Month: November 2016

Biometric time and attendance systems have revolutionised the way in which organisations both keep their site secure and monitor employee attendance. No longer a means of simply restricting access to high security areas of an organisation; businesses are now integrating biometric access control with time and attendance software as they strive for enhanced productivity and profitability.

Here are a number of reasons why biometric time and attendance systems are rapidly becoming an indispensable tool for organisations:

Increased Accuracy – Reduction in Human Error

Despite the growing popularity of time and attendance software, many organisations still rely on their employees to track their own hours using time sheets or punch cards for example. Unfortunately, we’re all human at the end of the day and mistakes do happen. Calculation errors regarding hours worked, breaks and overtime etc can be costly to organisations. In addition, taking the time out to calculate hours recorded on time sheets, reduces the time that employees are working thus having a detrimental effect on productivity. By investing in time and attendance systems, companies can eradicate the threat of human error. Basic and overtime hours worked by employees, flexi-time hours and any other bespoke calculations can be performed instantly, to the highest degree of accuracy.

Reduced Burden on Payroll Department

Collecting, processing and storing employee attendance records have historically proven to be unenviable tasks for payroll departments. Through the implementation of biometric time and attendance systems, organisations can streamline payroll processes effectively. When employees clock in or clock out, real-time information will be produced, readily accessible for managers, supervisors or the payroll department. Clerical efficiency will improve drastically through the swift generation of payroll reports, significantly reducing administration time. The mountains of paper work compiled by payroll and human resource management departments can also be wiped out. By integrating time and attendance with human resource management software modules, personnel records are available at the touch of a button. In addition, if organisations choose to introduce an employee self-service software module, payroll and human resource management staff will no longer need to sift through a sea of personnel records. Individual employees will be able to access their own records through a communal kiosk, on their PC’s or using smart phones or tablets.

Elimination of Time Theft and Buddy Clocking

According to findings published by the Harvard Business Review, ‘Time Theft’ seriously damages an organisation’s profitability. ‘Time Theft’ occurs when employees deliberately manipulate or steal company time. Examples of employees stealing company time include: taking additional or extended breaks or logging that they left work later than they actually did. Manipulation of company time involves clocking in and clocking out before and after shift changes to gain payable time in each payroll period. Employees clocking in and out on the behalf of their colleagues or ‘Buddy Clocking’ has also been a major problem, particularly for manufacturing and warehousing organisations.

Through biometric time and attendance systems, organisations can eliminate the threat of ‘Time Theft’ and ‘Buddy Clocking’. Biometric data capture terminals identify each employee based on specific physical characteristics such as fingerprints or facial recognition, rendering ‘Buddy Clocking’ impossible. Once employees have clocked in or clocked out, real-time data is gathered and processed by the time and attendance software, ensuring that employees are unable to falsify their attendance information.

Developed by ELF Productivity, the award-winning Ceequel® Software Suite delivers a true one-stop employee management solution. Our Time and Attendance, Access Control, Human Resource Management and Shop Floor Data Capture modules share the same database, eliminating the need for duplicate entries. For more information, please contact ELF Productivity.

During his Autumn Statement speech, Chancellor Philip Hammond revealed that a new National Productivity Investment Fund will see £23 billion spent on innovation and infrastructure over the next five years with the long-term objective of building a high-wage, high-skill economy.

The Chancellor was quick to mention that the UK economy is predicted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be the fastest growing major economy in the world, highlighting the strength of our services and high-tech manufacturing industries. One key economic weakness however is productivity.

Hammond referred to an alarming productivity gap with Britain currently lagging 30 percentage points behind the US and Germany, over 20 behind France and 8 behind Italy. In other words, UK workers are producing in 5 days what US or German workers are making in 4.

The new National Productivity Fund will also include investment in research and development with the intent of ensuring that the next generation of significant discoveries is made, developed and produced in Britain. However, the Chancellor was also keen to stress that “Britain is open for business” today, echoing statistics revealed earlier this month by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). According to the CBI, UK manufacturers are set to increase production considerably over the next three months as orders continue to rise following the aftermath of the EU referendum.

