We know that starting or taking the next step in your workplace HCM journey can be overwhelming. To help with these sometimes seemingly confusing decisions, here are some tips and things to consider to make sure you get the best from your employee time and attendance solutions and have it as tailored to you as possible.
First of all, why timeclocks over other options?
First of all, there is the traditional pen and paper clock in sheet, chart or card punching station. These are cheap and well-used, but not the most realistic or efficient option when considering their major disadvantages when managing payroll, staff and buddy punching and interdepartmental costs.
Phone implementation and time clocking apps can be a seemingly modern and attractive offer. Whilst there are some positives to the clocking-in app concept, there are many drawbacks also. For example, customized app development and providing company phones to everyone who does not have their own smartphone can be a large upfront and monthly cost. The phone could be lost along with all their access protocols or the phone can either smash or break, preventing the person from clocking in. There is also an easier chance of buddy punching and payroll fraud using a friend’s phone and code if needed. Also, the type of tracking on phones could be lead to more payroll fraud, due to the use of geofencing and GPS in phones. Depending on their location, a member of staff could commit a small but still impactful instance and not even mean to. If they park 5 minutes away and clock in from their car, so they can immediately get to work when on-site, these minutes can add up.
Because of these reasons, timeclocks are seen as the most efficient, durable, flexible and realistic product to monitor HCM. Now that your research has led you to the decision of implementing timeclocks for your HCM needs, let’s look at the next steps.
Next, let’s get down to the basics of what you need.
Firstly consider your general parameters and needs. Do you have a budget to stick to? Keep in mind that yes there are upfront costs when either putting in new timeclocks or upgrading your current hardware, however, these costs are largely offset by the savings you gain through their usage. Do you know how many sites you want this to cover and to what extent? Another thing to consider is how you want to actually monitor staff, do you need to track lunchbreaks and short breaks, or just clock in and clock out? Or did you want them to be focused on departments, offices and roles? It’s best to have a think and come up with a general plan for what you need, for how much and how many you need? If you are not sure of these factors but are enthusiastic to start the process, you can always ask us to either give you a phone or email consultation.
An important thing to remember is that if you already have timeclocks installed or have a software provider you are already using for your HCM needs, you can ask them to get in touch with us to learn more about the best course of action, so you can bring them on in the early stages of research to ensure smooth project management from the start.
Our hardware is incredibly intuitive and allows you to use our clocks with your software providers third-party apps. Whether this is a pre-existing third party app or with a new custom-built one they can create for you, by insisting on working with GT Clocks all your needs,
Next, we consider, what are your priorities when it comes to HCM clocking devices?
Whilst the purposes and positives of time-clocking are definite and proven, there is a vast opportunity for customization that allows the product to be catered to your aims and needs. The next step is to start considering what your initial aims are and what specific problems you have currently.
For example, do you have issues with Buddy Punching and possible payroll inconsistencies? According to an article by swipecard, In 2017, research showed that U.S. employers lost 373 million dollars to buddy punching and an article from Justpayrollservice informs us that private sector companies lose £12 billion annually in the UK. Consider if you want to involve biometrics to safeguard from this happening. For example, you can implement timeclocks with either fingerprint scanners, individual and personalized codes or facial recognition depending on your specific needs.
Perhaps you want to manage your staffing and space more? You can integrate our HCM to not only keep track of staff, payroll, holidays and training but also ensure you have a safe office environment where social distancing can be monitored closely and even maintained to ensure against overcrowding in areas.
Perhaps your main aim is to ensure your security never compromises when it comes to your data? Have a think about your main personal goals so that when you discuss your project, you can get the most customized and relevant outcome. It may also be worth thinking about warranty and support, for example, from day one, you take advantage of GT Connected Services, our Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides total data management, device management, and identity management, ensuring total regulatory compliance and a highly secure environment.
Or you could look more into a support service such as our ClaaS offering, where every timeclock provided under our ClaaS program enjoys a no-quibble lifetime warranty. For as long as you subscribe, we will repair or replace any device that develops a fault, whether it’s been deployed for 10 months or 10 years.
When do you need it?
In just one recent project, we released over 900 clocks, across 400 sites, in six months, so we understand deadlines! Having a clear path and deadlines to aim for can ensure the project continues on time and at a pace which both parties are happy and confident with.
What do you do once you have your main aims?
The next step could be a telephone consult, a meeting with our sales or technical team or even just an email saying hello. Perhaps you may want to conduct some research through our videos and blogs to give you another insight into the applications of time clocks through HCM. You can also take a look at our datasheets to gain a more technical perspective on our products and which you may be interested in.
Download the GT10 Datasheet
Finally, if you have an idea of what you want, just ask…
If you are aware of what you want and what we offer as standard and have an idea as to any other needs, then its time to contact us with your clear and concise needs and questions. We can then help through every step of the process and as stated before, work with your preexisting software partners to ensure that any third-party apps or development, are implemented well into the project. If you do not have a software provider we can also recommend a partner to build your time and attendance relationship with, so you are getting specialized advice and care from every place possible.
We are always excited to work with not only software providers but our end-users and we hope this article has made the jump into new HCM a little less overwhelming, should you have any further questions feel free to contact us and we hope you feel more grounded in your HCM solution services.
Contact us now to discuss how we can further assist you.
We can support you in taking the next step for your HCM journey.
