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A position has arisen here at ELF Productivity Ltd for an IT and Network Administrator; with a starting salary of £25,000 per annum, depending upon experience, plus company pension.

ELF Productivity, based in Wigan, Greater Manchester and authors of the Ceequel® Workforce Management software suite have:

• Over 30 years of service management industry experience
• Hundreds of successful deployments
• Proven reliability and resilience
• Friendly and experienced consultants with industry knowledge
• ‘Solution-based’ approach to meet individual business requirements
• Industry leading customer retention levels

The Opportunity

You will be directly responsible for monitoring and maintaining core systems and infrastructure.  In addition, you will also be responsible for the investigation and resolution of support issues via the technical support desk, along with wider project planning of internal infrastructure projects, change implementation and capacity planning. Ideally you should be qualified with MCSA/MCSE Certification, although further training opportunities will be available.

You should have extensive technical experience in system administration, technical/hardware support and implementation.  The scope of your overall experience should be broad, your key specialism should be across network architecture LAN, WAN, VPN, along with knowledge of Virtualization Technologies and internet protocols / services such as TCP/IP, VLANS, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS and SMTP.  In addition, you should have a good working knowledge of corporate information security and network security to uphold the company ISO standards, ISO 27001 (Data Security) and ISO 9001 (Quality).

You should be comfortable communicating and conveying information at all levels, be analytical and organised with excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to quickly assimilate information, investigate problems and drive problem resolution.

The successful candidate will be required to cover the following activities:

• Documentation of Technical Requirements & Knowledge
• PC Setup/Configuration/troubleshooting
• Desktop Operating Systems (including Windows 10)
• Server Operating Systems (including Windows Server 2016)
• Active Directory
• WSUS
• Group Policy
• Amazon AWS
• Microsoft Office 365
• Azure AD
• VmWare ESXi
• Switches and Routers
• Anti-Virus & Firewalls
• Configuration & Troubleshooting of Mobile Phones & Tablets
• Printers, Network Storage & Shares

We recognise that as a candidate you may have had limited opportunity to gain some of the above skills; it is attitude, aptitude and ambition that are more important to us.

To apply for this role, please submit an up to date CV with a covering letter to:

ELF Productivity Ltd
CEEQUEL House
2 Smithy Court, Smithy Brook Road
Wigan
Greater Manchester WN3 6PS

Tel: 01257 256000
Fax: 01257 256010

Or via E-mail: vacancies@elf.uk.com

 

 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at ELF Productivity, the tree is up, advent calendars are well and truly underway; in fact, only one thing remains…

A Christmassy infographic showcasing the unrivalled functionality of our award-winning Ceequel® Time and Attendance Software Suite!

Please enjoy and feel free to share with your friends on social media.

If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Time and Attendance or any of our other Human Resource Management Software solutions, please contact ELF Productivity.

Last month we brought you our top eleven weirdest job interview questions which were presumably devised by employers to sift through the generically predictable interview patter in the hunt for the perfect candidate. However, another testing teaser which delves a little deeper into interviewees’ priorities has piqued our interest this time around…

Rank the following factors by order of importance to YOU: Financial Reward, Praise and Personal Achievement.

Of course, there are people who enjoy successful careers, are no strangers to lashings of adulation and even manage to earn copious sums of money for good measure! However, for those of us who aren’t Premier League footballers, it’s all about reaching a suitable compromise, taking a leaf out of The Rolling Stones’ book if you will… “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find, you get what you need!”

Interestingly, a recent survey set out to discover what employees in the UK truly desire within the workplace aside from the somewhat obvious, increase in pay. Throughout this post, we’ll be revealing the top five most popular responses along with a number of examples outlining how Ceequel® Employee Management Software could potentially aid organisations in giving the people what they want.