Are you a manufacturing organisation looking to become more productive?

Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture has revolutionised companies approach to continual improvement, confirming ELF Productivity’s status as a highly valued strategic business partner for UK manufacturing organisations. Our industry-leading SFDC software delivers extensive real-time information, providing a clear insight into your productivity. Companies can also gain full insight into man and machine efficiencies, bottlenecks, WIP, skills analysis and full cost information via actual versus standard times.

For more information about Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture, please contact ELF Productivity.

Two major surveys, investigating the opinions of over 2,500 workers across the UK, France, Spain and Germany have revealed that flexible working opportunities are now among the most crucial components of an employee benefits package. Interestingly, the ability to work flexibly at home or on the move was deemed to be more important than a company car according to 68% of respondents. Other popular employee benefits included: the provision of improved technology, generous annual leave and employer pension contribution.

The Growing Popularity of Flexible Working

The number of contemporary employees looking to escape the traditional office environment is growing significantly. When asked to name their three most desired benefits upon joining a company; 80% of UK-based workers identified flexible working compared to 88% in Germany, 75% in Spain and 60% in France. Another frequently recurring response, particularly among workers aged 25-35, was the need for improved technology to facilitate flexible or remote working. When quizzed on the barriers to flexible working, numerous respondents listed: difficulty accessing company documentation remotely, a breakdown in communication between colleagues, delays in important decision making and insufficient capability of mobile devices.

Can Organisations Deliver Flexible Working?

Despite the growing demand for flexible working opportunities, organisations appear to be struggling to successfully implement remote working procedures, due largely to budgetary constraints. Many businesses who already paid for their employees’ existing mobile devices did not see the benefit of upgrading contracts to fully support employees working remotely full time. Employers also expressed concerns with regard to the potential managerial implications of monitoring large numbers of employees working off-site.

Ceequel® Time and Attendance Solutions

Developed and supported by ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Employee Management Software provides organisations with a comprehensive solution to cope with the rigours of flexible or remote working. Our award-winning Time and Attendance Software will gather and process all employee attendance data instantly, delivering detailed reports of all basic and outside-normal hours worked by employees. A broad range of clock in features are also available for employees working off-site including: internet and email clocking, smart phone apps, dedicated landlines, USB clocking and GPS clocking.

We hope that you found this article of interest. If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity.

In the busy contemporary working environment, time management is imperative. However, getting the most out of the hours we spend at work can be a difficult skill to master. Throughout this post, we’re going to investigate why time management is so important in the workplace and what employees and organisations can do to manage time more effectively.

The Advantages of Good Time Management

From an organisation’s perspective, the old saying that “time is money” still holds true today. By employing staff who possess excellent time management skills, the following benefits are achievable:  enhanced productivity and efficiency as tasks are completed swiftly, improved reputation as client deadlines are satisfied, higher quality finished products through better planning processes and finally, increased company revenue. For employees, the acquiring of proficient time management skills leads to: reduced stress levels, increased job satisfaction, better quality of life and brighter career prospects.

Tips to Improve Time Management – Employees

In order to achieve efficient time management skills, employees should remember: Organisation, Prioritisation, Communication and No to Procrastination. Organisation sees the creation of a “To-Do” list which outlines all the activities that need to be completed over a designated period. The prioritisation stage ranks the activities in order of importance or urgency. Despite often being overlooked when discussing time management, communication with colleagues is vital. Never be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling to meet a deadline. On the other hand, if you are concentrating on a particular task and do not wish to be disturbed, politely make your co-workers aware of the situation. Procrastination is something that we’re all guilty of from time to time. Make sure you don’t fall into the trap of wasting valuable time on unnecessary distractions.

