Tag: Flexible working

We’ll be right back after this short break…..

After taking a short break……..Euro2020 is FINALLY under way!

The England campaign under Gareth Southgate’s quiet, gentle leadership is as steady as ever.

Since taking over the ‘Top Job’, he’s emerged as the ‘Big Brother’ of the squad and that’s not only apparent with his laid-back approach to the line-up but also with his backroom staff.

Has a Laissez-Faire style of management developed within the England camp?

Laissez-Faire, ah yes, the old ‘hands off ‘minimal micro-management, no daily meeting approach.

Apple’s Steve Jobs was a committed believer……apparently.

French for “leave alone” Laissez-Faire is to all intent and purposes the position to adopt for a ‘leave in peace’ method. It’s the most agreeable tactic to assume, so long as you’re happy giving your line-up the freedom to rock out and be C R E A T I V E.

But does this mean that traditional management styles are no longer essential for success, have they become an out-of-date, unnecessary waste of time?

Like the ‘Beautiful Game’, are managers switching tactics at half-time if their time-tested leadership method is failing, particularly on the next generation of workers who after the last year or so, have spent most of their time working from home?

Let’s look at the top 5 recognised management styles.

Coaching
A coach identifies strengths, weaknesses and is effective at setting goals for the team. They understand how everyone on their team ‘ticks’ and recognises that everybody has something different to bring to the table.

The Visionary
A visionary will drive and inspire others, will always be looking ahead and will be creative with fresh ideas and concepts. A manager who looks at the bigger picture and how notions can be transformed for the better whilst understanding that new ideas take time to be perfected. Focus is given to the end prize not the current position.

Servant
Servant leaders are people-minded and invest heavily in personal development. They are particularly good with employee well-being, morale and satisfaction. Amiable, caring and agreeable whilst seeing both sides of the argument.

Autocratic/Authoritarian
The dreaded military style leader is focused purely on results and efficiency and will make decisions solo or with a small principle group. Workers subjected to this type of austere leadership believe they are just ‘a number’ and therefore not recognised as an individual. The autocratic leader usually sees the cost to the company and not the person behind it.

Democratic
A democratic leader will always ask for input. A manager who not only recognises that others have voices and opinions worth listening to but who is open to constructive criticism and who welcomes a two-way street approach within meetings, which, as every leader worth their salt recognises, is valuable.

Whatever management style you choose to adopt for your ‘squad’ Ceequel® Biometric Time and Attendance Management software will help you deliver the results that you require for ALL your workforce.

ELF Productivity Ltd and Ceequel® software, reliable, steady, always developing and constantly improving.

For a closer look at Ceequel® software contact ELF Productivity Ltd today for a free, no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software.

Alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.

“Work Just A Little Bit”

After 7, 8 or even 9 weeks of the same 4 walls/garden/bedroom, it’s understandable that the nation has been ‘chomping at the bit’ to get just a little of their ‘pre-corona’ life back.

Therefore, with the Prime Minister’s weekend address that we are to be actively but tentatively encouraged back to work, it has been met surprisingly with some considerable shock.

“What did Boris just say, go outside and what was the other thing? RETURN TO WORK!!”

By locking the country down for several weeks, the nation is now struggling to not only return to work physically but mentally.

When we look back at this time, who will emerge as the real heroes of the crisis and the lock-down?

Will it be the managers who were quick to park their business and furlough staff or the leaders who committed to keep their company going and safely remained open for business?

Will it be the employees who risked all by continuing to commute to their workplace, playing their part in either sustaining the economy or caring for their community?

Will it be the one who worked from home remotely on a makeshift office desk, whilst helping shares in UPS, Tesco and Royal Mail ascend into the stratosphere via their new addiction to online shopping?

Or will it be the ones who sat on their couch, furloughed, relatively risk-free, washing their hands whilst sampling the ‘gins of the world’ and applying Factor 10?

With the revelation that ‘some’ workplace and outdoor restrictions are to be eased the negative reactions the news has brought has exposed both the country’s workers and their management.

Whilst the nation should be thanked to some degree for adhering to the lock-down rules initially laid out by the government, we should now follow the Prime Minister’s cue and gently allow a phased return to work…. for everyone.

