Product Information – Time and Attendance

A Growing Mature Workforce and What to Do About It

The BBC reported recently on the RSPCA receiving an official warning from the Charity Commission. The warning was issued after interim CEO Michael Ward received a 6 figure sum as a payoff; allegedly the result of challenging the recruitment process.

Michael Ward was appointed interim Chief Executive in June 2017; however he claimed he was a victim of age discrimination when a younger candidate was appointed to the role permanently. He stated that he did not get the permanent post due to his age and the RSPCA subsequently paid out a sum well over his £150,000 salary.

How old is Michael Ward?

Michael is 57 years old.

Every day there appears to be something else reported in the media, whether that is social or economic, regarding an ever present, growing, ageing workforce.

Surely workers shouldn’t be made to feel that they have nothing else to offer within the workplace, once they have reached 50 and beyond?

Sadly, discrimination on the shop-floor and indeed the office isn’t new. Workers from all sides of the social spectrum have experienced it.

From part-time workers, to new parents returning to work and finding their position isn’t the one they left behind when they embarked on their maternity/paternity leave. Inexperienced adolescents on training schemes, or mature workers considered “too long in the tooth” for a real shot at promotion or leadership.

How times have changed.

Thirty years ago, had you decided to carry on working after the ages of 60 and 65 respectively, you would’ve been looked at incredulously.

Sadly in today’s economic climate that is not the case and unfortunately for the majority, it is not a choice.

Today the country has a serious issue right under its nose; a very real mature workforce and it is G R O W I N G!

The retirement age in the UK has risen considerably. From next year the State Pension Age will increase again for both men and women, rising to 66 by October 2020. Another increase by the Government is planned between 2026 and 2028, where it will then rise from 66 to 67 years.

State pensions saved hard for retirement, now not accessible until the worker is almost 70!

The pride and joy that is our NHS has certainly done its job well over the last 70 years but at the same time, it probably hasn’t helped. With better and more accessible healthcare, the NHS has become a victim of its own success.

With improved standards of living and better employment rights, people are now quite easily reaching 90 and 100 years old, however, with no real structure in place to provide for this ageing population, the mature workforce has little or no option but to carry on working.

Workers in their 70’s or even 80’s are being reported as to still be “clocking in” via the national and local media.

So, what do we do about it and what methods are you putting into place to take care of the “Baby Boomer” and subsequent “Generation X” age groups?

With the onset of AI, you as an employer not only have a duty of care but a responsibility to re-train your mature workforce. With remote and flexible working now becoming more and more mainstream, this is the most obvious option available, for ALL your employees.

With a more generational workforce in place, companies will have the benefit of both worlds; youth and vitality vs experience and wisdom.

With that information on board, if you haven’t looked at the options out there to cater for your employees, isn’t it time that you did?

ELF Productivity Ltd is at the forefront when it comes to managing your workforce successfully, effectively and efficiently.

CEEQUEL® Biometric Time and Attendance software suite is developed in-house by our team of highly skilled and experienced developers. With software modules available for every possibility and a solution for EVERY Human Resource department issue, CEEQUEL® is the essential daily “tool “that your business needs.

Whether that need is the company incorporating a training matrix for an apprenticeship placement, performing a return to work interview for maternity/paternity leave or granting flexible working shift patterns and remote working, CEEQUEL® is THE collaborator that your company necessitates.

CEEQUEL® software is at the cutting edge in terms of originality, innovation and uniqueness.

Where others follow, CEEQUEL® leads.

If you are interested in implementing a real change in your company’s Time and Attendance processes, a change that benefits your ENTIRE workforce, download the brochure portfolio and contact the sales department today on 01257 256000, for a free no obligation quotation and demonstration of CEEQUEL® software.

I Think I Wanna Marry You

Booked yourself twice? Read our latest blog post on how to effectively and remotely manage more than one engagement….

“Get me to the Church on Time” ….

The marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle is now just weeks away. The nation’s, if not the world’s favourite Prince has found “The One” in Meghan and has decided, at the grand old age of 33, it’s now finally time to produce the “Band of Gold” and “Kiss the Bride”. The man of the moment is ready to settle down and experience both “Love AND Marriage”.

On Saturday 19^th May 2018, all eyes will be on St George’s Chapel in Windsor, as Harry and his glamourous American fiancé say “I Do”. This union will be cause for much celebration. Ever since actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco, the world has loved a good old fashioned “The Prince and The Showgirl” love story.

A Royal Wedding bash or “knees-up” is something else, unless of course you are soccer fan.

In what has turned out to be the only real sting in this “fairy-tale”, the wedding of the year will clash with the ultimate football match …….the annual FA Cup Final!

HM Queen along with the rest of the Royal family, the movers and shakers of Hollywood will all be in attendance but what of Prince William; as President of the FA, where will he be spending his time?

