way to improve employee engagement, which in turn can increase employee productivity and drive business results.”

For many employees, work-life balance is one of the top factors they consider when choosing to take or leave a job. Even organizations that are unable to offer an official Summer Fridays program can capitalize on the importance of work-life balance and reinforce the value they place on employees by:

  • Allowing staff to work from home more frequently during the summer
  • Enabling employees to shift their hours to either come in early or later
  • Encouraging employees to take PTO without guilt

Before trotting up to your boss with all this data to make your case for either working half day or having Fridays off, make sure you understand the make up of your organization. If your company does not offer either, your manager might have a compelling case. Ask employees who have been at your organization, longer than you about its history. There is likely a reason why your company does not have it.

Whether it’s working half day on Fridays, telecommuting on that day or having it off altogether, it isn’t limited to the private sector. The Canadian and US Governments in various departments offer some version of the proverbial “Summer Fridays” and in some instances, it’s year round.

Keep current with ATS:

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

The adoption of cloud software is increasing and is on pace to surpass all previous forecasts. In other words, it is here to stay — and is showing no signs of abating. According to Gartner prognosticators the software-as-a-service (SaaS), in which companies offer software that was designed to run in the cloud will grow about 20 percent by the end of 2016.

Today’s time and attendance decision makers, even the ones that were somewhat uncertain about the benefits of the cloud are giving it a second thought.  Cloud software provides tremendous benefits to applications as basic as accounting systems to cutting-edge solutions like time and attendance.

As more businesses continue to shift to the cloud, they are also selecting a vendor that will ultimately help them streamline costs and, at the same time increase productivity. And while the cloud, offers businesses numerous benefits, one key opportunity for today’s executives, when using these cloud computing technology is having the power of choice with this emerging technology.

ATS Cloud Time and Attendance offers what every business wants: the ability to obtain information in real-time. And, with ATS Cloud Time and Attendance cloud pay-as-you-go model, that means a low initial investment is all that is required to get going, and that includes all the trimmings, like yearly updates, thus enabling customers to take advantage of innovations delivered with the upgrade.

The Evolution and Benefits of Software As-A- Service

In conclusion, the cloud has become a new engine for innovation, and competitiveness. Its ability to improve collaboration, communication and cost-cutting is providing an ever-expanding silver lining for operations across every business sector.

To learn more about ATS Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) solutions, go to our website. You can also download a demonstration or call: 866.294.2467.

 

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

April 14th, 2016 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Business Intelligence | customer relationship management | ERP | Web-Based Time and Attendance | Workforce Analytics - (Comments Off on 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.