Blogs

Winter 2020; we were lucky! First Australia had wildfires. We left 2/11/20 and returned 3/5/20. Then the world shut down due to Covid 19. Our Australia-Fiji trip took 1½ years to research and plan. I did the research, and Jim made all the flight, hotel, and small tour reservations. We weren’t going to reschedule!

What do you do when one of your employees goes astray?

How do you get them back on track?

2/2020 Summerlands, Phillip Island, Australia —

Home to Australia’s largest Penguin Colony. Watch over 900+ (yes, there are people who count them), amazing creatures waddle home to their nesting boxes from the Indian Ocean at dusk each day. Not only the world’s smallest penguins but the world’s only navy blue penguins. Keeping track of their standard routine reminds me of tracking the standard routines and schedules of employees.

What do you do when an employee goes astray? How do you get them back on track? Like the little penguin who strays because something in the brush caught his attention, how do you get someone back on track if they stray off course during the workday?

Finding a time labor management system

An automated time labor management system that is part of a human capital management (HCM) system can help. You should look for an HCM system that has flexible rules and policies which will be tailored to your company’s needs.

You’ll know when an employee is on time, punched in, and ready to work. You’ll also be able to view when an employee is late, absent, or leaves early.

You’ll know where offsite employees were when they clocked in, and you’ll be aware of their movements throughout the day, how long they’ve spent in each department, how much time is spent on each job, or when how long it took them to move from one location to another. Did they make any unauthorized detours along the way?

With today’s geofencing capabilities, you’ll be able to add a perimeter from which a punch is accepted or rejected.

The employee will also be able to add notes pertaining to unusual circumstances such as: “flat tire on way to work” or “left early to pick up sick child from school”.

A good time labor management system can also help to determine staffing needs. Are employees working in different departments, filling in for absentees? Or do you have enough work to support additional staff?

Why a time labor management system is a good idea

Whether you’re a cleaning service with over 500 employees, an energy service company with service techs in multiple states or a dental practice with 2 offices, a time labor management system will help.

A good time labor management system is well worth the time and money it takes to implement. Don’t skimp here, spend the time. Realize it takes time and good planning to implement the system the way you need it to operate.

You'll recoup your investment by applying your policies fairly and equitably to all employees:

• Any "he said-she said" disputes can be avoided
• You can pinpoint when and where extra staff is needed
• You'll streamline payroll operations and prevent data entry errors when hours worked are already in payroll, ready to process on payroll day
• You'll be able to discard manual spreadsheets when you automate PTO balances on their smartphones

Stay tuned. We will explore more next time.

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About The Author —

Barb Schnoll is a Subject Matter Consultant in Payroll, Time Labor Management, HR, and HCM systems. Her prior history also includes many years of business-to-business consulting, sales, implementation, and training in technology. She has seen payroll evolve from writing checks, paying taxes, and producing W2s to a full-fledged, cloud-based HCM system offering mobile access from smartphones to employees and new hires.

In her spare time, she loves traveling, motorcycling, and new this summer, discovering the endless trails of UTVs.

She has represented The Benefit Companies for 20 years.

Connect & Simplify™ partners with UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) to offer best-in-class Payroll Software, Kronos Time Clocks, HR, and HCM solutions.

Call Barb at 262-207-1999 ext. 217 and visit www.connectandsimplify.com