Over the coming days and weeks and once businesses have unlocked their doors, Human Resources need to look at introducing, if they don’t already do so, return to work interviews.

If staff are struggling to adjust mentally, HR executives need to get on board with the idea of allowing part-time or flexible working patterns, even going as far as to remain committed to remote working for part of the week.

Whilst the idea of working remotely permanently sounds idyllic while enjoying a mini heatwave the reality for some has proved to be quite different. Slow and unreliable Wi-Fi coupled with sporadic broadband data connections, no ‘real’ conversations and with questionable hygiene and grooming standards emerging, the experience has left some employees if not their managers, more than willing to return to the shop floor.

This is without question a unique and unprecedented time in UK workplace history but here at ELF Productivity Ltd we are confident that you will be able to navigate your entire workforce through the coming months.

Whatever workplace procedures you choose to adopt during this time, ELF Productivity Ltd and Ceequel® Biometric Time and Attendance Management system are here to guide, assist and support you.

Providing your rules have logic, Ceequel® software suite will be able to incorporate ANY working shift pattern that you choose to implement into your workplace.

ELF Productivity Ltd and Ceequel® committed to maintaining and supporting all our clients during the ongoing Corona-virus outbreak.

If you are interested in a Biometric Time and Attendance Management system for your business, contact ELF Productivity Ltd today for a free, no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software suite.

Or alternatively, our brochure catalogue can be downloaded here.

More Guidance For Preventing The Spread of COVID-19

To support your home working employees, there are a couple of options that we have to assist you in maintaining productivity.

There’s an app for that!

If wish to preserve time-sheets and attendance reporting data, whilst you have staff working from home, ELF Productivity Ltd has a clocking app that allows employees to clock in and out using an Android or IOS device.

The app provides the user with a simple clock in, clock out function that will push the clocking data through to TA2 (and ultimately) your payroll software in the same manner as clocking in via your normal clocking terminals.

The clocking app will also supply a Geotag of the location of the device when the employee clocks in. The Geotag will give a link through to a grid reference in Google maps showing the location of the device (for audit purposes).

Employee Self Service

Has the functionality to support home or external workers. Again it provides companies with the ability to ask employees to clock in/out of their working day and there is additional (optional) functionality within Employee Self Service that will allow home workers to register time against a project, client account, job or task.

This can be operated in real-time or after the event.

Please note, the Employee Self Service web portal will not Geotag the clocking location.

Working from Home / Isolation codes

As a business you may want to differentiate between absences for COVID-19 and other sickness absences for your end of year reporting and to assist in the repayment of SSP.

As a reminder you can create new absence codes within the system and set parameters of how they interact with Absence, Bradford Factor, TOIL, FLEXI, Holiday balances, Reports and exception flags. You can also use the code to differentiate home working, i.e. not absent, not in the fire register yet still paid (similar to how a business pass out would function).

If you have a current Time and Attendance user manual, please refer to page 41 on how to create new codes. Please do remember that great care must be taken when creating and using new codes as Ceequel® is highly configurable. It is imperative that the new code and it’s selected options, adequately reflects the pay, notification and reporting rules that you wish to apply.

If you require further information on Facial Recognition Terminals, Key Fobs, Proximity Cards, Clocking Apps, Employee Tracking or require a copy of the latest TAUser Manual, then please feel free to contact us on 01257 256000.

When Harry Met…….Megxit

In any workplace, despite knowing that the time is right to step away from a senior position, making that move can still prove to be challenging. Whilst no one is predominately enthralled, there’s just no escaping the latest ‘Royal’ step-down.

Harry and Meghan’s imminent departure from the House of Windsor or ‘Megxit’ as it’s become known, has been publicised all over the world.

A manipulative, calculating social climber; terms that have been coined to describe the Duchess of Sussex. Snowflake and ‘under the thumb’ are just two that depict the nation’s favourite Prince.

But are all these labels true or unjust?

When you decide the time is right to step away from something and forge your own path, not everyone will be happy for you.

Obviously, we are not saying that the Monarchy is wrong, quite the opposite. The Queen and the senior Royals do an amazing job but not everybody is cut out for a repetitive and regimented lifestyle.