Ladies and gentlemen, the top 5 things employees really want at work apart from more money…

To Feel Valued – Let’s face it, we spend a substantial amount of time at work and therefore like to feel that our efforts are both valued and appreciated. Although first and foremost, we showcase our skills to pay the bills, other powerful motivational drivers to put on our productive pants include: empowerment, career progression and opportunities to learn new skills. In some instances, a “thank you” or a good old “pat on the back” may even suffice!

Work / Life Balance – For most people, the “real world” exists outside of work and they tend to get itchy feet if they are kept away from it for too long. A job which enables employees to spend more time with their family and friends or greater opportunity to enjoy hobbies and holidays regularly prevails over a high salary, longer hours alternative!

Job Security – The age-old “grass is always greener” saying is pretty apt here. At the end of the day, it’s all a matter of preference and circumstance but there’s a lot to be said for job security. Yes, you may not be earning a fortune but you’re also likely to be spared the long hours, intense pressure to hit targets and the ever-looming axe over your head that comes with it!

Minimal Stress – According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), over twelve million working days were lost in 2016/17 as a result of work-related stress, depression or anxiety. Strive to create a workplace that is somewhere where your staff WANT to be; or at the very least, adopt a culture that lightens the tone.

Fairness – By the time you reach working age, you’ve probably deduced that life isn’t fair, if not, don’t worry, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY! Fairness in the workplace isn’t too much to ask, it’s simply a case of promotions and perks going to the employees who deserve them as a reward for their performance, attitude and work ethic. On the flip side, troublemakers, phonies, time thieves and mickey takers should duly receive their comeuppance.

Give the people what they want with Ceequel® Employee Management Software…

Rewarding Top Performers – An intelligent Training, Skills and Resource Matrix is available through Ceequel® Human Resources which enables organisations to identify employees possessing the required attributes to ascend the company hierarchy and coordinate any necessary training and development activities accordingly.

Promoting a Healthy Work / Life Balance – Statistically speaking, firms offering flexible working opportunities tend to enjoy considerable increases in workplace morale and productivity along with significant reductions in employee absenteeism and staff turnover. Whether your employees are looking for more family time or simply an escape from a soul-destroying rush hour commute, Ceequel® Time and Attendance possesses an unrivalled functionality to handle: multiple bespoke shift patterns, grace periods, flexi balances and holiday quotas.

Minimising Stress – Reduce the strain on HR and Payroll with a range of intelligent automated solutions specifically designed to enhance administrative efficiency and eradicate costly human error.

Fairness – Not only is all employee clocking data collated in real-time and processed to the highest degree of accuracy, a range of dynamic absence management solutions are available, enabling companies to eliminate time theft and counteract absenteeism. Furthermore, any productivity issues can be swiftly nipped in the bud with Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture.

If you would like to learn more about the dynamic Time and Attendance solutions available through Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity.

Alternatively, for more information regarding Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software or any of our other innovative workforce management software modules, please click here for a range of downloadable brochures.

Here is a fun infographic that we have created that takes a look at some of the best movies to do with time travel. For each film in the piece you can check out the UK release date, the mode of time travel and our take on whether there is a paradox.

We hope that you enjoy this time travel infographic and please feel free to publish it on your own website or blog.

In February we brought you the top five cities and industry sectors where workplace romance is most likely to blossom throughout the UK, now it’s time to reveal WHEN co-workers tend to get all cosy! Drum roll please…

According to a recent workplace relationship study, employees are TWICE as likely to hook up during the WINTER MONTHS with a sizeable 66% of respondents’ relationships beginning during the festive period!  Maybe not so surprisingly, 31% of first kisses between staff members happen at the infamous Christmas party with merriment, mistletoe and one or two alcoholic beverages proving to be a somewhat potent combination!

Of the two thousand UK-based professionals surveyed, almost half had previously dated a colleague at some point during their career, although 38% of them would rather keep such exploits on the down-low for a variety of reasons. Firstly, employers generally aren’t keen on the idea with 26% admitting that they prefer their staff not to get involved with one another. There are some exceptions however, as 12% of workers confessed to dating the boss! Additional cases for keeping things under wraps included dangerous liaisons with married partners which accounted for 20% of all office flings while there was no ‘happy ever after’ for the 15% of employees who revealed that a workplace fling actually cost them their job at one time or another!