If a new baby isn’t going to be enough for him to deal with, see previous blog post; The Pitter-Patter of Tiny Royal Feet, he now has to decide where to be on his little brother’s special day.

Football, Wedding, Football, Wedding……hmmm which do you choose?

Here at ELF Productivity Limited authors of CEEQUEL® Time and Attendance System, we have all the bases covered when it comes to remote working and flexible shift patterns. No more worrying about getting to the office (or church) on time to “clock in”, it can all be done remotely via an Android, Apple or Windows device – you really can be in two places at once!

“Going to the Chapel” AND the match will not be an issue with ELF Productivity’s CEEQUEL® Mobile Apps and Employee Self Service software, as these applications have been designed with “on the go” employees in mind. Every remote clocking is recorded in real-time; therefore giving you an instant and exact overview of your employees’ location.

But it doesn’t stop there. Employees have access to all their personal data whilst on the go, thus allowing for absence requests, such as holiday (or honeymoon) requirements, dentists, doctors and hospital appointments etc. CEEQUEL® Mobile Apps and Employee Self Service are just two of the modules that ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® software suite encompasses; our knowledge and expertise are unequalled.

With that in mind, is your Human Resources department in need of some “Time, Love and Tenderness this year? Would you like ELF Productivity Limited to come alongside and become that “Perfect” partner for you?

If you would like to know more about the incomparable functionality of Ceequel® Software Suite, including our leading Time and Attendance modules; the downloadable catalogue of brochures can be found here.

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

Your company and ELF Productivity Limited the “Perfect” marriage.

Time & Attendance-Data Collection made easy by ELF Productivity

Elf Productivity Ltd understands the needs of every business and we thrive on helping you achieve your ideal set up. We listen to your business needs and use our industry expertise to help you choose the correct terminal for your working environment. We offer a wide variety of terminals that interact seamlessly with our time and attendance suite.

Every working environment is different some more than others meaning the collection of your employees time and attendance data can be a difficult task to handle for many organisations.

Here at Elf Productivity we understand the needs of every business and provide our customers with a clocking terminal that suits their environment and requirements. Each terminal has the capability to communicate in real time meaning your employees clocked status (in or out) is updated within Ceequel time and attendance in only a few seconds. The way in which your employee’s clock in and out can be fulfilled by various methods and is often decided by the way in which your organisation works.

Terminals are capable of communicating with each other in many ways meaning all employee data is up-to-date and available to access from any location. The most common way in which terminals communicate is via TCP/IP it is possible however to set them up so that they can work via Wi-Fi , GPRS,VPN and also 3G n 4G networks.

Terminal types and industry

Elf productivity specialises in several different types of terminals. Each terminal can be customised to your working environment and set up with your chosen method of clocking. Making sure your organisation has the correct terminal for your industry is of the up most importance to us. This is why we listen to your company needs and use our past experiences to suggest not only the most suitable terminals but also the most cost effective for your organisation.

Low cost terminals

Low cost terminals are ideal for companies within the office, clerical or admin profession who have simple clocking requirements. Elf’s iclock can be configured to display messages upon clocking or even be configured to display time and attendance data upon selecting a function key such as, number of remaining holidays, hours worked, overtime or flexi balance.

Mid-range terminals

Typically deployed in warehousing and distribution, these units are can also be utilised with hand held barcode readers for a low cost shop floor data capture solution. These hand held readers will help simplify the scanning of job sheets saving your shop floor managers time and money.

Touch screen industrial terminals

Touch screen data terminals utilise both Windows or Linux technology and are available with either a barcode, proximity or finger print reader. These terminals will allow your employees to access their personal records such as a graphical holiday screen, clock card times and also allows them to see who the first aider is within their department.

The main benefit of having a touch screen terminal is that it integrates well with shop floor data capture. Ceequel can be integrated with the vast majority of ERP systems allowing for live jobs and activities to be automatically uploaded in real-time, as well as select relevant operations and include information on quantity produced, scrapped and any downtime reasons. These terminals can also be used to view safety protocols ensuring all employees are up to date with current procedures and have accepted all changes to critical documents.

The front end screens on a touch screen terminal can be designed around your company’s individual requirements. This ensures that all data collected within your organisation can be streamlined in the relevant way.

Touch screen tablets

Elf’s software suite can be accessed of any device meaning it is possible for companies to set up industry standard tablets. This makes it possible for line managers to allocate jobs/activates and locations to their employees from out of the office and provides a way for employees to view their daily tasks without having to make numerous trips to the clock.

Biometric Terminals

The day and age of card based time and attendance is officially over and many companies have now chosen to implement biometric terminals in order to keep up with technology. At ELF we provide a choice of Biometric options including fingerprint, vein, face or hand recognition.

