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Most employers understand that employees will be late on occasion and won’t penalize them when this happens. However, some employees use their imagination to come up with some of the most outlandish excuses.

According to CareerBuilder annual survey, these incredulous late-to-work excuses include:

  • I thought of quitting today, but then decided not to, so I came in late.
  • My hair caught on fire from my blow dryer.
  • I was detained by Homeland Security.
  • I had to chase my cows back into the field.
  • A black bear entered my carport and decided to take a nap on the hood of my car.
  • My lizard had to have emergency surgery in the morning and died during surgery. I had to mourn while deciding whether to have the lizard disposed of by the vet or bring the lizard corpse with me to work.
  • There was fresh powder on the hill. I had to go skiing.
  • There was a store grand opening and I wanted to get the opening day sales.
  • I had to finish watching “My Name is Earl.”
  • All of my clothes were stolen.
  • I was confused by the time change and unsure if it was “spring forward” or “fall back.”
  • A Vaseline truck overturned on the highway and cars were slipping left and right.

Many of these excuses are a little extreme and may have more to do with the creative imagination of these employees. However, you can bet employers are going to hearing more late-to-work excuses, because of; Daylight Savings Time, US Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday parties.

Many employers have taken the necessary steps and deployed a time and attendance system so, they can observe tardiness patterns and figure which days in particular, certain employees are absent from work. And, in the case of the employee who occasionally has his friend punch in for him when he is not at work, these employers have replaced the punch cards with a biometric time clock so, buddy-punching is out of the equation.

To learn more about ATS go to our website. You can also view a demonstration or attend one of our weekly webinars or call; 866.294.2467.

Colourful and Ridiculous Excuses Employees Give For Being Late To Work

It’s Thanksgiving Day across Canada and if your payroll or HR personnel are wondering how they are going to assign the holiday pay to employees to eligible employees then your company, is behind the proverbial “Eight-Ball”.

In an article by Jon Hyman for workforce.com, titled, “8 Things You Need to Know About Holiday Pay” it lists some common questions that many companies still ask today about holiday pay for its employees. We selected three out of the eight that can be applied to both Canada and the United States. In no particular order they are:

“Can we require employees to work on holidays? Because holiday closings are a discretionary benefit, you can require that employees work on a holiday. In fact, the operational needs of some businesses will require that some employees work on holidays (hospitals, for example).

Can we place conditions on the receipt of holiday pay? Yes. For example, some employers are concerned that employees will combine a paid holiday with other paid time off to create extended vacations. To guard again this situation, some companies require employees to work the day before and after a paid holiday to be eligible to receive holiday pay.

If an employee takes a day off as a religious accommodation, does it have to be paid? An employer must reasonably accommodate an employee whose sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance conflicts with a work requirement, unless doing so would pose an undue hardship. One example of a reasonable accommodation is unpaid time off for a religious holiday or observance. Another is allowing an employee to use a vacation day for the observance”.

When it comes to holiday pay, it is unwise to assume and far better to be accurate. Depending on the jurisdiction in which your company operates, holiday pay calculations can be different. Government entities from Alberta to Yukon and other regions across Canada, have statutory holiday pay guidelines on their websites that your company can use.  And, if your company has a collective bargaining agreement, this also has to be taken into consideration. One thing we know for sure is that if you are using an automated time and attendance system, but still have to figure out which employee worked the holiday through spreadsheets, then you are likely using the wrong system. And, as for manual time tracking, it won’t help you help you figure out how to apply statutory holiday pay.

There is no need for your payroll or HR department to be stressed out, if your company is using ATS TimeWork OnDemand. ATS TimeWork OnDemand is a dynamic, and award-wining application that automates the collection, calculation, and reporting of employee hours. This intuitive and robust solution automatically calculates and applies holiday pay based on eligibility and your company’s work rule policies, and leverages collected attendance data so you can minimize unapproved overtime, thus reducing labour costs.  ATS TimeWork OnDemand is supported by powerful analytics tools, and is relied on by thousands of organizations to improve workforce productivity.