The Monarchy, a well-oiled machine that has been running for over 1000 years and is still ‘in business’ depicts that something is clearly right. The House of Windsor has to some degree, adapted and changed with the times. To stay ahead of the game, you have no choice.

Leaders are not born they are made and whilst being born into a specific role is considered an advantage, it doesn’t mean that you will a) be any good at it or b) want to work at it your whole life.

As within every ‘Firm’ one size does not fit all. Different methods and ways of working suit different companies as not every person is looking to adopt the traditional, organised 9-5 lifestyle. The laid-back remote and flexible way of working now appeals to a vast majority of employed people.

A lifestyle that can be attained, deployed and enjoyed anywhere in the world.

Remote/flexible working, TOIL, mobile clocking, are all terms coined for the modern business. Different personalities and skills, along with a difference in opinion all come into play in the workplace but when put together with the ‘right solution’, everything ‘just works’.

We shouldn’t be too harsh on Harry and Meghan as they depart from their ‘workplace’. They clearly feel that as working parents, they are now better suited to a more relaxed and less restrictive way of working.

If you are looking for a Biometric Time and Attendance Management system to suit your ENTIRE workforce, take a look at Ceequel® software suite today and realise all that can be achieved in your workplace.

If you would like to take advantage of a free, no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software, contact ELF Productivity Ltd or alternatively, our brochure catalogue can be downloaded here.

Clocking On

The academic year is now in full swing and this week for most, observes the first half-term break of the year.

Christmas is hovering just on the horizon but so is a long overdue Au Revoir! But let’s not dwell or even mention the ‘B’ word that is due to manifest ‘sometime’ this century!

So, heading swiftly ‘back to school’, have you ever contemplated why most pupils are eager to return after their Autumn break, whilst teachers and supporting staff are less than, how shall we say, ‘enthusiastic’ about clocking on.

Hmm, the world of work, sometimes it’s about as attractive an option as meeting Jeremy Corbyn at the First Dates restaurant! Stuffy, tedious, regimented routines to look forward to, the same old, same old. A titanic effort is often obligatory in order to muster up the ‘zing’ required to take you through to the welcome sound of the 5.00pm klaxon!

Somewhere in between “school’s out” for good and the real graft begins, a dissatisfied worker appears…… and that’s just the boss!

All jokes aside, shouldn’t we expect to welcome ‘clocking on’, after all, we spend more time on the shop floor than we do anywhere else. This leads us to the question “who exactly is responsible for our workplace bliss” the Line Manager, the ‘Big Boss’, HR, ourselves or something else?

Maybe the ‘something else’ is what is missing from many shop floors.

The HR crew are traditionally the main port-of-call for all worker gripes but as with everything, having the appropriate processes in-situ in the first place, not only helps but makes an enormous difference.

Employees that are granted more responsibility and freedom of choice regarding shifts, flexible/remote working options, training and progression are, in the main, likely to be more content.

Happy workforce = increased productivity

Just maybe, the crucial element to true workplace happiness doesn’t lie primarily in the salary that’s earned but, in the opportunities available, opportunities to learn and grow.

School’s out doesn’t = learning stops

Whatever the workforce age there is always something new to be mastered. By observing the eagerness displayed by school children, who like sponges, happily soak up fresh ideas and new learning, we understand that different ventures should be embraced and not feared within the workplace.

With the times that now lie ahead and with the imminent onset of AI and digital transformation this has never been more crucial.

ELF Productivity Ltd and Ceequel® software suite, the only Biometric Time and Attendance system that you will ever need in order to facilitate all your Time Management requirements for your own ‘classroom’.

If you are interested in a Biometric Time Management solution for your workforce, contact ELF Productivity Ltd today and take advantage of a free no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software.

Alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.

Holiday, Celebrate!

“If we took a holiday, took some time to celebrate”

Thinking of taking some well-deserved time off? Of course, you are! Sun, sea, sand and sangria, what’s not to look forward to?

But, whilst lazing on your lounger soaking up the sun, the question is…. who’s on your shop floor?

Ah, the typical summer scenario, several staff members all requesting the same holiday time, the epitome of an archetypal working business. Nothing new there.