Access control hardware

Here at elf productivity we sell a large range of access control hardware. All access control systems are IP based meaning all data and media can be quickly passed through to the Ceequel time & attendance suite. Access control systems can be accessible via proximity card, fob or fingerprint

If you’re looking to implement a simplistic time and attendance system that can increase the knowledge of your employees and ultimately save money – contact us today!

Access Control should be your Number One Priority

Access Control is a vital part of any organisation. If a business doesn’t have an access control system in place then potentially your property and sensitive information is at risk. Securing your sensitive data decreases this risk and also protects your employees and visitors.

Access control is one of the biggest buzz words in business right now, and for good reason. Why, you ask? Well, you wouldn’t give the brand new cashier the combination to the CEO’s personal safe, would you? Of course not, because the cashier doesn’t need that kind of access to do his or her job. The reality, though, is that when your business runs on an unsecured network where there aren’t enough safety measures taken there is nothing to stop employees on the shop floor from getting access to information they don’t need, and probably shouldn’t have. Performance reviews, personal information, company meeting minutes, client information, and so on, are all at risk.

The fewer people who have access to sensitive data, the smaller the chances are that someone may mess it up. And if something does happen, there’s a very small pool to draw from regarding who is responsible for it.

Access Control For The Modern Business

Just because you’re not a computer wizard, that doesn’t mean you can’t put reasonable, simple controls on your business’ network. Elf Productivity Ltd. has designed a simple software suite that lets anyone maintain their controls, keeping sensitive information in a place where only those who need it can get to it. In addition to access control features, though, this software also comes with a built-in time clock, employee self-service features, and it’s user-friendly. It’s meant to work with any business at any level, so regardless of whether you’re a sprawling multi-national corporation, or just a local store hoping to expand, this software will help you achieve your goals.

If you’d like more information on how Elf Productivity Ltd. can help your business achieve more, then simply contact us to find out about all the options we offer you.

Accurate Time and Attendance: Never Experience A Problem Again

Recording your individual employees accurate working hours on a day to day basis is often a difficult task. The information recorded has to be precise in order to avoid paying your employees the wrong amount. A simplistic way to record this data is through the implementation of a time and attendance system.

Paying workers for their time on the clock is a tradition that’s gone on for generations. While the system is fine in theory, there have always been problems presented by the time clock. Perhaps the biggest is creating a simple system that everyone can use, and which doesn’t take five minutes for the previous shift to clock out, and another five minutes for the next shift to clock in.

In order to make sure every worker gets paid for their time accurately, Elf Productivity Ltd. created a better system.

The Future of Time and Attendance

What Elf Productivity Ltd. did was create a digital time clock that every employee can access with ease from any device that’s signed into your company’s network. There’s no need to stand in a back hallway in a single file line, because everyone can sign in using their employee identification numbers and passwords. Everyone can do it at 9 on the dot if that’s when the shift starts, and work can get started immediately.

Even better, if there are mistakes in the amount of time someone worked (say that they forgot to clock out, or had computer issues and couldn’t clock in), then those mistakes can be fixed with a few strokes of a keyboard. There’s no need to get a new paper time card and re-punch it, or to make a mark with a pen showing the time you really clocked in or out. As far as your business is concerned actual, physical time cards should be as relevant to your day-to-day operations as stone tablets thanks to Elf Productivity Ltd.

For more information on how our fully integrated software suite can help make your business more efficient, simply contact us today!

The Access Control of the Future

Choosing the right method to keep your information secure can be a difficult task for any organisation and with so many to choose from the task can often seem like an impossible one. Not securing your data however is out of the question as unsecured data can be accessed by anyone, thus increasing the risk of sensitive information landing in the wrong hands.

Access control is one of the oldest business practices known to mankind. The earliest developments involved guards and bars, but as technology advanced we invented everything from lock boxes to secret panels. In today’s digital world, we have access to more methods of access control than ever before, but the sheer variety of options can sometimes seem like a burden. After all, how do you choose the right lock to keep your business safe?

Flexible Digital Access Control

This is a question that Elf Productivity Ltd. has pondered over quite a bit, and the answer it created is both simple, and elegant. That answer is a software suite that integrates every function a business needs to get through the day, but which is simple enough that even those who don’t consider themselves tech savvy can use with little instruction.

So what does it do? Well, a little of everything. This particular software suite has an integrated time clock, for example, and it also provides different levels of accessibility depending on an individual’s clearance. A standard employee can sign into his or her account, clock in, and access all of the programs needed to do the day’s work. Employees can even access their personal information, changing it as needed in the event that they have a name change, move, or make any other alterations. At the same time, though, the system makes sure that only people with clearance can access employee write-ups, look at work history, or gain access to financial data.

