Every worker loves new technology, right? Not quite. The truth is, even in today’s business world, where certain segments seem dominated by news of an ‘always on’ culture, adopting and training on new technology can be daunting for plenty of employees. Training Employees on New Time & Attendance Software Perhaps you’ve recently added one or […]
Read More >Getting Workers Comfortable with New Time & Attendance Software
- James Frost
Every day, organizations in every industry are turning to advanced, cloud-based software to help manage the changing needs of a dynamic workforce. This includes time & attendance software, which can help managers and leaders track and analyze time-on-the-clock data, and utilize key information to create schedules, help control costs, and measure productivity.
Great—but how does this translate for employees, especially those who might be reluctant to accept new tech in their familiar workplace setting?
Employees and Workforce Management Technology
While many of today’s employees are savvier with technology than ever, it varies from workplace to workplace—and from worker to worker. In short, not everyone is clamoring to bring their own devices to work, or log in remotely through a smartphone app. In fact, plenty of employees might even balk at the first whiff of new technology.
- They worry that the new technology might be intrusive and encroach on their personal time.
- They’re concerned about the safety of their private information.
- They don’t want to have to learn something new, or they’re afraid they’ll mess up somehow.
When it comes to your cloud-based time & attendance solution, the learning curve shouldn’t be steep, and none of your workers should shy away from using a next-gen solution. Still, how can you turn this into a realistic goal at your workplace? We offer three tips below to help employees buy into your new time & attendance software.
Managing the modern workforce can get tricky. Some people work remotely. Others want more flexible scheduling policies. And there will always be some workers who crave the old days, and don’t want to change. Read the report, “Gain New Flexibilities in Workforce Management,” to learn how stratustime gives new organizations new ways to meet the demands of the modern workforce.
Learning and Using Time & Attendance Software
When organizations choose a cloud-based time & attendance solution such as stratustime, they can take advantage of a number of advanced features, including:
- Fully automated employee time tracking
- Biometric features, including facial recognition
- Customizable report generation
stratustime also supports managers and payroll with job costing, tracking and projecting ROI, enhancing efficiencies between tracking time and payroll, and even centralizing data related to PTO and vacations.
While a move to stratustime can be a major evolution from the days of paper punch cards or on-site spreadsheets, you still want to have your employees on board with the change.
- Look around your workplace. It’s possible that not everyone is carrying a smartphone. Or, if they are, they might not be eager to use it for work-related purposes. In fact, they might enjoy the separation between work and life. Will the new time & attendance software be intrusive?
- Lots of employees might like the simplicity of doing things the way they’ve always done them. That includes using the old-fashioned clock in/clock out process, be it on paper, or via spreadsheet. Will the new software be difficult to learn, or actually slow down their clock in/out process?
These are valid concerns, especially in workplaces where four or even five generations of employees might be working side-by-side. As you take the temperature of your workers, here are three tips that can help ease their concerns, and make the transition to stratustime as smooth as possible:
1. Highlight the ways they can access and use the software
No matter how many benefits to the organization you tout, many workers will still want to know what’s in it for them. When they ask, here are some key pieces of information to share.
- Chances are, employees will enjoy something that makes it easier for them to punch in and out, track their breaks, swap shifts, and review their PTO. stratustime has all of these key tasks covered.
- Through stratustime’s easy-to-use employee portal, they can access virtual time cards, see the upcoming schedule remotely, and even connect with other employees to swap shifts.
- And, they don’t need to have the latest version of the most popular smartphone to use the software. They can use stratustime from a dedicated time clock, central kiosk, a workplace computer, or your POS system.
2. Reinforce the fact that you’ve heard their privacy concerns
Some employees might be worried about their personal information, especially when time & attendance software uses advanced biometric scanning to log punches in and out. When this is so, discuss the ways that the software protects their personal information, as well as the steps you’ve taken to evaluate different options.
- When possible, share aspects related to how you vetted the technology. Did you receive input from legal and security professionals?
- Let your employees know about the different steps your team took, either through a memo, newsletter announcement, a company-wide meeting, or informal conversations with workgroups.
- You can also discuss how stratustime’s state-of-the-art encryption and data storage features protect the unique biometric identifiers of your employees.
3. Talk about ways that the software simplifies things for employees, and aligns with organizational needs and goals
Even if some of the benefits might seem obvious to you, it can still help workers when you highlight them, and point back to larger organizational concerns. For instance:
- Perhaps scheduling has been a challenge as of late. With an easy-to-use scheduling module, employees will have more of a say prior to schedules coming out.
- Meanwhile, advanced features allow stratustime to sync up with personal calendars. This can give employees even more control when they need to balance their work schedule with life events. And, if employees are worried about intrusiveness, let them know they don’t have to use this feature—though it can be good for the team.
- In the event that your workplace is exploring remote work options, or if employees have asked for more flexible work opportunities, explain how the software helps everyone take a step in that direction.
- Finally, you can circle back to biometric features, and highlight ways that these features support employees. For instance, facial recognition technology means they no longer need to worry about losing their badges, or memorizing pass-codes. And, it can speed up their clock in/out times as well.
When you bring in modern workforce management software such as stratustime, there may be skeptical employees. Whether they’re worried about the safety of their personal information, intrusions in their work-life balance, or having to learn a new software, addressing their concerns head-on can help them gain confidence, and discover what’s in it for them.
As your workplace evolves, and the needs of managers and workers continue to change, make sure your time & attendance software is up to the task. Give us a call today, and find out how we can put stratustime to work for you.