Tag: Payroll

The top 3 benefits of having a computerised T&A system

Keeping track of employees time and attendance information has always been considered a key aspect of any organisations processes. Making sure the information collected is accurate is paramount to the successful running of any businesses payroll process. With this in mind over time the systems available to businesses have dramatically advanced.

T&A

Recording and tracking employee t&a  data is not a new concept for many organisations.  However over time the systems available to businesses have changed drastically.  For many years organisations used paper based cards – as a means to monitor employee time and attendance. The most common problem companies found with a paper based system was that many employees forgot to fill in their time card and the data recorded was often inaccurate.  As technology advanced so did the number of companies opting for electronic punch card systems. These types of systems provided more accurate records but were also slow. Human resource departments were also still required to manually record all employee clock-in data in to a database which costs companies a significant amount of time and money.

Computerised time and attendance systems drastically revolutionise the way in with organisations store and record time and attendance data.  Below are the top 3 ways in which they do this.

Accurate Payroll Data

Old fashioned t&a systems such as paper based cards and punch card systems rely on the manual imputing of all data. The problem with this is that nobody’s perfect and even the most accurate typists sometimes make mistakes.  The data recorded by these types of systems is also in most cases inaccurate. Asking an employee to record the correct time they clocked in and out as well as the amount of time taken for breaks or lunch is rarely accurately documented. Many employees often forgot to fill in their time cards meaning times documented were rough estimates. Employees who were entitled to overtime were also known to extend time by awarding themselves extra minutes at the start and end of the day.  Legacy Systems were also prime targets for ‘buddy clocking’ as no formal identification was required when clocking in/out.

When companies process payroll, information provided needs to be accurate if employees are to be paid correctly.  And one of the biggest reasons employees leave companies is wages being paid incorrectly. Computerised time and attendance systems record accurate employee clocking data in real time.  Information recorded is immediately accessible by your payroll department eradicating lengthy processes and the need for manual imputing.

Central database

Collating employee time and attendance data from multiple office locations can be a challenge.  Chasing paperwork, manually verifying the content, manipulating the content and uploading it in to spreadsheets or other systems comes with a hefty workload.  Companies with a centralised payroll department require clean data at set points of the week or month.  Even if one locations data is late or incomplete, it could impact on the whole company’s payroll run.  Any delay in pay and the impact on moral, productivity and more importantly trust by employees – could be seriously damaged.

A dynamic and computerised t&a system will provide a centralised solution with full access from every location, whether it be over LAN, WAN, MPLS or GSM network. Employee clock-in data is recorded real-time and stored from all sites into one core database. Having instant access to the information needed to complete your company’s payroll without the need for any manual imputing of data significantly simplifies your processes.

Expand with your organisation

As your organisation expands, so usually does the number of employees.  Increasing headcount can add pressure on to a human resource department and existing systems/processes.  Increased pressure often means stressed and over worked colleagues – significantly increasing the possibility of workplace errors.

Computerised time and attendance systems grow with your organisation. The enrolment of new staff is both quick and easy – either centrally or at a divisional level.  All employee time and attendance data is recorded automatically enabling your human resource department to complete more strategic tasks.

For more information on how a computerised time and attendance system can benefit your organisation contact us today!

 

 

 

 

 

Time and attendance for business and the available access control solutions

Organisations have been using time and attendance systems as a means to track employee clocking data for over 20 years. Old card based systems were slow and unreliable and as technology advanced new cutting edge real time systems took there place. Employees are no longer limited to how they can clock as most systems now come with a range of different options. The introduction of biometric and proximity technology now means that clocking can be completed in a number of seconds.

Access Control

Time and attendance within a business is not a new concept. Organisations have been using paper cards as a means of clocking employee working hours since the 20th century.  The problem with using a paper card system is that it’s extremely unreliable. Paper is easily lost and even if the card remained safe there was never any way of knowing if the times written on the sheet were accurate. This caused major problems for companies when it came to payroll, meaning employees were often over or under paid. An employee who has been under paid is less likely to work to their full potential meaning productivity levels in the work place often drop. Low productivity levels and overpaid staff can lead to organisations losing out on thousands a year.

