Month: January 2019

Culture Trends For 2019

With February just around the corner and the last of the Christmas chocs a distant memory, 2019 is now in full swing.

2019, the year that seemed a long way off in 2016, the year we had ‘the’ vote. Did someone say the ‘B’ word?

Well now you mention it….

With our Brexit departure from the EU now just weeks away, business growth and recruitment possibilities for this coming year have been pushed right to the forefront. So, with the clock now counting down to Friday 29th March, do you even know what your essential needs are when it comes to your workforce requirements for 2019?

Is maintaining stability the priority, or is now the time for you to step out and achieve some real business development?

For both to be attained AND retained, you need the appropriate team in place.

As reported by a leading HR magazine, the top culture trends to watch out for and recruit in 2019 are a bit of a mixed bunch.

Let’s look at just three.

• Hyper-Flexibility

As an employer, how ‘flexi’ are you prepared to be? According to a report by Mercer, 72% of full-time employees have voiced that they would consider working on a contingent or contract basis.
2019 is shaping up to be the year where employees would prefer greater freedom and choice within their working day. If you are a progressive company, you are probably already at least considering flexible and remote working options for your staff.
A healthy work-life balance is now being recognised as a must, especially for employees with obligations at both ends of the collective scale; children versus ageing dependant parents. Employees stuck in a cycle of never-ending tension, with the stress transferring to the workplace.

• Generation Z

2017 was the year Generation Z entered the workforce. A report by Manpower has revealed that by 2020, this generation will make up 24% of the global workforce. The age-old joke of police officers appearing younger and younger will strike a chord with many people – because it will be true!. We can expect a generation of degree educated individuals to emerge and due to their Play-Station digital upbringing, technology will be second nature.
And the generation that is to follow; ‘Generation Alpha’ the children of the Millennials, let’s not go there just yet. In a recent video clip produced by Hotwire, a global PR Agency, a young participant was filmed exclaiming that they would rather have an I-pad than a puppy!

• Soft-Skills

What’s soft about a skill? Soft-skills are the time and tested skill-set that appears to be enjoying a revival within Human Resources. The ‘bread and butter’ skills that every company recognises, especially within their middle management set-up. Good communication, time management, time-keeping, problem-solving, creativity and leadership. As the workforce in general becomes older; see our previous blog post A Growing Mature Workforce, these skills are the safe pair of hands that businesses of all shapes and sizes requires to advise, steer and help.
They are particularly useful with younger employees, especially around the delicate issues of texting/emailing rather than engaging in an ‘actual’ conversation.

Technology is impressive but it will never replace the art of having a real discussion in the workplace. Like the British stiff upper lip, it will never go out of fashion.

ELF Productivity and CEEQUEL® software suite, always on trend, constantly developing new ideas, progressive and most importantly, adaptable to every scenario and situation. A tried and tested Biometric Time and Attendance Management software system for ALL your workforce.

For a closer look at CEEQUEL® software for your business,Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today or alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.

ISO 27001 – How Safe Are Your Work Practises?

Everyone is always pleased or as we say in the North “reet chuffed” to gain recognition for any goal or target that has been attained and here at ELF Productivity we are no different.

That is why we are so proud to announce, that after a recent audit,
ELF Productivity Ltd has been awarded ISO 27001 accreditation status.

Is that “nice one” we hear at the back?

For those of you that don’t quite realise what this represents and why we are adopting a bit of a ‘peacock strut’, in layman’s terms,
ISO 27001 is an accreditation awarded to companies that comply entirely with all forms of security in a safe, careful and more importantly, secure manner.

In other words, it’s a bit of a big deal!

Not everyone takes their security seriously and ultimately that can affect you. How many times have you received yet ‘another’ friend request on Facebook (other social media accounts are available of course) because someone’s account has been hacked….…again!

At ELF Productivity we take our security practises, obligations and procedures very seriously. We have the knowledge and confidence that this is mirrored within our Time and Attendance modules; the dynamic software suite that is CEEQUEL®.

Time and Attendance, Human Resources and Access Control, unfortunately for all involved they ALL have the potential for serious data breaches.

This is where CEEQUEL® is noticeably different.

Time and Attendance

CEEQUEL® Time and Attendance software is operated by a state-of-the-art password protected structure, thus restricting and providing where needed, limited access to employees. This restriction is obtained by a combination of considerations with the main being, functionality, location, branch, employee and confidentiality.

Human Resource

The security factor within CEEQUEL® Human Resources module is entirely configurable down to each subject and assignment. Employees can be issued with either read/write or read-only access to any given view, greatly downgrading potential risk. Icons and assignments can be removed and report capabilities can be issued based on individual(s) user permissions.

Access Control

One word – tailgating. Unfortunately, one of the biggest ‘bug-bears’ and a potential security breach surrounding Access Control is tailgating. Several alternatives are available to resolve this issue, the main being a Turnstile option. Where this choice is not feasible, infra-red beams across the access door can identify when several employees enter the door at the same time. If this occurs, an alarm will prompt a message to be sent, thereby alerting the main user/administrator of the security breach.

With the introduction of GDPR legislation in 2018, data security for companies MUST now be managed and controlled diligently.

When the security of your company is at stake, you ultimately look to a provider with a proven track record for processing and monitoring sensitive, confidential data daily. A provider that will give you the assurance and guarantee that you require.

ELF Productivity Ltd has clocked up almost 40 years of development and experience. There is no scenario that ELF has not encountered or issue that we have not solved.

Success for any company comes on the back of accomplishments and CEEQUEL® software has proved time and time again, that when it comes to Time and Attendance for business workforce management, we are a major player.

And as you now know, we have the certificate to prove it!

If you are interested into acquiring a Time and Attendance solution for your workforce, Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today or alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.