Let’s Get Physical – Not Bent Out Of Shape

From a gentle jog to a flying leap, take a look at our latest blog and find out more about flexible and remote working.

One word………… EXERCISE. How does that word make you feel, does it fill you with excitement or dread? Let’s be honest, exercise is something you either love doing or avoid with a passion. Those that avoid it usually give the same reason ……… I would like to, I just don’t have the time.

The beginning of a New Year is traditionally the most popular period to embark on a new healthy regime. Gym memberships are signed up for, usually done on the back of a New Year’s Eve resolution and healthy eating begins – again! ALL junk food stops immediately, fat skimming devices are brought out of retirement (back of the kitchen cupboard) cobwebs and dust are blown off and you feel amazing. You head into work all enthusiastic but then what happens? The ultra slim, work colleague who can eat whatever he/she wants is eating the “colonel’s secret recipe” like it’s going to be put on ration…..right in front of you! You mutter to yourself “It’s like they are doing this on purpose, they KNOW I am trying to be healthier”.

The truth is nobody is purposely trying to do that, your colleagues have always been on first name terms with the staff at the “Golden Arches”. When you embark on a new solo healthy regime and all that goes with it, cutting all the bad stuff out straightaway is too much, for even the most iron-willed of people. Gym memberships are very good but let’s be honest, how many subscriptions have you taken out and then not actually attended? How often have you started something with really good intentions and then never finished it?

Work commitments inevitably come first for most people, along with families and other obligations, the endless commute to and from the workplace can also take its toll. The new healthy regimes started with such high hopes, end up taking a back seat and it’s normally around this time of year, as we head into February, that this starts to kick in. Christmas is a dim and distant memory, along with your resolutions. So what can you do to not only keep your staff motivated but yourself during these long winter months, especially as Spring is still some way off?

This is where you find that if managed properly, the workplace can actually turn out to be one of the best places to try and be a little healthier. Promoting nutritious eating, as well as endorsing walks during the day are very beneficial and are a great way to exercise both the body and mind, as well as getting to know other colleagues better. But what if your current Time and Attendance processes are unable to cope with several of your staff out on a brisk jaunt at once, what if your manual processes are unable to handle flexible or remote shift patterns?

Flexible working or being able to work remotely from home 1 or 2 days a week, is a great incentive to a lot of current and potential employees, especially for those with children or who care for relatives etc, who given the choice, would prefer not to work the standard Monday to Friday 9.00am-5.00pm shift. A healthy work-life balance is achievable for any company and if flexible or remote working is the way forward for your company as we head into 2018, then Elf Productivity Ltd’s Time and Attendance, with Employee Self Service and Ceequel® Mobile Apps, is for you.

Elf Productivity Ltd’s Employee Self Service and Ceequel® Mobile Apps, are applications created for Android, Apple and Windows devices. Whether you are looking to collect employees clockings or support your existing workforce with legislative changes to travel time, Ceequel® Mobile App will improve your Time and Attendance processes. It not only allows employees to clock in and clock out, but it will also provide you with an exact location of your remote workers.

Ceequel®‘s Employee Self Service module is a great partner to the Ceequel® Mobile App, as it comes along side and allows employees more freedom with regards to requesting absences. The module provides employees access to their personal data and it will also allow them to request absences, such as holidays, dentists, doctors and TOIL (time off in lieu) etc, as well as remotely viewing or requesting changes to their shift roster. It also takes away some of the timely administrative duties as it devolves more responsibility to the employee.

Companies are now fully aware that employees physical and mental health needs have to be taken into consideration within the workplace. Employees need to be supported and if that means allowing them more freedom and giving them newer, faster options and with more flexibility within their shift, without impairing their output, then Elf Productivity Ltd’s Time and Attendance system is for you.

You look after the things of value to you and your personnel are worth investing in. You devote so much precious time investing and attracting the best employees possible, so why not invest the same time into your automated processes and look to the market leaders in Time and Attendance – invest in the best, invest in ELF.

Contact ELF Productivity today for a free no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software.

If you would like to learn more about the unrivalled functionality of Ceequel® Software Suite, including our flagship Time and Attendance offering; a range of downloadable brochures can be found here.

Do you know the most productive day of the week?

Every wondered what the most productive day of a business week is?. well now we know, a recent study done by Accountemps has shown that Tuesdays are the most productive day off the week, with 33% of HR managers saying they seen a rise in there staffs productivity. Wednesday was the next productive day with 23% followed by Monday on a surprisingly high 14% as many employees are often still tired from there busy weekends.

productivity

When it comes to completing a big project or making a start on the little tasks you’ve been putting off, it has been analysed by Accountemps on 300 HR Managers, that Tuesday’s are apparently the most productive day of the week.  After all no one likes Mondays.   While Fridays signal the start of the weekend with many employees choosing to finish early meaning little work is actually being completed.

The survey showed that 33% percent of Human Resource managers noticed a rise in productivity levels on a Tuesday compared to Thursdays and Fridays which both scored below 10%. Wednesday was the next most productive day with 23% and Monday surprisingly scored higher than the last two days of the week with 14%.

Giving your employees projects that require the most focus on a Tuesdays is therefore a suggestion that many employers have probably never even considered.

The goal of course should be to attempt to replicate the improvements found on a Tuesday.  To assist in making this happen, we have four tips:

–          Prioritise

Each day make a list of your key tasks and ensure you focus on these and try not to get side tracked

–          Limit distractions

When working on key projects or tasks, turn off likely distractions such as mobile phones.  Sign out of social media sites and even close Outlook.

–          Quality is paramount

While many employees will try to rush certain tasks, it is often the case where time has not been allocated accordingly that the quality diminishes and results in the task either having to be repeated or improved.

–          Consider technology

Utilising Elf Productivity’s Employee Tracking software, employees can be set standards to complete tasks and these can be compared to actual times.  Quality can be improved as management can assess the works completed and allocate a score for quality or monitor any waste.   As this module links directly to Time and Attendance a reconciliation of productive and non-productive time can be produced at the touch of a button.

For more information about Elf’s employee tracking software contact us today!

Remote access to key data – Ceequel Applications

The Elf productivity Ceequel application suite contains 3 mobilised apps that are accessible to download on Apple,Android and Window phones. The Apps available are titled Ceeqel Clock, Ceequel track, Ceequel serve and have been designed to integrate with your web based Ceequel system.

Ceequel Apps

Centralise all your human resource and time management requirements with Ceequel

Here at Elf Productivity Ltd we offer a wide variety of products and services to our clients. Over 30 years of collective experience within the time and attendance market allows us to provide you with unparalleled industry knowledge and expertise. Why not check out this inforgraphic for more information about what is is we do.

Elf infographic