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31
magazine
TIME & ATTENDANCE
Business Info
discovers the benefits of modern time and
attendance systems.
Keeping track of employees’ time and
attendance can be an administrative
nightmare for HR, but today it
doesn’t have to be. Businesses can
massively simplify the process
by utilising advanced time and
attendance systems, and demand for
such systems is on the up. According
to a report by Technavio
1
, the global
market for attendance management
systems is set to grow at a CAGR of
10% to 2020.
For Neil Pickering, customer and
industry insight manager at Kronos,
saving time is one of the biggest
benefits of automating time and
attendance management.
“Employees are an organisation’s
most valuable asset and its most
controllable expense. Yet many
organisations still rely on manual,
semi-automated or disparate systems
to track employee time and attendance.
An automated time and attendance
solution simplifies previously time-
consuming administrative tasks, such as
approving timesheets, ensuring accuracy
of time entry and correcting exceptions,
responding to time-off requests, and
managing schedules,” he said.
Pickering added: “Using an
automated system will help to
streamline these processes for
managers, while also increasing
efficiency and productivity, as time
can be spent on activities that add
more business value, rather than
administration. By drilling into the data,
managers can start to understand where
efficiency gains can be made, enabling
them to utilise workers as efficiently
as possible to meet demand, reduce
unnecessary overtime and drive greater
business performance.”
Richard Manby, managing director
of time management solutions provider
Bodet Ltd, points out that as the
data collected by these systems can
be monitored in real time, managers
and supervisors know instantly of any
lateness or absences, giving them the
opportunity to allocate additional staff
to maintain productivity levels.
According to NickWhiteley, MD of
hfx, using an automated system instead
of manual timekeeping with paper time
sheets also has environmental benefits
as it reduces reliance on paper for
reporting.
Growing appeal
Whiteley adds that whilst clocking in
and out has traditionally been associated
with manufacturing, many more sectors
are now recognising the value of T&A
solutions.
“Manufacturing has always been the
strongest user of Time and Attendance
solutions, with logistics and the service
industries coming close behind. However,
we are finding the appeal of these
solutions being valued across a greater
number of sectors,” he said.
Moreover, whereas T&A used to be
seen merely as an automation tool for
feeding data into payroll and cutting
down on data entry and associated
costs, businesses now recognise that it
can be used as a strategic tool that can
positively affect the top line of business
revenue.
Someone else who has noticed a
change in the profile of T&A customers
is Bodet’s Richard Manby. He said: “The
development of high speed Internet and
the growth of globalisation mean we
now find that international groups such
Keeping up with the times
as hotels, call centres and organisations
offering logistics solutions are benefiting
from the immediacy and flexibility
that interactive time and attendance
solutions can provide. There is now
greater accountability of staffing levels
across a range of sectors, so we are
getting more enquiries from care homes,
councils and hospitals.”
He says that any organisation
wanting a clear overview of working
activity would benefit from Bodet’s
solutions.
Flexible working
This is particularly so now that flexible
working is so common and more
organisations are exposed to the
difficulties of coping with a complex
and varied workforce. Annabel Jones,
HR director at ADP UK, argues that T&A
systems can help such companies better
predict how to schedule workers and
distribute workload.
“ADP has found in its study of 10,000
workers across Europe that 27% of UK
workers work totally flexible hours
2
. This
means that more people than ever are
working remotely.
“For many organisations this is a
great opportunity, as it means they
can use remote workers to tap into
extensive networks of professionals
based all over the globe, with a variety of
specialisms. However, it is essential that
companies have the right processes and
technology to benefit from the agility of
a connected global workforce,” she said.
Pickering of Kronos agrees that
without technology, flexible working
could become unmanageable. Kronos’
technology enables access through an
app so that employees can clock-in from
a smartphone, request shift changes and
volunteer their services when cover is
required.
He points out that this flexibility
Continued....
Neil Pickering,
Customer and
Insight Manager,
Kronos
Annabel Jones,
HR Director,
ADP UK
