Recording attendance details, and time worked, accurately are not as simple as they might seem. Traditional clock punching has certain drawbacks and can result in highly inaccurate records. For example, a worker's buddy might punch in instead of the worker himself, leading to a false record of a worker being present.
Workers can also loiter around once they are past the gate and arrive at their workplaces after some delay. Such delays will not be revealed by traditional gate punching systems.
Electronic Time and Attendance Systems
Electronic systems can recognize biometric IDs, such as palm-prints or retinal images, to signal the presence of a worker. Buddy punching becomes impossible in such a situation. Electronic recording systems can also be installed at workplaces so that the actual time a worker arrives there can be recorded.
By making it obligatory to punch out if a worker wants to leave the workplace, it becomes possible to record times in and out, and compute times a worker was actually at the workplace.
Time and attendance recording can thus be significantly improved through electronic systems.
Electronic Rostering Systems
Worker rostering is another area where an electronic system can improve results.
Traditional manual rostering can prove inadequate when there are a large number of workers to be rostered. Under employment-related laws, workers: - Cannot be made to work beyond a certain number of hours continuously, and a certain number of total hours during a week or such period
- Are entitled to weekly offs, annual vacations and other permitted paid absences up to specified numbers of days
- Should not be scheduled to the unhealthy shifts continuously without any rotation of shifts among workers
Rostering has thus to consider these requirements also in addition to the requirement of the work to be done. This complicates the process of rostering.
Additional complexities are introduced when workers need short-notice changes to the schedule for personal reasons. In a manual rostering system, reworking the schedule to accommodate such change requests is a messy process.
Under a manual rostering system, worker grievances are quite likely. Some might feel that they are being treated unfairly compared to others, or that their genuine requests are being deliberately ignored. Absenteeism becomes a serious problem in such an environment. Even worker attrition can assume serious proportions.
Electronic rostering system can work extremely fast and produce rosters that comply with the kinds of multiple requirements indicated above. Workplace requirements, statutory regulations and employee preferences can all be considered and the best possible schedules can be generated in little time.
Even sudden change requests can be accommodated and new schedules generated quickly enough not to affect workplace requirements.
Combined Time, Attendance and Electronic Rostering Systems
When combined with time and attendance systems, electronic rostering systems would have access to the work and shift histories of workers, and the rostering process can even be automated to a great extent.
Self-rostering facilities, where workers can communicate their requests and preferences to the system directly, can help enhance their satisfaction with the system even further, and reduce the impact of problems such as absenteeism and unacceptably high levels of staff turnover.
Electronic time, attendance and rostering systems can thus help improve a company's bottom line through the different kinds of impact they have.
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