Your organisation and Ceequel® – The perfect workplace relationship…

Developed in-house by award-winning Time and Attendance Software authors ELF Productivity, Ceequel® delivers an industry-leading, fully integrated, infinitely configurable workforce management solution capable of enhancing the productivity and profitability of any organisation.

If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Time and Attendance or any of our other Human Resource Management Software modules, please contact ELF Productivity.

Alternatively, a range of downloadable brochures outlining the dynamic functionality of the Ceequel® Software Suite can be found here.

How well do you really know your shop floor? Is it a lean, mean, well-oiled machine or are you unknowingly running a little shop of horrors? Our spooky, Halloween-inspired infographic poses a series of questions to help you find out!

Who you gonna call?

Part of ELF Productivity’s award-winning Time and Attendance software suite, Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture delivers unparalleled, real-time production analysis and intelligent activity-based costing calculations, enabling manufacturers to enhance operational efficiencies and improve strategic decision-making.

If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture software, please contact ELF Productivity.

The preparation has been done, you’re looking sharp and feeling confident, even the infamously awkward initial handshakes have been executed with consummate ease, you’re ready for anything and then…

“If you were a box of cereal, what would you be and why?”

I bet you didn’t see that one coming! While no one knows exactly what will crop up during an interview, most of us tend to arrive with a pre-prepared three-minute synopsis of our employment history and educational background, along with a list of our key strengths and maybe one or two well-rehearsed narratives of a time when we successfully negotiated a difficult situation. Some of us even have a clear idea of where we see ourselves in five years’ time!

Unfortunately, employers are moving away from the old tried and trusted interview techniques; they’re looking for the perfect fit for their organisation and if you want to stand out from the crowd, you’re going to have to think outside the box! A new breed of interview questions has also emerged, specifically designed to separate the candidates who can think on their feet from the one trick ponies. Be warned, these questions often range from the unusual to the downright bizarre!

Anyone up for a challenge? We’ve selected our top eleven weirdest questions actually asked by UK employers during an interview, how would you handle them?

1 – If you could only sing one song on The X Factor, what would it be and why?

2 – How lucky are you and why?

3 – Would you consider yourself a hunter or a gatherer?

4 – If you were a pizza delivery man, how would you benefit from scissors?

5 – If you were about to be marooned on a deserted island and could only take three items, what would you take and why?

6 – If you were a crayon, what colour would you be and why?

7 – Do you believe in ghosts?

8 – If a film was made about your life, which actor would you choose to play you?

9 – What is the colour of money?

10 – If I was to look in your fridge, what would I find?

11 – How would your worst enemy describe you?

Are your recruitment processes in need of an upgrade?

Part of the industry-leading Ceequel® Time and Attendance Software Suite, Ceequel® Human Resources is a dynamic workforce management solution, providing HR departments with a range of innovative features to identify the ideal candidate for a new vacancy.

Our comprehensive Training, Skills and Resource Matrix delivers intelligent ‘skills to job matching’ functionality, ensuring structured succession planning along with a full training and development management solution.

To learn more about Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software, please contact award-winning Time and Attendance systems provider ELF Productivity.

Productivity or the lack of it to be more precise, is once again a hot topic throughout the UK following rather damning reveals from both the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). According to the ONS, UK labour productivity is down for the second successive quarter while the OBR sees little scope for improvement in the next five years.

In this post we’ll be perusing the UK’s prolonged productivity problem, taking into account some interesting findings before touching upon the impact of inefficient processes and outdated technology on organisational productivity.