Tips to Improve Organisational Time Management – Time and Attendance Systems

More and more organisations are investing in Time and Attendance Systems with employee tracking software to gain a greater insight into their day to day operations. Time and Attendance software enables organisations to collect and process employee attendance data swiftly and accurately, facilitating processes such as: employee clock in and clock out reporting, calculating basic and overtime hours worked by employees, configuring complex shift patterns and creating payroll reports. Employee tracking software meanwhile, monitors employees as they progress from one activity to another, delivering comprehensive real-time information for accurate productive and non-productive time analysis, together with activity based costing.

Developed and supported by ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Employee Management Software delivers an innovative, reliable and cost effective solution to an organisation’s Time and Attendance, Access Control, Human Resource Management and Shop Floor Data Capture software requirements. For more information, contact us today.

According to recent surveys, investment in HR technology appears to be on the agenda for a considerable number of organisations in the coming years, regardless of whether they are a Small to Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) or a large company. While it’s no surprise that businesses are turning to technology to optimise their HR processes; after all, the Human Resource Management landscape has been evolving for some time now; a number of key drivers have emerged which can no longer be ignored. Throughout this post we will explore each driver in more detail whilst also touching upon some of the outstanding features of Ceequel® Employee Management Software, developed by ELF Productivity Limited.

Human Resource Management Software – One Size Definitely Doesn’t Fit All!

An investigation into the HR activities of over 400 large European companies revealed around 45% of HR managers believed that HR technology suppliers did not sufficiently understand the requirements of their organisation thus creating a significant gap between client expectations and the delivered service. Furthermore, over 70% of respondents were willing to increase spending on Human Resource Management software in order to bridge the aforementioned gap. Here at ELF Productivity, we create the code which makes Ceequel® Time and Attendance software one of the most innovative and dynamic solutions available today which enables us to tailor Ceequel® to a customer’s specific requirements.

Optimisation of HR Processes – Not Automation

HR managers were also keen to stress that HR software features such as Time and Attendance, Absence Management and Shop Floor Data Capture are required to streamline the ‘Human’ aspect of Human Resource Management. Better data analytics regarding employee attendance and performance enable managers to make more informed decisions while easier access to employee records, qualifications and appraisal information facilitates internal recruitment strategies. Ceequel® delivers a true holistic solution to an organisation’s Time and Attendance, Access Control and Human Resource Management software requirements, providing our clients with all the necessary tools to cope with contemporary HR processes.

User Experience

Interestingly, 80% of the large firms researched revealed that the improvement of user experience was the key driver for updating their Human Resource Management software. HR managers believed that new systems should offer a sense of flow and be an upgraded version of their existing HR processes. HR staff added that HR software should mirror consumer market technologies as much as possible to enhance familiarity and user confidence. Ceequel® Employee Management Software modules are based on Microsoft SQL Server technology which enables them to complement each other and your existing infrastructure seamlessly. ELF Productivity also offer training services, making our modules even more user friendly. Training for all users of a new Time and Attendance system will be provided, detailing how to create absence management reports and configure shift patterns for example.

The Shift to ‘Workforce Technology’ – Employee Self Service

‘Workforce Technology’ refers to the implementation of systems that allow non-HR employees to take responsibility for the management of their own HR information. This is an increasing trend in the HR technology sector, with the empowering of employees to take control of their own data seen as an effective motivational tool. Millennials in particular, have responded well to the introduction of workforce technology. Findings from a survey researching employees of SME’s also support the growing demand for Employee Self Service modules. 70% of respondents who still used old fashioned methods of submitting holiday requests, stated that they would be very confident using an online platform to carry out such processes and that it would save them considerable time. Ceequel® Employee Self Service is a web based solution allowing employees to access their own records. The accessibility of the platform is also extremely flexible; the module can be deployed on a central kiosk or alternatively, on an employee’s PC whilst also being accessible from a smart phone or tablet.

For more information regarding Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity.

