businessinfomag.uk
magazine
32
TIME & ATTENDANCE
alert managers to make sure they are
complying with regulations such as the
Working Time Directive.
T&A systems can help with health
and safety compliance and the
protection of lone workers by monitoring
not just when staff are working, but what
they are doing and where they are.
And they can provide employees with
a better experience and make the data
held about them more accessible. For
example, Bodet’s Kelio Visio X7 terminal
features a touchscreen display and
software that allows staff to view their
own attendance data and remaining
holiday allocations.
“Employees can also use the terminal
to request time off, book holidays,
view company bulletins, link to their
company intranet, take part in company
surveys and use the suggestion box app,”
explained Manby.
Biometrics and machine learning
T&A systems are becoming increasingly
sophisticated, incorporating new
technologies that improve and simplify
both the process of calculating payroll
for HR and the experience of clocking in/
out for staff.
Biometric technology is one of these
developments. “As well as proximity
cards or fob detectors, modern T&A
systems can incorporate fingerprint or
full palm biometric sensors,” explained
Manby. “Our latest terminals also offer
the ability to take a photo at the point
of clocking, which is stored against the
person who has clocked in or out. These
methods of clocking in and out provide
irrefutable identification and eradicate
‘buddypunching’ where staff clock their
friends into work when in fact they are
not working.”
Advances in analytics and machine
learning are also having an impact,
by providing a better overview of the
workforce. Neil Pickering believes that
these technologies will become even
more important in the future. “HR
departments will be able to process large
amounts of data on a daily basis and
provide HR with actionable insights. By
bringing together all of the workforce
data, machine learning can help HR
make better decisions by identifying
trends which may have otherwise gone
unnoticed by the human eye,” he said.
treated fairly and that employers follow
the law. “In the logistics sector, where the
scheduling of skilled drivers is an issue,
our solutions are critical to support fair
shift patterns and the control of working
hours to meet legal requirements,” he
said.
The software can automatically
flag issues such as early/late arrivals
and extended or skipped breaks, and
...continued
benefits managers too. “Managers can
use tablet devices to monitor activity
on the move, enabling them to have a
detailed overview of their workforce and
provide real-time feedback to employees,
adding value to the business instantly,
even when they are out of their office
and on the shop floor,” he said.
Bodet’s Manby adds that because
the system is automated, it can
accommodate irregular shifts, changing
hours and overtime without the risk of
human error. “As the system records
when each employee starts and ends
their working day, the software can easily
accommodate complex shifts patterns
and flexitime. Standard shifts can be
programmed into the system so any
additional time worked is automatically
recorded and overtime calculated,” he
said.
Win-win situation
An advanced T&A system benefits staff
directly, as well as the employer and
those involved in administration. It
enables employees to log in remotely,
supports a better work/life balance and
lets them work flexibly with the peace of
mind that they will get paid for the hours
they work.
Pickering points out that such
systems help ensure that staff are
Employees can
use the terminal
to request
time off, book
holidays, view
company
bulletins, link to
their company
intranet, take
part in company
surveys and use
the suggestion
box app
1 Technavio,
Global Attendance Systems
Management Market 2016-2020
2
