Time and Attendance

Productivity is defined as the rate of output per unit of input; in other words, you get out of it what you put in. If only it was that simple….

Here are seven tips to improve your productivity at work:

Create Processes Instead of Goals – Rather than setting targets such as landing two new clients per month or improving customer service; consider how you will achieve those goals. In order to land two new clients per month; you may increase the number of daily outbound sales calls or introduce monthly email campaigns. To improve customer service, you could obtain some customer feedback regarding any areas for improvement and revise your processes accordingly.

Realistic To-do Lists – You may ask yourself sometimes, ‘why have I only completed seven tasks out of twenty on my daily to-do list?’ The problem could well be the list! When creating a to-do list, you should start small, select three or four activities which must be completed before the end of the day. Secondly, estimate how much time each task is likely to take and lastly, rank the activities by order of importance or level of difficulty. Once the tasks have been ticked off, add some more. Never-ending to-do lists are demoralising, don’t fall into the trap!

Stop Multitasking and Schedule ‘Niggling’ Tasks – When you are performing several tasks at once, none of them have your full attention and that’s how mistakes happen! Stick to the old, tried and trusted principle of ‘taking one thing at a time’. Another productivity killer is the spreading of small or menial tasks throughout the day around more pressing matters. It is good practice to chunk all those niggling tasks together and allocate a specific time of the day or week to complete them.

Eat a Healthy Lunch – What we have for lunch can be crucial to our afternoon productivity. Healthy lunches keep us sufficiently fuelled for the rest of the working day, heavy lunches have the opposite effect. Who else just wants to fall asleep after a big meal?

Drink Water – Probably the oldest trick in the book, but it works! Drinking water boosts your metabolism, provides energy and makes you feel less hungry. I feel more motivated already!

Avoid Perfectionism – While there’s nothing wrong with setting high standards, striving for perfection can be a real productivity killer. Very few things in life are perfect; all you can do is work hard, try your best and get it done.

Track Your Time – Knowing how much time it takes you to complete specific tasks can be invaluable. Not only can you manage your time more effectively, you will also be able to identify non-productive or wasted time.

ELF Productivity is a leading provider of workplace time management solutions. Our award-winning Ceequel® Time and Attendance systems significantly enhance the accuracy and efficiency of an organisation’s administrative processes. For a free-of-charge consultation, please contact ELF Productivity.

A new year is here and with it a new wave of trends predicted to reshape the human resource management landscape in the not too distant future. While it can be difficult to keep track of all the advice provided by contemporary HR gurus; a number of frequently recurring elements present some interesting food for thought.

Firstly, Millennials are becoming the dominant species of the working population and many HR experts believe that traditional motivational techniques must be adapted to manage Millennials effectively. In keeping with the new year theme, a recent investigation into the morale of junior managers revealed that around 65% return to work demotivated following the festive period. Although the ‘January Blues’ are certainly not uncommon, companies are advised to consider staff retention strategies to deter junior managers from seeking pastures new. When quizzed on the key ingredients of job satisfaction, a large number of younger workers listed ‘career development’ and ‘the opportunity to learn new skills’.

Millennials are also less likely to respond to traditional annual performance reviews compared to their Generation X and Baby Boomer counterparts. When delivering appraisals to Millennials, managers are advised to assume the role of ‘coach’ rather than ‘supervisor’. This ‘coaching’ perspective involves more frequent feedback regarding the employee’s individual development, outlining specific areas for improvement and training opportunities. Interestingly, this ‘coaching’ philosophy is also an effective motivational tool in reverse. If younger employees are encouraged to share their expertise and knowledge with more experienced colleagues, they will view themselves as valued members of staff as opposed to underlings.

Take control of your organisation’s training and development activities with Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software. Our intelligent training, skills and resource matrix enables HR professionals to identify the training needs of employees, schedule appropriate training activities and compile detailed on-screen records of employee training history and relevant internal and external training providers. If you would like to learn more about Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software or any of our other industry-leading workforce management solutions, please contact ELF Productivity.

According to findings from The Markit/CIPS UK Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) survey, UK manufacturing sector growth reached a two-and-a-half year high in December 2016 with demand for goods increasing at home and abroad. A headline reading of 56.1 was the highest since June 2014 and a welcomed improvement on the 53.6 posted in November 2016.