Two thousand UK-based office workers were recently surveyed to find out how productive they are during a standard eight-hour working day. Understandably, when respondents were asked if they are productive throughout an entire working day, eighty percent answered ‘no’. However, when prompted to estimate how many hours per day they do consider themselves to be productive (employers you may wish to look away now), the average response was approximately three hours! The survey also revealed the top three workplace productivity killers. In first place, ‘internet browsing’ which included: constantly checking social media, keeping up to date with all the latest sports news or celebrity gossip and rather worryingly, searching for a new job. In second place, time thieving, non-work-related activities such as chatting with colleagues and taking too many smoking or coffee breaks. The third highest ranking factor was a lack of ‘meaningful’ work with many respondents becoming disillusioned with menial tasks, particularly those perceived to be unnecessary or repetitive.

Interestingly, this lack of ‘meaningful work’ was echoed in another survey which set out to explore the various barriers to workplace productivity and what businesses can do to overcome them. This time, respondents were largely disgruntled with outdated office technology which had led to the creation of demoralising, redundant processes. When quizzed as to how their employers could improve the situation, respondents were keen to point towards the implementation of cloud-based systems capable of automating tasks that are historically time consuming, repetitive or error-plagued.

Is your organisation experiencing a prolonged productivity problem?

Deployable via the cloud or utilising your existing network infrastructure, Ceequel® is an award-winning, feature-rich modular workforce management solution comprising of: Time and Attendance, Access Control, Human Resources, Shop Floor Data Capture, E-Manager, Employee Self Service and Mobile Apps.

If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity. A range of brochures can be found here.

Here at ELF Productivity, we understand the various challenges contemporary businesses face as they strive to manage their workforce effectively whilst maintaining organisational productivity and profitability. An outdated Time and Attendance system along with redundant, error plagued administrative processes can be extremely costly for organisations of all sizes.

When was the last time you reviewed your workforce management processes?

Has your Time and Attendance system kept up with the pace?

Developed by award-winning Time and Attendance specialists ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Time and Attendance Software is an industry-leading, infinitely configurable solution that has revolutionised countless organisations’ workforce management processes throughout the UK, enabling them to focus on what they do best, delivering great products and services to their customers!

We hope that you find our latest infographic of interest and please feel free to share with your friends on social media.

For more information regarding Ceequel® Time and Attendance Software, please contact ELF Productivity.

Here in the UK, we love a good climb up the world rankings and after Andy Murray lost his World Number 1 status in August, I think we’re all in need of some good news, so without further ado…

According to statistics recently published by manufacturers’ organisation EEF, the UK manufacturing sector is now the eighth largest in the world with an annual output totalling around £185 billion! Throughout this post we’ll be celebrating the UK manufacturing sector’s continued post-Brexit success, taking a closer look at the global manufacturing league table before discussing some key British manufacturing statistics. We’ll also introduce Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture software for good measure!

We know that Britain currently sits eighth after leapfrogging France who occupy our previous position of ninth, one place above Mexico, but what about the rest of the global manufacturing league table? China retains its status as the world number one manufacturer with the USA and Japan in second and third respectively. Germany is the European powerhouse in fourth place, South Korea is fifth just above India in sixth, while seventh placed Italy is the only other European country producing more than the UK.

Right, that’s quite enough about everyone else, let’s delve a little deeper into British manufacturing, the sector which currently generates approximately 44% of all UK exports. Whilst we’re on the topic of exports, the UK’s top 5 single export markets are: the USA, Germany, France, Ireland and the Netherlands respectively; furthermore, the EU accounted for 48% of manufactured exports in quarter 2 of 2017! In terms of employment, over 2.6 million people are currently working within the manufacturing sector while average earnings have risen to £32,047, some £3,748 above the national economy average. The North West is the UK’s largest manufacturing region producing output totals worth in excess of £24 billion.

World Class Shop Floor Data Capture Solutions for World Class Manufacturers!

Developed by industry-leading Time and Attendance systems provider ELF Productivity, Ceequel® Shop Floor Data Capture is an intelligent, feature-rich solution that has set countless manufacturing organisations throughout the UK on the road to continuous improvement. For more information, please contact ELF Productivity.

Alternatively, 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.