Web-based Tool Automates Time And Attendance

HR Magazine, Oct, 2001 by Jim Meade

How many times has this happened to you? An hourly employee comes to your office and complains, "I wasn't paid for some of the hours I put in last week." Getting to the bottom of such time-and-attendance problems can be time consuming, as can answering workers' questions about their vacation and sick time.

While Workforce Central 4.0 from Kronos Inc., of Chelmsford, Mass., can't eliminate every time-and-attendance question, it is an easy-to-use tool for quickly--and accurately--coming up with an answer. As a web-based product, Workforce Central also can provide employees and managers with self-service tools to track their hours.

Ask the Genie

Workforce Central helps companies with what Kronos calls "labor management." To use Workforce Central, you log in via a web browser. There you will see a menu offering you a variety of "genies" (akin to the "wizards" offered by many software packages) that guide you through common tasks such as reconciling timecards and checking overtime.

To reconcile timecards, for example, you select parameters from a drop-down list, then choose a timeframe such as "current pay period." A click displays a spreadsheet-type list of the requested information.

The package lets you instantly identify missed punches, i.e., when employees forget to clock in or out, overtime and unscheduled hours. More than 40 built-in reports let you collect information on a variety of time management measures. "You can calculate real-time balances [such as vacation accruals] for all employees on the system," says Gil Sullivan, vice president of marketing. You also can compile information on daily schedules, overtime, sick time and compliance with federal labor laws, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Workforce Central can handle even the most complex workweek schedules. The setup module lets you input rules that reflect the way your company tracks time. With just a littie bit of training, your system administrator can adjust the system as your company's rules change. "We haven't found any pay rule the thing can't handle," says Mark Poole, a senior payroll systems analyst at Ericsson Inc. in Lynchburg, Va.

Workforce Central's Internet-based interface enhances its functionality. George Raiford, an employee service center representative at California Federal Bank in West Sacramento, Calif., reports that his company's employees can readily clock their time from the main office or branch offices with a standard web browser.

Customers say Workforce Central is easy to use. "The browser presents users with something that works like a spreadsheet," Sullivan says. Even though the interface is web-based, "you haven't lost the rich user interface you're used to with Windows." The program uses a Java-based back-bone to provide quick response time and avoid common web-induced processing delays.

Kronos has been in business for a quarter of a century. "I like the fact that it's been around for such a long time," Raiford says. California Federal Bank reviewed a variety of products before selecting Workforce Central. "Some of the other companies that bid on us are no longer around," he notes.

Careful Configuration Required

Workforce Central has no ad-hoc report writer, though Sullivan says there has not been much demand for one. The "Help" utility doesn't have a search capability, but does have an alphabetical index.

Like any other HR software tool, Workforce Central relies on careful configuration by someone with a thorough knowledge of your company's policies and procedures. You have to list and understand all the time categories you use, and you have to see that rules for them get built into the system. "Make sure you know what your current system does and what you expect this one to do," Raiford says.

You also should be prepared to make design decisions. "Ask yourself what kind of tasks you want to automate," Sullivan advises. "Do you want to be able to control excessive overtime? Avoid buildup of unused leave time? Give line managers access to information on lates or unexcused absences?"

Poole offers this additional advice: Be sure your system reflects the needs of all users. "Sit down in advance with line managers, HR, IT and payroll," he says. "You have to have a dedicated team. If you don't, you're going to get into a 'he said, she said' situation."

Summary

Workforce Central tackles labortracking challenges head on. It automates a sometimes distasteful-and time-consuming-task. By integrating web-based functionality, Workforce Central has come of age. "At first, it wasn't quite ready," Poole says. "They overhauled the entire product. When they brought it back out, we were overwhelmed."

Jim Meade, Ph.D., based in Fairfield, Iowa, is an author and HR software consultant specializing in software selection.

Product Specs

Workforce Central Suite 4.0

KR0NOS INC.

297 Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA 01824

Phone: (978) 250-9800

www.kronos.com

PRODUCT USE

Automates the collecting and processing of labor data, such as time-and-attendance information that feeds a payroll system.