3 Benefits of Managing Attendance in Your HRMS

Time sheets, punch cards, biometric time clocks, one of the very fundamental HR monitoring duties is to confirm that employees put in the hours for which they are paid…, or to flip the perspective, to ensure that people are paid for the hours they have worked. Similarly longstanding is the role of machines and computers in the this monitoring process. Basic time and attendance data recording and crunching is one of the oldest HR software systems in use and leading edge organizations are now using HRMS attendance management with three core benefits in mind…

Better Timekeeping & Absence Management

A fully-integrated HRMS attendance module can enable a set of key improvements related to timekeeping. Firstly, timesheets are more accurate. Accidental errors are avoided, thus saving the time and effort needed for corrections and furthermore, more deliberate issues such as time theft and buddy punching (one employee clocking in on behalf of another) can be reduced to negligible levels. In turn, payroll errors and, the costs associated with correcting them (including the ‘soft’ cost of reduced employee satisfaction and productivity) are correspondingly reduced. Finally, paid time off calculations are much less subject to human error and legislative compliance is virtually assured (meaning the avoidance of fines and legal penalties for breaches).

Analytics, of Course!

As with any other HR software, once the data is in the system it can be sliced and diced and reports produced. The first major advantage of doing this with HRMS attendance is that managers receive real time alerts and information (e.g. when scheduled employees don’t clock in on time, when unscheduled employees do, or when scheduled hours are exceeded). Thus better-informed decisions on workforce deployment can be made on the hoof. Put simply, more efficient deployment leads to more productive results. Then, beyond the basic scheduling benefits, the data goes into the integrated HRMS ‘pot’ to be utilized in more strategic metrics and analytics reporting; thus giving the C-level deeper insights into trends, patterns and hotspots regarding workforce management.

“Field Working”

More and more, the world of work is scattering, fragmenting, going mobile. Add this to the rise of flexible working options (including home working) and time and attendance systems have to be far more sophisticated than a simple clock with a line of workers filing past. For many organizations, mobile access to time and attendance, including for punching in, scheduling, shift swapping and access to self-service data such as hours worked and paid time off balances, is increasingly essential.

Modern HRMS attendance software goes far beyond the old automated clocks and cards of yesteryear. With integrated data and analytics plus mobile access and employee and manager self-service, this type of system can greatly enhance the day-to-day running and productivity of your organization.