Category: Human Resources

Is it Time for your Business to seek additional help for its Human Resource Operations?

In this day and age many businesses outsource at least a few of their business processes, the most common being their human resource functions. This is often because businesses feel that the outsourced company can provide them with a higher level of expertise.

When you are evaluating which business functions should be outsourced, you should ask yourself if you can get the same results when you hire someone internally to do the job. If you do not think you can get the same level of expertise, you may want to consider outsourcing. Today, you will find that many businesses outsource at least a few of their human resources functions. Even the companies who have a department filled with quality HR professionals are likely to outsource at least one of their human resources functions.

Every company will give you different reasons on how they knew when to seek help with their human resource operations. However, you will find that many of their answers will have common explanations.

Lower Costs

Businesses are always looking for ways to cut down on expenses. One of the largest expenses that a business can have is the salaries of the staff, but as expensive as this may be, if there are no employees, then the business cannot operate. Businesses want to find solutions that are affordable, but still allow their business to continue flowing smoothly; one of the best solutions is to outsource human resources.

Minimising Mistakes

UK Labour Law enforces many regulations, these regulations have an impact on millions of employers and employees every single day. When you combine those regulations with other laws and regulations, it can definitely cause plenty of headaches for professionals to ensure the company is following all the rules. By outsourcing your HR functions, you will have help in understanding the laws and regulations that must be followed.

It does not matter if your business is looking for a complete solution or if you just need a solution that will supplement the processes you already have, outsourcing your human resources functions will be sure to lower your expenses, minimise the mistakes, and improve your business’ overall production.

If you want to take better care of your business and your employees, contact us for additional information.

How to make Human Resources Jobs Easier

Your Human Resource department is the centre of your organisation. It relays messages to every department and is key in making sure all company and employee data is tracked and up to date. Without a fully functioning HR department your business would run into turmoil.

Your HR department is the nervous system of your business. It routes messages from every other department, and ensures that everyone gets necessary information in order to keep things working smoothly. Whether it’s making sure that new employees have all their data in the system, or ensuring that transfers, promotions, etc. are all tracked, human resources is the department in charge.

So why make HR’s job any more difficult than it already is?

A Single, Unified Network to Make Human Resources Happy

Computer networks are the major tools businesses use to keep track of all their information. These networks store customer information, employee information, create time tables, keep track of order numbers, and handle all of the heavy lifting your company needs. If you’re using multiple networks, though, you’re driving your HR people crazy.

Imagine this scenario: you have two departments. Your employees report to the first department, and tell the Department-One people how many hours they’ve worked, the Department-One people write it down, walk across the hall, and hand their notes to the Department-Two people, the Department-Two people then take those notes, and input the hours worked into their own machines.

Why would you use such a convoluted system? Why not cut out the first department entirely, reducing the number of steps you’re taking and ensuring that fewer mistakes being made? The same questions would apply to using an outdated software suite, or attempting to use multiple suites that can’t talk to each other.

One Software, One Company

Elf Productivity Ltd. set out to create a unique software suite that would allow your business to do everything, without having to switch back and forth: it’s a time clock, a database, a communication network, and all the different sections can be password protected as you see fit.

If you want to see increased productivity, fewer headaches, and faster results in your business, then contact us today to see how our unique software solutions can help you.

Employee Self Service saves Time, Money, and Frustration

Your businesses Human Resources department often wastes a significant amount of time each month updating individual employee information. Not only is this time better spent elsewhere, it is also costing your business money. By implementing an employee self service system you can transfer the task of updating employee data over to your employees.

We’ve all heard the old saw about how the Human Resources Department moves as fast as an arthritic tortoise in a school zone. You got a new apartment last month, you got married, you opened a different bank account, and even though you submitted the forms as required, it still took more than a month for HR to get around to correcting your details. Maybe you missed a pay cheque, had an important work correspondence sent to the wrong address, or you just had the wrong name on your taxes, but while details change, the story stays the same; if there was a faster way to alter your personal information, neither you nor your company would be inconvenienced.

Fortunately there is a way you can sidestep HR entirely, it’s called Employee Self Service.

How Does Employee Self Service Work?

The concept is pretty simple: under a more traditional system you would fill out a form detailing your personal information changes, along with any necessary proofs, and you’d give those forms to the HR department. HR’s personnel would put those forms on a big stack, and eventually work its way to making your updates. This might take days if you’re lucky, weeks on average, or more than a month if there’s a big backup of work.

Employee Self Service, on the other hand, allows you to skip the middle man. You simply log into your business’ network, go to your profile, and change the information to reflect what it is now, you save the change, and then go back to doing your job.

It’s That Simple?

It is, actually. While there are still a lot of tasks that require HR personnel, technology has put the power to control personal information into the hands of employees. The changes can be done in mere moments, ensuring that all information is current and up-to-date without getting bogged down in an inbox somewhere.

For more information on Employee Self Service, and how it can change the way you do business, simply contact us today!

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.