In short, the software provides a flexible system that will handle anything your business can throw at it, while at the same time making sure you can lock any digital doors you need to. For more information on this software suite, and how it can help your business, simply contact us today!

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!

Why Access Control is more Important (and difficult) than ever before

Access control within a business used to be a relatively simple process with all important documents being locked away in filling cabinets. The implementation of modern day technology however has now complicated the process with businesses storing important information from an employee’s personal details to credit card information on a computer network. Without the use of an electronic access control system all of this information is at risk of falling into the wrong hands.

In the past, access control in a business was relatively simple: if you had files that contained sensitive information, you put them in a filing cabinet in your office, and locked the drawer; when you went home for the day you locked your office, and you could rest assured that the information was safe behind barriers that only you had the key for.

As we all know though, the days of paper files (or at least exclusively paper files) are long behind us. Modern businesses run on computer networks that hold everything from credit card data and employee profiles, to bank account and social security numbers. While all of this information is necessary for conducting business, it is a little scary to think about what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands.

Electronic Access Control

That’s where Elf Productivity Ltd. comes into the picture. We know the worries businesses have to deal with, and it’s why we developed a unique software suite that ensures private information remains private.

Our software acts as an all-in-one solution to your business’s needs. It has a time clock for keeping track of which employees are working when, it offers employee self-service so that your HR department isn’t the only one capable of changing employee information, and most importantly it offers access control. You are in charge when it comes to who can see what information, and our software allows you to keep private files or documents out of the general network. So if some files are necessary for management but not your lower-level workers, we let you protect those. We also make sure that no outside forces get into your system, and make off with the data you’re trying so hard to keep safe.

For more information on how Elf Productivity Ltd. can help you keep your business locked up tight simply contact us today!

Time and Attendance: Elf Productivity Ltd offers the Time Clock of the Future!

Both businesses and employees recognise the benefits of having an accurate clocking system in place. Without one, employees are at risk of being incorrectly paid and employers can fall victim to time theft. Our time and attendance solution keeps track of every minute your workers spend on the clock each day.

For the hourly employee there is nothing more important than the time clock, because without it he or she doesn’t get paid. From the company’s perspective there’s nothing more important than an accurate time clock, so that there’s no time theft going on and employees can be paid for the work they performed. Technology has come a long way since the days of punch cards though, and today employers have access to a much more powerful solution for keeping track of every minute workers spend on the clock.

Time and Attendance Solutions With Elf Productivity Ltd.

Elf Productivity Ltd. knows full well how difficult it can be to keep track of all the details when you’re running a business. That’s why it sat down to design a software suite that operates like a Swiss army knife. On the one hand it provides access control so that a business can make sure important information is kept locked away where only those with the right clearance can find it. It also provides human resources access, allowing average workers the ability to modify their information so that HR doesn’t have to waste time processing simple name and address changes. This software suite is also a portable time clock. No matter what work station someone is at, whether it’s in the building or on the other side of the world, all they need to do is log in and get to work. It’s simple, easy, and there’s no leisurely walk from the time clock out onto the shop floor. Just sign in, put in your time, and sign out.

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

Shop Floor Data Capture is the Canary in the Coal Mine for modern Businesses

As a production company, making sure you stay on top of your produce and waste numbers is an essential process if you wish to remain in business. Any drop within your production numbers could become critical as less stock means less money. That is why it is crucial for any company who produces a product to implement a shop floor data capture system.

In the days before OSHA safety standards, coal miners would bring canaries down into the mines with them, the little yellow birds would tweet happily in their cages, raising the spirits of the miners as they toiled away beneath the mountains. The birds, being so tiny, would also die if exposed to dangerous, invisible gases, which gave miners a warning to get out before they met a similar fate.

Shop floor data capture is kind of like that, if it was for manufacturers.

Shop Floor Data Capture: A Better Canary?

Let’s say that you run a printing company, and you have your machines set to produce 500 magazines an hour in order to meet your client’s needs (it’s just an example, you could easily use this with any product on the market). What you don’t know is that your presses are only putting out 450 an hour because of an easy-to-fix problem that’s hard to detect. You don’t realise your production is falling behind until you’re almost at the deadline and your numbers aren’t adding up. Shop floor data capture is a way to prevent this sudden, last-minute realisation

How Does It Work?

Shop floor data capture is fairly simple: you attach sensors to your production machinery, and those sensors capture the raw numbers in real-time. Those numbers are then provided directly to you, and if there’s a deviation from what you need to have, you find out in minutes or hours instead of days or weeks. The system is smooth, and it uses wireless communication to make certain you know what’s going on at the shop floor level so you can side-step any nasty surprises.

Put another way, no metaphorical methane is going to sneak up on you and your workers while you’re toiling in the mine. For more information on shop floor data capture, and how it can help your business, simply contact us today!