A weak exchange rate in the aftermath of the Brexit vote which has seen the pound fall 17% against the US dollar and 14% against the euro, has been identified as the key driver behind the surge in new business volume. While the domestic market remains a strong contributor to the order books of manufacturers, the attractiveness of British goods to international markets such as the US, Europe, China and India is undeniable.

Employment in the UK manufacturing sector also rose for the fifth consecutive month as organisations strived to cope with growing production levels, with SME’s in particular looking to increase staff numbers. Although larger producers recruited on a more moderate scale, UK manufacturing sector employment accelerated at its highest pace for over a year.

Despite Britain’s manufacturing industry and economy as a whole, performing better than expected following the EU referendum; there are a number of causes for concern. Firstly, the aforementioned weak exchange rate is truly a double-edged sword for UK-based manufacturers. While demand in international markets for cheaper British exports flourishes; manufacturing rates of inflation are among the highest in the survey’s history. As a result, consumer spending is predicted to take a hit as factories are under pressure to increase selling prices.

Caution is also advised due to a lack of consistency between PMI survey results and recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which revealed a 0.9% fall in UK manufacturing output in October 2016.

All things considered, the UK manufacturing sector begins 2017 on steady ground. However, with rising inflation rates likely to trigger a downturn in consumer spending and an upsurge in oil and steel prices; great challenges are ahead.

Ceequel® Software Suite is the ideal workforce management solution for manufacturers. Our intelligent time and attendance systems provide streamlined clocking to payroll processes while our dynamic shop floor data capture and employee tracking software modules deliver comprehensive real-time insights into the efficiencies of a manufacturer’s shop floor activities. For a free of charge consultation, please contact ELF Productivity.

On the twelfth day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Continuous Manufacturing Improvement

The twelfth and final day of ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas is here and we thought that we’d celebrate by outlining the crucial role played by Ceequel® as organisations strive for continuous manufacturing improvement.

When looking to enhance the quality, efficiency and profitability of their manufacturing output, countless organisations across numerous industry sectors utilise the five DMAIC phases of Six Sigma improvement: Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. At the ‘Define’ stage, a project charter is compiled outlining: issues in need of addressing, desired objectives, scope, timescales and the nomination of a team to oversee the process. In order to successfully execute the ‘Measure’ stage, which assesses existing performance; the exact data to compare current processes to new initiatives must be obtainable. At the ‘Analyse’ phase, specific root causes of existing production issues are determined such as bottlenecks. Each issue is then categorised by order of importance. Viable solutions are then devised as manufacturers look to ‘Improve’ the issues identified in the aforementioned steps. Once the improved processes are put in place, analytical software should be implemented to monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). The final ‘Control’ stage ensures that the new processes are maintained accordingly. Again, performance should be frequently analysed to measure the improvements derived from the new processes. Finally, project evaluations are usually produced, documenting the success of the project and any future recommendations.

ELF Productivity’s industry-leading Shop Floor Data Capture and Employee Tracking software solutions offer a true real-time insight into an organisation’s manufacturing processes, encompassing: man and machine efficiencies, bottlenecks, WIP reports, job costing, productive vs non-productive analysis and actual vs standard times costing.

To learn more about the continuous manufacturing improvement solutions available through Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity. The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas can be found on our Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus company pages.

On the eleventh day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Training, Skills and Resource Matrix

On the penultimate day of ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas, we will be looking at the dynamic training, skills and resource matrix available through Ceequel® which delivers all the required tools to manage an organisation’s training and development activities effectively.

Ensuring that a company’s mandatory training requirements are satisfied and implementing sufficient succession planning processes are among the key responsibilities of any HR department. With the industry-leading Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software, a comprehensive employee training and development management solution is available, delivering the following features:

Training Needs Analysis – The identification of any outstanding employee training requirements, ensuring all staff possess the necessary skills to perform their duties proficiently

Scheduling of Training Courses – Streamlined coordination of training courses, covering: automated date and time scheduling, nomination of candidates, minimum attendee numbers, budgetary considerations and required resources.

Training Supplier Dashboards – Detailed training supplier records, including: contact information, range of courses available, costs, course durations, minimum numbers and any other prerequisites.

Resource Groups – Employee resource groups can be defined to facilitate internal knowledge and skills sharing.