As times changed and technology advanced so did the type of systems organisations use to track their employees time and attendance data.  Electronic automated clocking systems now record accurate employee data in real time. As data no longer needs to be manually imputed human resources departments are able to focus on more pressing tasks.

The benefits of having a fully functioning time and attendance system

The main benefit for a company which uses a time and attendance system is that the data being collected always remains accurate.  As all employee clock-ins are collected through an electronic system, the chances of fraudulent clocking is significantly reduced.  Employee time-thefts are also reduced as clockings can be completed via an IP based clock device, over a browser and even through a mobile device.  This allows employees to clock from any location whilst on the go. Notifications can be set up within the system to alert managers when staff clock late or leave early. These alerts inform an employer of attendance issues at the earliest stage.

Companies who implemented punch card systems often became victims of ‘buddy clocking’. Employees would often clock in for their “colleagues” when they were perhaps running late or had opted to take a longer break than allowed.  Almost all time and attendance systems available today, come with technology which can make it impossible for an employee to clock as anyone but themselves.

Human resource departments are at the forefront of any business. It manages all employee data and ensures that all information they have remains correct and up to date.  The underlying issues surrounding this is that manually checking and manipulating data can be time consuming and extremely costly.  Data collation and maintenance rapidly drains the resource available in most HR departments, meaning that information is often neglected or mislaid.  Any dynamic software solution should combine both Time & Attendance and HR System within one scalable database.

One database means the eradication of double keying information as data entered is immediately filtered throughout the system.

Most now come equipped with employee self-service (ESS) capabilities which provides employees with an easy-to-use web based interface allowing them to update their own personal data, without needing to contact their HR department.  Employees with access to ESS can also view information relating to their shift patterns, holidays – requested, planned or taken, together with full information on their weekly clockings and pay premiums.

Employees are able to request holidays or absences using employee self-serve and any absence requests are forwarded to their line manager for approval. Once a request has been accepted it is automatically imputed into the employee’s calendar, removing any need for the employee to contact HR.

Implementing an automated time and attendance system can also help a business’s stay on the right side of any legislation. Manual systems make it difficult for companies to track things such as overtime and overall hours worked. Both have high legal requirements that if not obeyed can lead to an employee perusing corrective action via an employment tribunal.

The available Access control solutions

Over the years, the number of Time & Attendance systems available to businesses has significantly increased.  Advancing technology is often utilised by the companies who manufacturing T&A systems creating a wider choice of cutting edge systems.  Each system is designed with its own capabilities and can permit access to employees in a number of different ways.

Biometric systems

Biometric access control systems are becoming ever more popular. These technologies offer cutting edge opportunities – look impressive to visitors and because they rely on unique employee features time-theft is completely eradicated.

Fingerprint biometric Time & Attendance units are the most common systems implemented into companies as they now have a 99.9% accuracy rate.  As Time & Attendance systems act as one big database, information collected on one terminal, is automatically passed through to all the other terminals within the business. This provides employees the ability to clock at any terminal within the building.  Facial recognition software works in exactly the same way.  Once enrolled, template information is distributed automatically throughout the company’s device estate.

Most Time & Attendance systems can be integrated with an access control unit. Businesses with an integrated access control and Time & Attendance system, are able to restrict access on a door-by-door basis, making sure that only authorised employees gain access to sensitive areas. Access can also be restricted by date and time allowing companies to lock down their business premises over festive periods, during bank holidays and after working hours.

Proximity technology

Proximity access control systems have always required an employee to swipe their access card in order to clock. The processes of swiping a card however can be time consuming.  Employees in a busy environment often swipe their cards too quickly for a system to recognise who they are, forcing them to slow down and problems begin as ques start to form into the building especially at busy periods of the day.