However, does it really need to be that demanding or that much of a nuisance to organise?

  • Artificial Intelligence

The arrival of AI is ruffling a few feathers within HR and if truth be told, on the shop floor. Reported recently by a leading HR magazine, that despite the pessimism surrounding AI, there has never been a better time or opportunity to up-skill your entire workforce.

But, whilst pondering this soundbite, have you stopped to think about Time and Attendance?

With the UK’s delayed Brexit  departure and with job vacancies to fill, there’s a greater need for stability and for a Time Management solution that will deliver the whole ‘enchilada’ for UK business workforce management. Continue reading “Holiday, Celebrate!”

Send Her Victorious, Happy and Glorious

As anniversaries go, two hundred is quite remarkable.

This week the United Kingdom marks a very special day; the 200th Anniversary of the birth of one of its greatest monarchs, HM Queen Victoria.

Alexandrina Victoria was born at Kensington Palace on the 24th May 1819.

After what can only be described as an unconventional and solitary childhood, Victoria ascended to the throne upon the death of her paternal uncle, King William IV.

Victoria was just 18 years of age.

The new teenage Queen wasted no time in heading to her new ‘office’ and after dispatching her mother to the remotest wing she could possibly find, took up residence at the unfinished Buckingham Palace.

Following her Coronation and ensuing marriage to Prince Albert and with the fortitude that would eventually see her clock up 63 years on the throne, Victoria established her reign.

The ‘Grandmother of Europe’ the ‘Empress of India’ as she would eventually become known as, had arrived.

That’s not to say Victoria wasn’t without her testing times or critics. With cholera, death and assassination attempts, Victoria would emerge ‘victorious’ from the numerous challenges that arose during her time on the throne.

The Victorian era is perhaps attributed to be one of the greatest times for the United Kingdom and much of today’s successes and traditions were birthed during Victoria and Albert’s reign.

In 1829, George Stephenson’s steam locomotive, ‘Rocket’ was unveiled. This feat of engineering became the blueprint for modern design for the next 150 years.

Ada Lovelace, the remarkable mathematician who Prince Albert admired greatly, emerged during Victoria’s early reign due to her work on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine.

Ada is considered perhaps to be, the first female computer programmer.

But what do we know about her Prince Charming, Albert?

Albert, a serious, dependable, logical thinker was at the forefront when it came to public health. Working alongside the Royal Society, Albert improved the hygiene and sanitation conditions for not only Buckingham Palace but the City of London as a whole. The Palace became one of the first ‘shop floors’ to provide ‘facilities’ for their staff.

With forward thinking, Albert achieved an even greater height with his vision of a ‘grand exhibition’.

The Grand Exhibition of Works and Industry in 1851 became a huge success and was showcased in a vast, flexible, glass construction that was essentially a conservatory.

Albert named the building Crystal Palace.

Victoria and Albert were at the forefront of change and modernisation, the effects of which the United Kingdom can still feel today.

So, all that remains for us to say is ‘Happy Birthday’ your Majesty!

ELF Productivity Ltd and Ceequel® not only Made in the UK but like V&A, progressive, dependable and reliable.

If you are interested in Biometric Time and Attendance software for your business, contact us today for a free, no obligation quotation and demonstration of Ceequel® software.

Explore ELF Productivity Ltd’s Time and Attendance software suite in more detail by downloading the brochure catalogue here.

Human Resources, Shop Floor Data Capture, Employee Self Service, Ceequel® Apps and E-Manager all fall under the Ceequel® umbrella.

School’s Out

You know the scenario, childcare is all booked when suddenly, without warning and usually via text or email as is the normal notification method these days, the deal is off!

It’s awkward enough when it’s a professional organisation reneging on the arrangement but when family bail, it can cause undue frustration.

Now I’m not saying that grandparents don’t love their little darlings but often the thought of having a VERY hyper and over-excited little one racing around their normally calm and ‘zen’ like home interrupting their daily fix of Judge Rinder and Movies-for-Men, can be too much to bear.

In case you didn’t realise, the first half-term of 2019 is here, or almost, depending on your location. And for the motorists that are child-free, the clearest roads all year so far but that’s another story!

What is it about school holidays that takes planning to the extreme, the likes of which are only ever seen and reserved for military exercises?

Easter, summer, Christmas, the planning list is never-ending, and it usually involves reverting to a back-up plan B. Throw in sickness and illness, you get the picture, and this is just the parents!

It goes without question that working parents undertake an intense juggling act, especially when their brood consists of more than the usual 2.4 children, some of whom are not necessarily of school age.

Workplace and childcare, unless you have the luxury of an in-house creche, they don’t usually go together.

Unless you are an employer that walks around blinkered, you will have realised long ago that with holiday prices forever increasing around this time, employees begrudge taking their holiday leave if they suddenly find they have no available childcare.

At the other end of the scale, employees who would prefer to be at home with their family during this time rather than pay for extra childcare, can find themselves stuck in a regimented working shift pattern, with no room for change.

So, what is the solution, what can be done to modify a way of working that both suits and benefits everyone?

Say the words ‘remote’ and ‘flexible’ out loud and management shrink back in horror! Believe it or not, these working options are now not only leading the way for Human Resources current recruitment drive but are by far and away the most popular.

So, is it time for your company to make a change?

ELF Productivity Ltd can help and assist in restructuring your Time and Attendance processes in a way that you never thought possible.

Employee Self Service, CEEQUEL® clocking applications and E-Manager, just three of the CEEQUEL® Human Resource Management tools that can help with such a transition.

Remote clocking, flexible working and working from home, not only a possibility for your business but a reality.

With CEEQUEL® software, rescheduling emergency childcare situations within your business will be relegated where they belong; the past.

If you would like to take know more about the unrivalled software suite that is CEEQUEL® contact us today and take advantage of a free, no obligation quotation and demonstration.

Alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.

Culture Trends For 2019

With February just around the corner and the last of the Christmas chocs a distant memory, 2019 is now in full swing.

2019, the year that seemed a long way off in 2016, the year we had ‘the’ vote. Did someone say the ‘B’ word?

Well now you mention it….

With our Brexit departure from the EU now just weeks away, business growth and recruitment possibilities for this coming year have been pushed right to the forefront. So, with the clock now counting down to Friday 29th March, do you even know what your essential needs are when it comes to your workforce requirements for 2019?

Is maintaining stability the priority, or is now the time for you to step out and achieve some real business development?

For both to be attained AND retained, you need the appropriate team in place.

As reported by a leading HR magazine, the top culture trends to watch out for and recruit in 2019 are a bit of a mixed bunch.

Let’s look at just three.

• Hyper-Flexibility

As an employer, how ‘flexi’ are you prepared to be? According to a report by Mercer, 72% of full-time employees have voiced that they would consider working on a contingent or contract basis.
2019 is shaping up to be the year where employees would prefer greater freedom and choice within their working day. If you are a progressive company, you are probably already at least considering flexible and remote working options for your staff.
A healthy work-life balance is now being recognised as a must, especially for employees with obligations at both ends of the collective scale; children versus ageing dependant parents. Employees stuck in a cycle of never-ending tension, with the stress transferring to the workplace.

• Generation Z

2017 was the year Generation Z entered the workforce. A report by Manpower has revealed that by 2020, this generation will make up 24% of the global workforce. The age-old joke of police officers appearing younger and younger will strike a chord with many people – because it will be true!. We can expect a generation of degree educated individuals to emerge and due to their Play-Station digital upbringing, technology will be second nature.
And the generation that is to follow; ‘Generation Alpha’ the children of the Millennials, let’s not go there just yet. In a recent video clip produced by Hotwire, a global PR Agency, a young participant was filmed exclaiming that they would rather have an I-pad than a puppy!

• Soft-Skills

What’s soft about a skill? Soft-skills are the time and tested skill-set that appears to be enjoying a revival within Human Resources. The ‘bread and butter’ skills that every company recognises, especially within their middle management set-up. Good communication, time management, time-keeping, problem-solving, creativity and leadership. As the workforce in general becomes older; see our previous blog post A Growing Mature Workforce, these skills are the safe pair of hands that businesses of all shapes and sizes requires to advise, steer and help.
They are particularly useful with younger employees, especially around the delicate issues of texting/emailing rather than engaging in an ‘actual’ conversation.