Employee Training Records – A full record of all completed training courses and qualifications attained by employees.

To learn more about the training and development solutions available through Ceequel® Employee Management Software, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

On the tenth day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Process Improvements

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas hits double figures. Today we’re going to discuss how Ceequel® Software Suite can significantly improve numerous organisational processes.

Firstly, from a clocking to payroll perspective, Ceequel® Time and Attendance systems collect and process employee attendance data swiftly and accurately. Clerical efficiency is enhanced drastically through streamlined wage calculations encompassing: basic and overtime hours worked by employees, flexitime balances, breaks and any other required elements. Our time and attendance solutions eliminate the unnecessary paper trails derived from traditional attendance recording methods such as time sheets and reduce administration time from an estimated 20 minutes per employee per week to just 2 minutes.

Employee holiday and shift change requests have also historically proven to be both time consuming and contributors to ever-increasing paper trails. Through the implementation of Ceequel® Software Suite, employees can submit such requests instantly through Self Service dashboards. Managers can then use E-Manager to accept or decline requests and make any necessary adjustments to staff rosters.

HR departmental processes can also be upgraded through Ceequel® Human Resource Management Software. One single, central database stores all required employee data while the more mundane HR activities can be automated. Reporting features enable users to generate a diverse range of graphical reports and distribute them to the appropriate recipients. In addition, by granting non-HR employees access to their personal records through Self Service modules, the strain on HR staff can be reduced considerably. Employees are able to update their personal information and view holiday allocation and attendance reports without having to visit the HR department.

To learn more about the positive impact Ceequel® Employee Management Software can have on your organisational processes, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

On the ninth day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Cost Savings

Today, ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas focuses on the tremendous cost savings achievable through the implementation of Ceequel® Software Suite.

As the listing of all the cost saving benefits obtainable through Ceequel® would take us through to next Christmas, here are a few examples:

Bradford Factor Reporting – It is estimated that employee absenteeism costs UK businesses around £700 per employee per year. Utilising our game-changing time and attendance software, Bradford Factor Reporting identifies employees who are taking continued short term absences, providing managers with the necessary information to counteract absenteeism.

Employee Tracking – A great tool for internal costing analysis, Ceequel® Employee Tracking software records hours worked by employees on designated activities or projects and time spent in specific departments of an organisation

Machine Monitoring – The identification of machine related problems to avoid costly downtime and facilitate decision making with regard to the purchasing of new equipment.

Job Costing / Shop Floor Data Capture – The conversion of labour and machine time into monetary value.

Incentive Scheme Costing – Swift, accurate calculations converting labour into performance related pay, eradicating the cost of human error.

Simplified Clocking to Pay Processes – Significantly enhanced payroll administrative accuracy and efficiency, saving companies hundreds of hours per year.

Integrated Solutions – Time and Attendance, Access Control, Human Resource Management and Shop Floor Data Capture software modules sharing the same database, negating the need for multiple systems or duplicate entries.

To learn more about the positive impact Ceequel® Employee Management Software can have on your organisation’s profitability, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

On the eighth day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Roster Planning

ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas continues with the intelligent roster planning features available through Ceequel® Time and Attendance solutions.

Thanks to the award-winning Ceequel® Employee Management Software, workforce planning has never been easier. Create dynamic graphical shift rosters to ensure that your organisation is adequately staffed to cope with the demands of contemporary industry. Any company specific working rules can be adhered to including: complex shift patterns, basic and overtime hours, holiday quotas, flexitime balances, permanent, temporary and zero hour staff and time in lieu.

Enhance productivity through intelligent rostering by skills and training features which ensure that employees are assigned to the activities and projects which best suit their abilities. Detailed reports can also be generated at the touch of button outlining employee attendance and productivity statistics to facilitate payroll processes and staff appraisals.

For more information regarding the outstanding workforce planning features available through Ceequel® Time and Attendance solutions, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

On the seventh day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Ceequel® Apps

ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas continues with Ceequel® Apps. Designed for iPhone, Android and Windows devices and available to download from Apple App Store, Google Play and Windows Store; Ceequel® Clock and Ceequel® Serve applications deliver unparalleled employee connectivity to organisations.

