No time like the present?

Time and attendance (T&A) systems are now available with features well beyond basic time recording, pay calculation and an upload to payroll. But are companies using them in terms of resource planning, health and safety and conformance to regulations? Do today’s managements get best value from software they have already installed? Most have now computerised their T&A systems, and the vendors have moved on to supplying second- and third-time users with more sophisticated systems. Sadly, too often these fail – mostly because of delays between buying and implementation leading to projects losing impetus so that eventually all that gets used is the more basic functionality. It was ever thus. “Time and attendance systems can be difficult to introduce because they have a lot of different users,” says Richard Taverner, director at T&A vendor Time Control Systems. “For example the financial director will want the system to monitor wages, while the works manager will want to monitor time and attendance. It’s always a good policy to have all potential users involved in the decision to buy.” There are many ways in which modern T&A systems can assist in making the operation of a workforce more efficient – for example, by improving work scheduling, reducing absenteeism and improving time-keeping. And if used properly they can pay for themselves very quickly, often within months. Chilled transformation In October 2000, SK Chilled Foods, which specialises in own-label meals and snacks, employed over 700 people across its three main Teesside sites. The company relied on a manual clockcard system of 1986 vintage, and needed a system to improve on management and financial information to control shifts and plan staffing to match production. It also wanted reports to meet the European Working Time Directive. SK chose an NT-based system from Crown Computing. Says Anne Yare, HR manager: “We were losing time and money because we could not react to events fast enough. The manual clock card system was merely a mechanism to pay people. The company didn’t realise it then, but time lost due to unauthorised absences was costing around 700 hours per week.” The system paid for itself within six months, and SK now operates with a 14% smaller workforce with a 40% improvement in unauthorised absences. SK can now plan ahead on the basis of management and employee information that’s instantly available. Shift planning for a flexible workforce is another opportunity, as at Dee Bee Cash & Carry, where there are 137 full-time staff and 168 part-timers. The company has to cover predictable periods of high and low activity, and ensure correct logging and payment. “Timelink has been used to give us the means to predict staffing levels and keep precise track of part-timers once they have joined,” says Paul Hobbs, executive director at Dee Bee. “Staff arrival and departure is logged using magnetic stripe card readers networked to the central office. Reporting facilities were produced to our specifications and make a substantial contribution to the efficient running of the company. It has been expanded to serve all departments.” By looking beyond simple T&A recording, companies will almost certainly find opportunities for business improvement just by making better use of their existing software. Significant benefits can be achieved through relatively uncomplicated exploitation of available information, leading to efficiencies and cost reductions. And there are other benefits: SK has used its T&A system to police European working time regulations and other companies using them together with access control for fire reporting.