Technology is impressive but it will never replace the art of having a real discussion in the workplace. Like the British stiff upper lip, it will never go out of fashion.

ELF Productivity and CEEQUEL® software suite, always on trend, constantly developing new ideas, progressive and most importantly, adaptable to every scenario and situation. A tried and tested Biometric Time and Attendance Management software system for ALL your workforce.

For a closer look at CEEQUEL® software for your business,Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today or alternatively, please feel free to download our brochure catalogue here.

To Duvet Or Not To Duvet, That Is The Question.

A gentle reminder, just in case you had forgotten……the clocks turn back this weekend.

What is that you whisper, “It can’t be, not already, it’s still warm”!

After experiencing its hottest and driest summer since the infamous 1976 heatwave, the UK is now tootling headlong into mid-winter.

As we prepare to say goodbye to good old British summertime for another year and embrace GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) again, preparations for the advancing winter months are now well underway.

First up on the horizon are the obligatory cold and frosty mornings – nothing wakes you up faster than chipping away at an icy windscreen!

Quicker than the time it takes to de-ice your car, Christmas is knocking at the door. Before you have time to polish off that mammoth, impulse-buy turkey you just had to have, you will find yourself ringing in a snowy and icy New Year…. you get the picture.

On the plus side to this winter wonderland, we get to experience long, warm and cosy nights curled up in front of the fire. We get to partake in the cultural activity that is the clocking-off snowball “fight-off” but for some, there just isn’t enough recompense; the shorter daytime hours really are dreaded.

As we head into the “most wonderful time of the year” Human Resource Departments up and down the land are bracing themselves for the infamous and predictable Monday morning telephone calls, which usually go a little something like this….

Cough cough, “Hello, I’m really sorry but I can’t come in to work today, I’m really not feeling well, cough, cough, I think I might have flu”

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry to hear that, do you think you will be in tomorrow”?

Cough, cough accompanied by the required croaky and tired sounding voice, “I will try my best”.

Possibly not flu….

It’s textbook, you could write the script, you know it and we know it too.

Everyone recognises the scenario, as soon as the dark and cold mornings appear, what is normally passed off as the usual ‘Monday Morning Blues’ now becomes the……’Duvet Day’

In case you weren’t aware, the UK is apparently the “sickie” capital of Europe.

Research Group ADP recently surveyed 2,000 people across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.

In the UK, an astonishing 27% of the people surveyed thought it was “acceptable” to take a ‘Duvet Day’ when they weren’t ill, whilst the European average percentage who thought it WAS acceptable to pull a ‘sickie’ was 21% – 6 percentage points lower than the UK!

So where are we going wrong?

Why do people feel that it is somewhat acceptable to have a cavalier attitude towards work? More importantly, whose responsibility is it to not only address this issue but to put it right?

Within any business the most obvious answer is to build better working relationships and create suitable working options for ALL your employees.

By supporting, motivating and encouraging your staff, you will be helping to alleviate once and for all, the temptation that they have, which makes them want to turn over in bed, hit the snooze button, pull the duvet even tighter and make “that” telephone call.

At the same time, you need to recognise and give the appropriate support and choices to those employees who you know are genuinely ill or who have a valid reason for their absence.

Flexi-time, along with remote working options for your employees, these are all possibilities for your business, these are all possibilities that CEEQUEL® software can help you with.

ELF Productivity recognises that a happy and committed workforce = better output and improved productivity for your business.

Established in 1982, ELF Productivity Ltd has emerged as a leading force in Biometric Time Management solutions, there is no Time and Attendance scenario that CEEQUEL® has not experienced.

With a Time Management system that allows you to monitor ALL of your workforce, CEEQUEL® software is at the cutting edge when it comes to a Time and Attendance solution for ALL your Human Resource requirements.

Interested in learning more?

Do you need to take the anxiety out of your Monday mornings?

Contact ELF Productivity Ltd today and be confident and reassured with the knowledge that you and your staff are better prepared and equipped, for what this winter holds.

For a closer look at CEEQUEL® software, the portfolio of brochures can be downloaded here