Through the seamless integration of ELF Productivity’s time and attendance, human resource management and employee tracking software solutions; Ceequel® Apps offer a diverse range of features, including:

Ceequel® Clock

Remote Clocking – Ideal for organisations with a number of employees working off-site. This real-time, user-friendly feature enables remote working employees to clock in or clock out at the touch of a button. The time, date and exact location of each transaction will be recorded instantly using the industry-leading Ceequel® Time and Attendance software and the device’s GPS capabilities.

Fire Zone Preferences – Companies with multiple sites often require staff members to commute between locations which creates considerable strain on fire registration. Using Ceequel® Clock, employees are able to select which fire zone they are entering or leaving ensuring a real-time fire register is maintained.

Ceequel® Serve

Ceequel® Serve provides remote working personnel with a condensed version of Ceequel® Employee Self Service which allows them to:

View Clocking History – Clocking screens display detailed information regarding all employee clocking transactions. Using an identical format to Ceequel® Time and Attendance, the following tabs will appear: ‘Actual’, ‘Edited’ and ‘Adjusted(paid)’. The ‘Actual’ tab displays clockings which users are unable to edit. Alternatively, the ‘Edited’ tab provides editable duplicates of the actual clockings. The ‘Adjusted(paid)’ tab reveals the time after any automatic amendments are made according to pre-defined shift pattern rules (AKA rounding’s). Subject to client preferences, opportunities to include additional information are also available to explain reasons for lateness.

Request Absences / Holidays – Absence requests can be submitted by employees using Ceequel® Serve. In addition, a complete holiday year overview is provided revealing: holidays taken, booked holidays and any unused days.

Access or Edit Personnel Information – Personnel records such as: name, date of birth, contact details and emergency information can be accessed or edited by employees. Any changes made using Ceequel® Serve will also appear on the main Ceequel® Self Service system.

Enable In-App Tracking – Perfect for calculating production by employee, allocating labour costs to activities or capturing hours spent on projects. Harnessing the capabilities of Ceequel® Time and Attendance and Employee Tracking software, employee productivity reports can be generated including: productive vs non-productive analysis or actual vs standard times.

For more information regarding Ceequel® Apps, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.

On the sixth day of Christmas Ceequel® gave to me – Employee Self Service

ELF Productivity’s Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas continues with Ceequel® Employee Self Service – a web-based, zero IT footprint solution, enabling employees to access their personnel records from a central kiosk, PC, smart phone or tablet.

Empowering employees to take responsibility for their own records is an effective motivational tool which also reduces the strain on HR departments considerably through the delegation of administrative tasks. Countless organisations throughout the UK are eradicating the old-fashioned paper trail with Ceequel® Employee Self Service, here’s why:

Security – All data entered utilising Ceequel® Employee Self Service is protected with 128-bit encryption which ensures that the data is only accessible to intended users. In addition, each employee is given a unique user ID and password while organisations are able to grant differing access permissions to contrasting employees.

Email Notifications – In the event of any requests being submitted by employees or managers, automatic email notifications will be generated and sent to the relevant parties instantly. In addition, any unresolved requests will be brought to a manager’s attention after they log in to either Ceequel® Employee Self Service or our Time and Attendance systems.

Personnel Records – Detailed employee records encompassing: name, date of birth, contact details and emergency information such as next of kin can be accessed or edited by employees, reducing the workload of HR staff. Lateness and absence reports are also available to users.

Holidays – A comprehensive holiday and absence screen displays all relevant information from the current, previous and next holiday years including: number of holidays already taken, booked holidays and any remaining unused days. Holiday requests can be submitted using the Self Service system including any necessary accompanying information.

Flexitime – Employee flexitime overview screens reveal: flexi balance, paid or unpaid absences, normal working hours, lost hours and any flexitime carried over from other periods.

Activity Tracking – Utilising the industry-leading Ceequel® Employee Tracking Software, employee hours spent on particular activities and projects are collected and processed for further analysis.

Documentation – Important company documentation such as health and safety policies can be distributed through Ceequel® Employee Self Service to all employees or to a selected group of respondents. Additional instructions can also be assigned to documentation including: read only, accept or decline and reply by email.

For more information regarding Ceequel® Employee Self Service, please contact ELF Productivity. Stay up to date with The Ceequel® 12 Days of Christmas by following our company pages on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus.