HRMS Time & Attendance: 4 Tips for Gamification Success

If you see the critical HRMS function of managing time and attendance as a matter of scheduling available staff to deliver the necessary product or service then it might be difficult to see how gamification could be applied to such a simplistic process. But, there are examples out there of how this latest HRMS buzzword is beginning to transform and enhance even this dusty corner of HR practice.

Introduce Rewards into Your Gamification Processes

For instance, how about gamifying clocking on? A company called GenITeam have designed a system whereby employees scan a QR code when arriving and departing the workplace. Trophies are given for timely arrival with badges and titles for sustained performance. The most timely employee (in terms of arrival) over a three-month period receives a cash bonus. Some organizations have seen a 40% reduction in late arrivals. Interestingly, in this era of work-life balance, there is no mention of whether departure times are gamified in a similar way or at all.

Don’t Exclude Managers and Supervisors

So much for worker tardiness. Another provider, Workplace Solutions, has sought to gamify the supervisor’s performance in drawing up the staffing schedule within HRMS attendance modules. Currently focused on a retail environment, the software assesses performance in terms of service levels, labor to sales ratios, contract hours, paid absence, staffing level compliance and overtime – all key elements of manager scheduling performance – and allocates star ratings from one to five. As managers are encouraged to compete, not least against their own past performance, so the quality of the retail schedules improves. The other angle on gamifying scheduling is to focus on employee performance. One U.S. restaurant chain has begun to allocate the best shifts to those servers bringing in the highest tips. After several weeks, job satisfaction ratings were up and so was the organization’s revenue; by 2-4%.

Apply Gamification Techniques to All Aspects of Employee Wellbeing

Another key element of HRMS time and attendance is managing absence and a key factor in reducing levels of unplanned absence is employee health. A recent Towers Watson survey noted a great deal of interest among employers in gamifying health and wellness issues. Looking to tap that market is a company called Aetna, whose application seeks to help employees manage their health, lifestyle, relationships, finances and even creativity and spirituality; all elements that can impact on wellbeing.

Take Care to Ensure a Level Playing Field

So, possibly more opportunities for gamification in time and attendance than might at first be apparent. However, one caveat that is specially relevant to this area is fairness. Scheduling, work patterns and shifts are such a fundamental element of the daily working experience that extra care must be taken to ensure all employees enjoy a level playing field.