The solution
With SnowdropKCS, on entering or leaving a bay or work area,
workers simply swipe a magnetic card and indicate whether they are
clocking on or off. At this point they can also view their holiday
entitlement and overtime details for reference. This system not
only records the working hours of an employee but also indicates
their presence in the building in case of a fire or accident. Site
managers and supervisors, in addition to HR and managerial staff,
have on-site PC access to this data to help them manage their
staffing and work flow.
Supervisors can quickly see who has clocked in, if there is
likely to be a manpower shortfall and act on the information before
it becomes a problem. They can change overtime profiles to fit
demand and allocate holiday time - all of which integrates with the
central personnel database. “Supervisors feel in control and
empowered with the new system and overtime is only approved when
needed.” Mike adds.
Benefits
The business now has a better handle on overtime and can
identify trends and anomalies within each working area. “KCS has
enabled individual bay managers to focus on their business overtime
practices - good and bad. For instance, some workers used to clock
in early even when they were not required, merely to boost their
hours. Data analysis and Sage’s management reporting tools clearly
show up the culprits and appropriate action can be taken.”
The rostering feature in the time & attendance module allows
the shop floor managers to manage their bay’s holiday and overtime.
Mike again: “Having terminals on the shop floor gives authority and
freedom to the employees making decisions. The screens are clear,
straightforward and definable, to keep detail to a minimum.”
On-site security is always an issue in heavy industry and
controlling access is the first line of defence. While a good time
& attendance system will tell managers who is where in a plant,
Hadleys has taken the system one step further to ensure leavers are
automatically barred from access. In addition to clocking in and
out, the swipe card also controls access at the front door, using
both SnowdropKCS and Pro Access software. As everything’s joined
up, once an employee is registered on the personnel system as
having left or been dismissed from the company, their swipe card is
automatically disabled. “We have had a major security headache with
equipment going missing, particularly if we are not going to see an
employee again,” Mike explains. “Once the employee is on the system
as no longer in our employment, his swipe card is automatically
disabled, so if he tries to use it the front door won’t open.”
“The benefits of the new system rapidly became apparent
and individual bays started to request more access to the
system.”
Mike thought he would have a difficult task changing the company
culture into accepting this new way of working and training the
shop floor supervisors to use PCs. “The benefits of the new system
rapidly became apparent and individual bays started to request more
access to the system.” He explains.
Sage has enabled Hadleys to manage its
overtime and staff rostering more efficiently, saving incalculable
man hours in wasted overtime and manual cross-checking. Data is
stored in one central database, accessible on the shop floor, as
well as to management and Human Resources. Rather than rejecting
the new technology and way of working, shop floor supervisors have
quickly embraced the easy-to-use software and appreciate the
knowledge and control it brings them. Now they are requesting the
time & attendance module for all shifts.