Category: Human Resources

How Human Resources can motivate Employees (without salary increases!)

Finding ways in which to motivate your employees can be a challenging task for many companies. Traditional methods such as raises and bonuses often put a strain on company budgets, meaning many organisations are now opting to use the numerous free methods available.

In this time of tight budgets, human resources can no longer simply give raises or bonuses to employees in exchange for excellent service. Luckily, motivating employees isn’t limited to monetary rewards, and some motivational techniques are free.

Thanking Employees

Everyone wants to know that their hard work is appreciated. A simple heartfelt thank you costs nothing, but instills a sense of purpose in an employee.

Public Recognition

From a simple email announcement to an employee of the month award, public recognition lets an employee know that they are valued and gives them a sense of pride and accomplishment. Most employees will want their co-workers aware of their hard work and there is no better way to show off an employees talents than publicly awarding them.

More Responsibility

Excellent employees want challenges and outstanding employees want to advance their careers. Putting an employee in charge of a project gives them managerial experience that they can point to when applying for managerial positions.

Professional Development

Allowing an employee to attend a professional development seminar benefits the employee and your organisation. The employee gets to network and list the training on their CV (therefore helping their career) while your company benefits from the cutting edge techniques your employee learns at the event.

Flexible Work Schedule

No one likes getting up early, getting dressed, and making a long commute to work. If you have an outstanding employee that can work independently, allowing them to work from home (at least part of the time) is a great incentive, plus, skipping commutes increases employee heath and satisfaction, creating a happier and more productive worker.

For more information about human resources, contact us.

A Simple, Central Database for your Human Resources

Your businesses Human resource department is responsible for the completion of a number of processes that if ever not completed would send your business into a state of chaos. That is why many organisations are now choosing to implement one central database in order to avoid making their Human Resource department’s job more difficult.

The Human Resources Department is, in a very real sense, the nervous system of a company. It routes messages between departments, ensures that individual employees have their needs met, and keeps track of everything a business is doing. It’s a record keeper, a memory bank, and the backbone all at once. With that said, there’s no reason to make the HR Department’s job more difficult than it already is, that’s why many companies are adopting a central database setup, like the one created by Elf Productivity Ltd.

The Human Resources of The Future!

In the past all your Human Resources Department had to work with was papers and filing cabinets, everything had to be done by hand, and keeping track of even a small company’s information could be a nightmare. Even after computers took over for forms filled out in triplicate it still took HR professionals with skill and dedication to keep track of a company’s data. What HR has needed is a bigger lever: a tool that will do more of the work so that the human elements have to do less heavy lifting. That’s where today’s central database software comes in.

The idea is quite simple, actually: instead of having a business run a separate program for the time clock, a separate program for employee files, and a separate program for communications, Elf Productivity Ltd. simply put all of these different aspects together into a single software suite. The result is that finding information is simple, and making changes is almost easier done than said. If an employee needs his or her information updated, it can be done in seconds; if time and pay stubs need to be verified, that can also be done in a fraction of the time it used to take. Instead of making HR bounce from one network to another, or to search through endless databases or file cabinets, this software suite puts them square in the central hub of the business. The result? More work gets done, less time gets wasted, and everything moves more efficiently.

If you’d like more information about our software suite, and how it can help invigorate your HR department, simply contact us today!

Tips for Improving Human Resource Departments

The Human Resource department is the most vital part of any organisation. Making improvements to your HR department has the potential to improve every other part of your business. There are a number of ways in which you can improve your HR processes below is a list of a few.

The HR department has a challenging job; it is also a vital part of an organisation. Improving the HR department enhances the entire business, there are a number of things that will help improve your Human Resource department, here are a few tips to consider:

Engage

It is crucial to communicate and engage with all employees: being proactive and making an effort to speak with people is beneficial. HR workers should go out of their way to interact with employees in every department, consider creating a daily ritual of walking the building or floor looking for people to converse with.

Listen

Employees need to feel as if they are being heard, increase listening skills to achieve this. HR operatives must know when to talk and when to be quiet, educate the HR department on proper listening skills.

Avoid Micro-Managing

Employees need to feel that they are trusted, if you micro-manage them, they feel incompetent. You can observe them and give feedback without micro-managing everything, give employees some freedom and independence to perform their work on their own, this builds confidence and produces happier employees.

Team Work

Team work encourages employees to work together, building camaraderie and relationships among employees is powerful. Employees should feel as if they are a part of something larger than themselves, when they develop connections to each other, a healthier work environment is produced.

Budget

Ensure that your budget includes plenty of funds for development and training. Your employees’ education does not end when they begin working for your organisation, in order to keep up with technology and innovation, the staff should consistently go through development and training, this keeps your workforce up-to-date and ready for the future.

These are just a few tips you can implement to improve your human resources department. It is a complex job, and it is essential for any organisation. When the HR department performs at its best, the entire company performs at its best. Contact us for more information.

Is Human Resources Necessary in The Age of Employee Self Service?

Over time labour specifications have evolved dramatically due to the advancement in society. Community’s were once made up of people who took care of themselves now each individual has a specialised ability n band together within bushiness to form departments of people who all work together.

One of the ways you can tell that a society is becoming more advanced is the specialisation of labour. That means that it goes from a community where everyone more or less takes care of themselves individually, to a place where everyone has a more specialised trade. So, instead of everyone doing a little bit of everything, you have a blacksmith, a farmer, a carpenter, etc. Businesses are like this too: at first, all of your employees have to be able to do a bit of everything, but over time you grow and develop into separate departments who all work together as part of a greater whole.

But what happens when technology renders a job no longer necessary? We don’t have milkmen or lantern lighters anymore, but what happens when this kind of obsolescence happens to a department in a company?

Will it happen to Human Resources? Employee Self Service: The Future of HR?

In the past, it was necessary to have an entire department dedicated to keeping track of employee information, Human Resources is what we usually call it. If you need to get your banking information changed, if you got married or divorced and need your name altered, or if you moved and needed your address updated you, would go to HR, fill out some paperwork, and wait for someone in the department to input your updates.

The technology that business runs on has shifted dramatically though, and most businesses operate on a single computer network. With integrated software, it’s possible to promote employee self-service. What that means is that if you have to do any of the things mentioned above, you simply log on with your company password, go to your profile, and change the information yourself. There’s no paperwork to fill out, no waiting on the change to be made, you simply log in, fix the issue yourself, and get back to work.

Changing The Way You Do Business

While there’s something to be said for doing things the old-fashioned way, employee self-service allows businesses to streamline their operations, and it cuts down on the amount of work and time that the HR department does have to do. The question that has yet to be answered is whether this self-service option is going to free up HR to tackle big problems, or if it’s going to render HR as a department obsolete.

If you’d like more information on employee self-service and on our integrated business software that lets you achieve more with less effort, simply contact us today!

Integrated Software which tracks Time and Attendance

Computerised systems are now the underlying part of any business, with most departments using one on a day to day basis in order to complete crucial tasks. From the tracking of hours, payroll and employee productivity, computers are often the eyes, ears and memory for many organisations. However businesses often use a number of different suites to complete the above tasks.

While we might say we’re still punching that time clock, most workers are actually logging in their hours on a computer terminal, or swiping their ID badge to clock in. While computerised time clocks are nothing new, businesses looking to streamline their software and who want to condense the technology they’re using have been looking for ways to integrate the time clock into a standardised software suite, which is precisely what Elf Productivity Ltd. provides.

Keeping Track of Time and Attendance (Along With Everything Else)

While computers have been integrated into common businesses little by little, they’re now an undeniable part of how even small companies run. From payroll and hours tracking to human resources and tracking productivity, computers are the eyes, ears, and often memory of a business.

So why use a dozen different suites to track important information when you could simply install one kind of software to keep track of everything? That’s the question Elf Productivity Ltd. asked, and it’s what led them to design a unique software suite that’s a one-stop-shop for a business who wants all of its information in a single, easily accessible place.

This software suite keeps track of all the necessary information a company needs. It has employee information, hours worked, and similar data all in a profile that employees can log their hours in as well as updating their information without bothering HR. The suite also provides access control, making sure that only those who need to see certain sensitive information will have access to it.

Integration is the name of the game, and it saves your business time, money, and effort. For more information on how Elf Productivity Ltd. can help you, simply contact us today!

Elf Productivity Helps Balance Human Resource Needs In Your Business

Behind every successful business is a fully functioning human resource department. Organising your staff is a key part of this and implementing a human resource system will simplify the process by allowing you to easily view all information about any member of staff on one easy to use platform. Our system cuts out the middleman making everything easier for both HR and other departments.

Every business needs people in order to function: without staff nothing gets done. Even if you have the most competent people working for you, you’ll never achieve your goals without some way to arrange and organise your staff. That’s where Human Resources comes in: this department’s job is to make sure that workers have all their information in the system, that hours are clocked properly, that checks are issued on time, and all the other necessary tasks that keep the work force running. With that said though, it’s very possible for HR to get weighed down, backlogged, and clogged up. That’s where Elf Productivity Ltd. comes into the picture.

What Elf Productivity Ltd. Does For Human Resources

We understand how important smooth traffic is for any business when it comes to human resources: you put in a request on Monday and expect it to be handled in a timely fashion, but if everyone else in the company puts in the same request, it’s going to take time to get that done, especially if someone in HR has to take the form you filled out, go into the system, and plug in all your details before doing the exact same thing for the next person in line.

What we did was create a software that cuts out the middleman and makes everything easier both for those in HR, as well as those outside of the department. Our software suite acts like a fast-track for your business’ needs; it’s an accurate time clock that automatically updates when someone clocks in or out, it also lets people outside of HR make appropriate changes, which means average workers can keep track of their hours more accurately without the need to bother HR. If a worker moves, changes a name, or switches banks, it’s also possible for them to log in and alter their information instead of filling out a form and waiting for HR to get around to it. We combined employee self-service with an accurate time clock, as well as all the access control you need to make sure that truly sensitive information is still only available to those who need it, the result is a system that is smoother, faster, which does more of the work for you, and which you can implement quickly and easily.

For more information about how Elf Productivity Ltd. can help your business succeed simply contact us today!

Benefits to Time and Attendance Software

Managing employee time and attendance data is a hard job for any human resource department. Calculating payroll and holiday time as well as generating reports can take hours, costing your business money. Implementing an easy to use time and attendance system will reduce the number of hours spent on these kind of tasks as well as benefiting your business in numerous other ways.

Managing employees’ time and attendance sounds like hard work for any Human Resources department, even the smallest of companies spend an inordinate amount of time with reports, payroll, and holiday time calculations, the list can seem endless at times.

Many are unaware of the tremendous benefits afforded through the use of Time and Attendance software. Here are just a few:

The Time is Up for Clocks and Cards

If your company is still using a time clock, you are hemorrhaging a great deal of money out of your payroll department. On average, dispensing, collecting, calculating, and purchasing time cards costs roughly eighteen minutes per employee, per week. That’s around fifteen hours for each employee annually. Everyone knows, in business, time is money!

Help Those Who Help Themselves

Although it is simply “part of their job”, Payroll and HR collectively, or separately, spend hours over the course of a year looking up data for employees: vacation time due, verifying days or hours worked, scheduling questions, and many more inquires. Time and Attendance software allows employees to find this information out for themselves.

Absenteeism Adds Up

While some employers may feel that an absent employee is reducing payroll, it is actually costing companies more. According to CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel Development) research, 90% of businesses say that absenteeism is “a significant cost” for their company. Sickness generally accounts for eight lost working days per year for every staff member or around 3.5% of working time annually.

To save your company valuable time, money, and resources, please contact us to learn more about our Time and Attendance software today.

Why Digital Access Control is so Important

How secure your organisation is can often be the make or break of any new business deal. If clients believe their data is likely to become compromised they will almost always pick a competitor over you. In order to stop this from happening, businesses have been implementing access control systems which allow them to limit what data certain employees have access to.

Security is one of the biggest keys to earning client trust and running a successful business. Clients need to know their information is safe, and one of the best ways to keep it safe is to make sure only employees who need access are the ones that get it. That way if there is a leak or something similar, the number of people who could be responsible is a smaller pool than “everyone in the office”. Not only is the suspect-base smaller, but when there are fewer people who have access to sensitive data there is a smaller chance of that data getting out and falling into the hands of people who shouldn’t have it (e.g. identity thieves, con men, etc.).

Using The Proper Access Control Software

One of the best ways to make sure that data stays safe and secure is to use access control software. This software can be thought of as a digital lock, and only employees who have the key can get through to the other side. The key typically takes the form of a management account and password, thus ensuring that employees who need access to higher-level information can get it easily, but those who don’t need that data to do their jobs simply can’t open the electronic door.

Keeping Things On A Need-To-Know Basis With Elf Productivity Ltd.

Elf Productivity Ltd. knows how difficult it is to make sure all employees have enough information to properly do their jobs, but still keeping sensitive data locked away from the general worker’s pool. That’s why we produce high-quality software that offers access control solutions along with dozens of other features that will help businesses achieve more with less effort.

What other features does the software boast? Well, it offers security and access control solutions, but it also operates as an electronic time clock to keep accurate track of employee hours. This software also allows more employees to do more, allowing anyone to change basic information so there’s no need to go through HR in order to alter an address or change a name to reflect what’s on a driver’s license.

For more information on how our software suites can help you keep sensitive data locked away where it belongs simply contact us today!

Cut through Red Tape with Employee Self Service

Filling out forms to request a change of information on the system can be a time consuming task for employees. This information can then take weeks to be updated due to the number of high priority tasks human resource departments need to complete. Employee self service systems cut out the middle man meaning your employees can update their own data in real time.

Every business has bureaucracy: maybe you need to fill out three forms to have Human Resources change your name in the computer, alternatively you might have to put in a request for a change of address and wait for weeks before the system gets updated; all this red tape is seen as a necessary evil, after all, how else is all this information going to get updated?

By letting the employees do it themselves.

Employee Self Service

Employee Self Service is the idea that all employees are capable of doing simple tasks, such as changing their names, addresses, and other personal information. Instead of giving this power only to the Human Resources department, a business utilises software that allows every employee to access and alter his or her own basic profile. This means that employees can make necessary changes more quickly, and the Human Resources department is freed up to handle different assignments.

Elf Productivity Ltd. Can Help

Efficiency is the name of the game, and Elf Productivity Ltd. can give your business the tools it needs to play in the big leagues. The software suites produced by this company are easy to learn, and they provide more access for more employees. At the same time, though these systems don’t sacrifice security, making absolutely certain that employees only have the amount of access they need to get the job done.
You can go in and change your name and address easily enough, but information like personnel records, evaluations, etc. can only be accessed by those with authority to do so.

What Else Does This Software Do?

Elf Productivity Ltd. wanted to create a single solution for all of a business’s needs, which is why their software balances access control, employee self service, and record keeping. It’s flexible and functional with features that even allow it to be used as a time clock so hourly employees can make sure management knows how long they’ve worked. The suite eliminates redundancy, and provides simple, elegant solutions for fixing the problems every business has to deal with.

For more information on what Elf Productivity Ltd. can do for you and your business simply contact us today!

2015: The Big Year for Human Resources

Having a poor functioning human resource department within your business can lead to a significant decrease in net profits. This is due to a drop in employee productivity levels being caused by unaddressed attendance issues or position forecasting. If someone were to leave your organisation, your Human Resource department should still be able to provide you with up to date information on their entire time within the company as well as being able to tell you what skill sets new applicants need to have.

Human Resource Management is actually a key ingredient of any business. Poor HR management can lead to a significant decrease in net profits due to a decrease in employee productivity and efficiency stemming from unaddressed attendance issues or position/function forecasting. For example, if a valued employee resigns, improper HR management may lead to not knowing exactly what this employee’s functions were (since job titles don’t disclose everything), and thus, even if this employee gives a 30-day notice, it may take you longer than a month to figure out which potential applicants have all the skill sets needed to fulfil the now-lacking functions in your company.

According to a recent article by Business2Community, 2015 will mark new, progressive trends for HR management. No longer is HR management going to be one-dimensional, with employees, wages and other statistics boringly laid out on long spreadsheets and multi-page documents: “In 2015, visual media [will become increasingly utilized and]… when it comes to HR technology, the importance of visuals will increase.”

You should start improving your HR management resources today! Be ready to re-fill positions and functions this upcoming year, since “according to a recent survey, one in three employees will look for a new job in the next year.” This goes both ways – your employees are at a higher risk of leaving you, and you’ll have a more rich pool of applicants – so HR management becomes critical.

Elf Productivity Ltd. offers innovative software that efficiently and accurately records and processes all of your employees information. Not only will you have them neatly organised by job titles, you can include notes and sub-notes in a detailed, organised fashion that allows you to list specific functions and roles that the employee performs. Our software also allows your employees to perform self-attendance. Contact us today to learn more!