As Proximity technology advanced – so did the systems and options available. The invention of contactless technology now means that access control cards and fobs are designed to permit access without the need to swipe. An employee simply needs to hold their card up to the device in order to gain access or register a clocking.

Intercom and integration with VOIP

Intercom systems have been the chosen solution for granting visitor access into buildings for a number of years.  More often than not, they come with audio capabilities but as costs decrease, more are being installed with both audio and video capabilities.

As companies move towards a combined VIOP infrastructure, external intercom can now be fully integrated with your VIOP telephone system, providing full control of your external access points to any extension on your telephone system.

Barrier automation and turnstiles

Automated barriers or turnstiles now provide control to companies of who has access to your perimeter, company carpark, warehouses or any other company land.

Securing the first point of access to your organisation adds an extra level of security when protecting your business. Both barriers and turnstiles can be configured to only allow access to registered employees within your company’s Time & Attendance database.  Access can be granted using biometric or proximity technology and time profiles can be set up in order to stop people from accessing the premises outside of working hours or on certain days.

There are a number of different types of barriers available including sliding gates, ground mounted bollards and rising arm barriers.  Turnstiles are also available for both internal and external applications and are usually configured with anti-pass-back technology.

For more information on what a time and attendance system is, the benefits it could have on your business and the available access control systems, contact us today!

 

Automation of manual time sheet processing with Time and Attendance

Manual time and attendance processes can be costly to an organisation they are also difficult to handle. Many employees are unreliable with the data they submit which can in turn lead to problems with payroll leaving organisations at risk of paying their employees wrong. Implementing the Ceequel time and attendance system easily records accurate data on how many hours each member of your workforce has completed.

Timesheet

Managing employee time and attendance data is a difficult task for many businesses especially if the process is still manual.  Employees often fall behind in the completion of their time sheets and most can never remember the exact time they started and finished work, meaning false data is often entered.  This means many organisations risk under or over paying their staff and Issues involving payroll can often lead to a reduction in productivity levels.

An automated time and attendance system easily collects and tracks your employees clocking information.  Data is collected and stored in real time allowing mangers to access employee time on the go.  Employee absences and holidays can also easily be tracked making sure the appropriate amount of pay is given for each occasion.

Integrating your time and attendance system with payroll can significantly Increase the accuracy of your payroll processes.

chart 1

According to a survey carried out by the Aberdeen group organisations that had an integrated time and attendance system with payroll, benefited from a 30% lower rate of payroll processing errors. Theses organisation also saw a 32% lower error rate in the tracking of actual employee time worked, and also avoided the 6% year over year increase in manual workforce transactions experienced by organisations that didn’t have an integrated system in place.

Having an integrated payroll system can also save your company time as it eliminates time-consuming processes such as the manual calculating of time-sheets, meaning your human resource department are free to work on more strategic duties such as increasing workforce productivity.

Elf productivity’s Ceequel software suite acts as one fully integrated system allowing you to easily manage your time and attendance data as well as your payroll operations from one platform. Data is transferred between the two modules in real time meaning information is always kept up to date.

For more information on how you can integrate your payroll system with Ceequel time and attendance, contact us today!

Time & Attendance – making Calculations Easy

Keeping track of your employees time and attendance is an important part of any organisation. Recording this data helps to streamline your business processes and relieves the unneeded stress on both your payroll and HR department. With the use of a time and attendance system both of the above processes can be achieved in a simplistic way.

HR

Time management is a crucial process in all organisations.  Without it there’s a very good chance your business wouldn’t be where it is today.  Time management systems monitor your employee’s time & attendance on a day-to-day basis.  This data often includes calculated hours worked and should even provide breakdown information of jobs, operations or activities – productive and non-productive.  The data reordered is accurate streamlining your payroll department’s processes by removing the manual calculations surrounding hours worked (incl. overtime), absences paid or even bonuses.

With the assistance of Elf Productivity’s – absence management module, Ceequel Time and Attendance can now do a lot more than just track the hour’s an employee works.  Ceequel now monitors minutes, hours, half or full day absences by individual employees and picks up on whether the absence was authorised or unauthorised.  Absences are also available to be viewed by department, cost centre and location.  This makes it easier than ever to stay on top of what’s happening within your organisation at any-one-time.

Ceequel Time and Attendance also delivers advanced calculations; such as the ability to identify employees who have a long period of absence – as opposed to those who have sporadic periods of absence often over a long period of time.  Elf Productivity’s Ceequel system provides this level of in-depth analysis through the use of configurable absence codes and will even cater for shift-rest-days.

Data such as hours or gross wages can easily be passed from Ceequel time & attendance through to your payroll department.

All data within Elf Productivity’s Ceequel Software Suite shares a single database, eradicating double keying of data.  Data is real-time and all modules have access to the same data instantly.

Businesses truly looking for process improvements, transparency of information and enhanced people management should only look at a single solution that integrates Time & Attendance system with Human Resources.

A single combined system contains accurate information on each employee’s life with the business.  This will include start dates, finish dates, duration of working day, hours worked.  This means that if an employee doesn’t clock in to the system on a day they are due to work the correct absence code will be generated for all departments to see. In addition to this your human resource department has the ability to input more information such as reason for absence, attach a sick note or a return to work form.

Even-more-so a visionary company looking to drive their organisation and maximise efficiencies will further enhance their single (Time & Attendance and HR) system by introducing Employee Self Service.

Elf productivity’s hardware is industry standard and is also designed with the future in mind. Data capture communications are generally TCP/IP and are in true real-time. For remote clocking terminals communications can be established via mobile phone data sim cards or alternatively why not implement both Android and iPhone iClock applications. Not only can you clock using the apps but at the same time as capturing your clocking time – the system also captures the longitude and latitude of the device.

There are various technology types available to collect the data including, barcode, proximity fob, proximity card, fingerprint, hand or face biometric.

If you’re looking for one integrated system that will not only manage all of your business needs but also simplify your processes – contact us today!

Tracking Employee Time & Attendance will benefit your Business

Keeping track of your workforce’s time and attendance data no longer needs to be a daunting task for your organisation. Elf Productivity’s Ceequel software suite allows your business to record and manage all of your individual employee data in one place on an easy to use platform. Our time and attendance system is entirely browser based saving your business time and money.

T&A Clock

Keeping track of individual employee working times, holiday allowances and rate of pay can be a daunting task for human resource and payroll departments. Elf’s time and attendance software relieves this stress by devolving the management of employee groups – to the relevant line manager.  Line managers have access to a browser based system, allowing them to maintain and amend their employees holiday time and sick leave together with their teams, individual clocking’s.  Having this information at your Managers’ fingertips creates a multitude of benefits – including (but not limited to) the following:-

1. Improve visibility:

As a business, should you require you’re employees to clock in and out of attendance and identify those who are working too many or too few hours.  Elf’s Ceequel® Time & Attendance Software Suite provides your managers the ability to do just this in real-time, even breaking down this absence by employee’s who are late, manipulating your working guidelines or constantly breaching the EU Working week regulations.  Thus ensuring that employees pay data is correct and that the company can correctly report and identify any breaches in policy.

Through Ceequel’s Employee Self Service – Employees can view the same data (lateness, clocking’s & premiums) via any device with internet connectivity and a browser* – removing unnecessary communications with Human Resources.

2. Eliminates the ability to fraud time:

Companies once measured their employee’s time and attendance using paper based capture mechanisms, (requiring the employee to write down their individual working time and attendance).  This was often abused as it allowed people who were perhaps late, or who finished early, to submit incorrect information on their time-sheet. Elf’s Ceequel® T&A system records in real time, eliminating the opportunity for employees to amend this information.

3. Payroll simplified:

Payroll is now even easier than ever with Elf’s Ceequel® T&A solution. With all of your employee’s time and attendance data stored in one place, premiums calculated effortlessly and efficiently (with no manual intervention) – your payroll department can, process pay runs in a fraction of the time.

4. Reduces the number of disputes:

When it comes to enforcing your business policies, such as lateness, holiday entitlement and absences through sick – companies who do not have a fully integrated Time & Attendance and Human Resource Management Software – often have difficulties providing the supporting evidence to correctly manage their employees.

With the use of Elf Productivity’s Time & Attendance and Human Resource Management Software companies can have clearer visibility when employees need to be closely managed.  Capturing this data at an early stage – saves UK businesses a substantial amount of money – invested in employee retention/replacement.

If you’re looking to improve productivity, simplify your processes, increase the knowledge of your organisation and ultimately save money – contact us today!

The Absolute best Features to Look for in a Time and Attendance System

Tracking and managing time and attendance data used to be a time consuming process and much of the information collected would never be fully utilised as there were no good ways to analyse it. Time and attendance systems in this day and age go way beyond the once required processes, as they are now able to record, track and manage accurate data in real time.

Tracking and managing time and attendance used to be a labour-intensive, time-consuming process, and much of the data wasn’t adequately utilised because there was no good way to analyse it. However, advancements in the software industry makes it possible to track, manage, and generate reports on an impressive amount of data, lowering losses in payroll, improving regulatory compliance, and making the work faster and easier.

Advanced Automation

Things like payroll, that are incredibly labour-intensive, can now be automated and integrated with other systems to make data available from one system accessible in another. Payroll no longer has to depend on clock cards or other manual methods, which cost the average worker about 18 minutes per week to fill out. Automation can lower this time spent to just 2 minutes per week.

Compliance With EU Working Time Directive Rules

The data necessary to remain compliant with the Working Time Directive is already available within your payroll systems. Innovative software, however, can extract and analyse this data so that you can identify employees who are close to the limit of weekly service or have already exceeded it. The software should also allow you to identify workers who have opted out of the directives so that they can be taken care of separately.

Auditing Trail

Frequent editing of an employee’s time sheet is always a concern, but it’s necessary to have a method for tracking these exceptions and disallowing certain edits. Choose a Time and Attendance solution that tracks edits and notates any changes made, when changes were made, and by whom, so that patterns of problematic behaviour can be identified and addressed.

Identifying Short-Term Absences

The most costly time and attendance problems for most companies involves frequent, short-term absences. It is estimated that this problem costs the majority of businesses £666 per employee every year, and a total of 3.5 percent of all productive work time. Look for a system that includes Bradford Factor reporting, which identifies and tracks such short-term absences so the issue can be addressed.

Are you searching for time and attendance solutions for your workplace? Contact us for an innovative solution that will save your company time, money, and extra effort.

How Tracking your Employees Time and Attendance can help your Business run Smoothly

Tracking time and attendance data is an important part of managing your workforce. Having accurate information on employees holidays, sick time and clockings makes it easier for you to manage everyone. There are many benefits to having a time and attendance system and tracking the data provided can help your business run smoothly.

When it comes to managing your workforce, tracking Time and Attendance is an important part. You have the options to track many statistics when it comes to time and attendance tracking. By using a computerised system you can easily track holidays, sick time, break and meal times, and staff members clock in, and clock out time. The question is, “How can tracking these statistics help your business?”.

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Syncing Time and Attendance Records

The best way for your business to enhance their bookkeeping and accounting is by syncing your time and attendance records between both departments. Syncing the data between the two makes sure every single one of your employees is paid on time and correctly every pay period.

Syncing Time and Attendance records is often the best way for a business to enhance their bookkeeping and accounting. Offering jobs to people in the community is a beautiful thing for a business to do. However, those jobs must pay well and pay properly to every employee.

With a time and attendance program that is synced to the company’s accounting or payroll system, every employee can be paid exactly what they are owed every pay period. This is especially helpful for the business owner who is working their business alone. The time and attendance software can transmit employee information to the business’ accounting or payroll program.

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