Bottom-line, if your HR or payroll manager is using ATS TimeWork OnDemand, they no longer have to worry about manually assigning holiday pay. After all, part of the Canadian Thanksgiving is to witness the colour of the leaves, as they change, eat lots of turkey and spend time with friends and family alike.

To learn about ATS Time and Attendance Solution download, a demonstration or call 866.294.2467.

It’s another Statutory Holiday And Your Payroll Practitioner Is Scrambling, Why Is That?

Are Gym Memberships And Other Perks Good Recruiting Tools, To Attract And Retain Talent?

August 9th, 2016 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Absence Management | Benefit Accruals | Employee Self Service | Leave Management | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Are Gym Memberships And Other Perks Good Recruiting Tools, To Attract And Retain Talent?)

The recruitment practices of 20 years ago, no longer work and many of today’s companies are acutely aware of this and, as a result, offer rewards programs to recruit and retain talent. And, let’s face it, how many people are actually going to turn down; playing pool once a week, a one year yoga or gym membership or having lunch once or twice a week, all paid for by their employer?

Are Gym Memberships And Other Perks Good Recruiting Tools, To Attract And Retain Talent?

A recent article titled ‘The 44 Healthiest Companies to Work for in America’ by Abigale Thorpe for Greatist, describes in detail, some of the perks that several companies offer their employees. In no particular order, here is a list of 5 companies from the article:

Honest Tea
In addition to sipping delicious tea, all 40 employees are invited to stock up their pantries and fridges with quarterly Whole Foods gift certificates. Weekly organic fresh fruit delivery makes reaching for an apple or banana a natural habit. While you’re munching, take in one of the wellness seminars, ranging in topics from stress management to sleep habits. Boot camp is offered two times per week in-office after work, and a flexible schedule and commitment to company-wide volunteer days keeps employees feeling uplifted.

ALOHA
You might feel like you’re on vacation while taking full advantage of weekly yoga and meditation classes in the ALOHA office. The kitchen is always fully stocked with organic snacks, ALOHA’s healthy products are available to all 47 employees, and lunch is catered every Friday.

Pro Althe Inc.
Unlimited flex PTO, an on-site gym with a full-time personal trainer, access to yoga classes, and grocery store tours with a registered dietician are just a few of the perks this company’s 50 employees find on the job. Free laundry services, haircuts, massages, and cab and Uber rides are others—provided to make each employee’s home away from home as stress-free as possible. And when it comes to stress, you’d be hard-pressed to find it at the office, which has racquetball and basketball courts, a swimming pool, a bar and lounge, a game room, and a coffee shop.

inVentiv Health Public Relations Group
This PR company knows how to keep its 251 employees satisfied, with free daily lunch, chair massages, and yoga classes. And don’t forget the company-wide Thanksgiving potluck that reminds you coworkers are family too. Unlimited personal and sick days and three weeks paid vacation to start provide the downtime you need to keep living life, and the company’s VitaminC3 health program offers nutritional assistance, like cooking classes as well as physical fitness activities at the office, to keep you active between screen-staring stints.

Google
Google’s got you covered—and we’re not just referring to answering your every query. It provides on-site physicians and nurses for its 57,148 employees, as well as free legal advice and discounted legal services. In addition to a gourmet cafeteria, physical fitness programs, and on-site gyms, the company supplies a free shuttle service to employees in the Bay Area, and offers new parents paid time off and extra spending money to celebrate their little one. Headed out on vacay? No worries, Google provides travel insurance and emergency assistance (even for personal trips). Employees can also donate vacation days to coworkers who may need the extra days to take care of family emergencies.

Are Gym Memberships And Other Perks Good Recruiting Tools, To Attract And Retain Talent?

These perks, by these above mentioned companies gives the impression that you are in some sunny destination at all inclusive resort, and so, who would not jump at an opportunity work for a company that offered such great perks? One thing is certain, recruiting and retaining today’s employee, requires more than just a pay cheque, employee incentives are a good way to attract and retain talent.

And in conclusion, the old attitude that an employee is lucky to have a job and should not expect anything else, won’t sit well with the next generation of workers (millennials) who are going to replace many of today’s baby boomers.

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To learn about ATS solutions go to our website.