The fierce battle to become the 45^th President of the United States of America reaches its climax on Tuesday 8^th November 2016. If successful, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will become the first female president while Republican nominee Donald Trump could become the oldest president to take office if he is victorious.

Both candidates are generally unpopular with the American public following controversial campaigns. Clinton who has recently been cleared by the FBI of any wrongdoing with regard to her usage of a private email server, is considered to possess the required temperament for the Oval Office despite reservations over how honest and trustworthy she is. Trump, whose campaign has been beset with criticism over derogatory comments previously made by the Republican candidate, is believed to be the one who could potentially bring about real change in Washington. There are concerns however, over his suitability to the role and the impact his election could have on global security.

Let’s take a closer look at both candidates:

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton was born on the 26^th October 1947 to parents Hugh and Dorothy Rodham in Chicago, Illinois. She is the wife of former US president Bill Clinton and has one daughter. Clinton served as US Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013 and held the status of First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She is the only former first lady to be elected to the US Senate and hold a federal cabinet level position.

Businessman, politician and television personality, Donald John Trump was born in Queens, New York on the 14^th June 1946. His father Fred Trump was a self-made real estate broker; his mother Mary was a Scottish immigrant. Trump is chairman and president of The Trump Organisation. Trump’s business interests have included: Office Towers, Hotels, Casinos, Golf Courses and a range of Food and Drink brands. Donald Trump also hosted and co-produced reality series The Apprentice from 2004 to 2015. Trump has been married three times and has five children.

The wait is almost over…who will be hired?

Are you looking to improve your organisation’s internal recruitment and succession planning processes? Ceequel® Human Resource Management software modules enable managers to identify all internal candidates who possess the required skills and experience for a new role within a company. Detailed listings can be generated to simplify gap analysis containing information such as: qualifications held by employees, occupational history and previous appraisal information.

Developed and supported by ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Employee Management Software is the ideal solution for all your Time and Attendance, Access Control and Human Resource Management software requirements. For more information, contact us today.

The rise in employee absences throughout the UK due to mental health problems has been well documented in recent weeks. Findings published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that over 127 million hours of sick leave were taken in the UK during 2015 as a result of symptoms such as stress, depression and anxiety; a 25% increase on 2014 figures.

In addition to mental health issues, pain attributable to musculoskeletal, neck and back problems were also prominent causes of employee absence along with minor illnesses. What you may not be aware of however, is that another condition which affects approximately 1 in 7 adults, costs the UK economy an estimated £2.24 billion per year.

According to The Migraine Trust, 25 million working days are lost annually in the UK due to migraine related absences. Migraine attacks are more common than asthma, diabetes and epilepsy combined with working age adults the most affected demographic. While symptoms differ from person to person, migraines usually last between 4 and 72 hours and often include painful headaches, vision difficulties, sensitivity to light and vomiting.

All absences are costly to organisations; however, migraine and mental health employee absences are two particular cases that make absence management an extremely difficult task.

With regard to mental health issues, there is an undoubted lack of communication between managers and employees. Managers are typically uncomfortable discussing mental health issues as they fear making the situation worse while employees are often reluctant to discuss mental health issues due to embarrassment or concerns over their career prospects.

Migraine sufferers tend to take more sick days than their colleagues and due to the contrasting nature of individual attacks, length of absence can fluctuate. There is also a fear amongst managers that some employees see a migraine as the ideal excuse for pulling a sickie due to the immediate onset and short duration of the condition.

Ceequel® Time and Attendance software provides organisations with a comprehensive absence management solution. Our software modules offer a swift, dynamic approach to collecting and processing employee attendance data, significantly improving clerical efficiency and accuracy. Other great features such as Bradford Factor Reporting are also available through our Time and Attendance solutions. A vital tool in combating absenteeism, Bradford Factor Reporting enables managers to identify recurring short-term absences taken by employees, providing a clear representation of disruption caused.

For more information regarding Ceequel® Employee Management Software, contact ELF Productivity today.