Is stockpiled Annual Leave an issue for your Organisation?

According to the latest Government figures, Australian workers have accumulated a staggering 129 million days of annual leave worth up to $40bn in wages*.

While this means a lot of overdue holidays, it can also represent a huge liability on the balance sheet for many organisations, and employers should take action and encourage employees to redeem accumulated annual leave as we approach the Christmas and Summer holiday season.

Interestingly, HC Online also report that a global study by travel website Expedia show that Australia is the fifth most holiday-deprived nation, and Australian workers are reluctant to take all of their leave due to the uncertain economic outlook and uncertainty over how their employer will react to their request. 

This is particularly important when you consider that, employees who don’t take annual leave can often demonstrate higher levels of depression or anxiety-related stress compared to those who do take their holidays. 

The “No Leave, No Life” campaign supported by Tourism Australia, provides organisations with helpful resources to tackle the issue of stockpiled annual leave. The campaign website features an employer toolkit with a series of modules and practical case studies to assist with implementing a successful annual leave program. 

Do you know how much annual leave your workers have accumulated?

An automated time and attendance management system can help you effectively manage leave and holiday planning processes by:

• Keeping a central repository of all employee leave records, tracking all leave types such as Holiday or Personal leave
• Calculating leave eligibility based on an employee’s hours worked and hire date
• Creating work schedules that take in account employees on leave, thus ensuring you have sufficient cover to meet customer or project demands and deadlines
• Generating real time absence management and holiday planning reports 

In addition, Employee Self Service functionality empowers your staff to check their own leave records and entitlements, and request/book leave online without having to converse with their supervisor or HR.

Want to find out more?

If you would like find out more about effective Leave Management and Holiday Planning contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (+61 2 8762 7888) or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au

*Source: HC Online - No winners when it comes to untaken leave 

Also see our previous Blog Post “No Leave, No Life”

Australian Businesses failing to fully embrace flexible and mobile working practices

While the economic advantages of having flexible work options are widely recognised, new research has found that 85% of companies do not have an organisation-wide work from home policy, reports HC Online. 

84% of companies either never let employees work from home at all or do so only on an individual basis (67%)

The research study by recruiters Robert Half found that despite the obvious benefits of work-from-home initiatives, such as boosting staff morale and productivity, as well as reducing employee turnover, the majority of Australian companies are still not embracing a remote workforce.

The main roadblocks citied were trust, security of information and access to technology. 

Key statistics from the report included: 
• 85% of HR directors* agreed that non-financial benefits, including flexible time, have a positive impact on staff retention 
• 83% of HR leaders said that they find it more challenging to manage remote workers compared to workers on site and only 58% said that remote working policies were in place • One in three (30%) of HR decision-makers said they are actively planning to implement a flexible work scheme to improve staff engagement in the next twelve months 
• 84% of companies either never let employees work from home at all, or do so only on an individual basis (67%) 

Andrew Morris, director of Robert Half acknowledges that, companies are right to have a certain healthy paranoia about remote working, but that paranoia is best addressed through good technology and tight internal policies. 

“Flexible time and remote work can be powerful motivators and may result in significant morale, retention and productivity improvements. But a flexible work policy needs careful implementation and close supervision to be effective,” he added. 

Writing for the Huffington Post, Claire Morley-Jones, managing director at HR180 ltd, advises that helping employees achieve a good work life balance is a sensible workforce management strategy, bringing benefits for both businesses and staff. 

She added, offering flexible working opportunities is an essential part of creating a good work life balance and helps staff fit work around their personal commitments, such as looking after their children. 

"Flexible working should be a culture and something that is available to all, whether they want to use it to undertake further study, pursue a hobby or spend time with their families at sports days etc." 

Investing in staff scheduling and mobile workforce management software can make it easier for firms to implement flexible working practices, allowing them to keep track of employees' working hours whether they are in the office or working remotely. 

For more information on mobile workforce management technologies visit Mitrefinch online 

*201 HR directors across a broad range of industries in Australia were surveyed 

Source: HC Online

Mobile Working and the Anywhere Employee

A new survey has revealed that Australians are more reliant on their mobile devices than ever before, using them to get more work done out of normal office hours. However, experts have warned this addiction is coming at a price, impacting on personal relationships and health. 

The Good Technology study found: 

• 88% of respondents admit to working outside of regular hours on their mobile device
• 39% said they need to use their mobile device outside of regular hours to keep on top of their workload, while only 4% said it was to impress their boss
• 20% admit to taking work calls or answering emails on a family day out  

Commenting on the results Jim Watson, vice president and corporate general manager at Good Technology APAC, said: “We are truly living in the connected age as mobile devices like phones and tablets become indispensible tools to manage our professional and personal lives.”

“As our reliance on mobility continues to grow, there will be an increased need for companies and individuals to manage this more effectively. For example, ensuring that sensitive company information is kept secure, while still giving employees the freedom to use their mobile devices the way they want to be productive and connected in both their professional and personal lives.”

This correlates with another recent study by Siemens who believe that this trend has help create the 'anywhere employee' - who can use modern technology to work from multiple locations - replacing the traditional office-based worker. 

In the past, staff would have had difficulty managing different platforms - such as email, mobile, landline and social media - outside of the office, whereas modern flexible and collaborative tools, as well as cloud computing technology now mean this can be done seamlessly and irrespective of location. 

However, Watson stresses that, “it is important for workers to feel in control and not let their mobile rule them. The technology exists to enhance productivity and enable greater flexibility between work and personal life - not cause us to work all the time. Mobility has ‘unchained us’ from the office so that we can all be productive and connect from anywhere, anytime—whether that’s at home, in the office, while waiting for your coffee at the shop or taking in a child’s cricket game. The idea is to be able to enjoy more of life by being mobile.” 

To maintain a healthy balance, employers should regularly check with staff about their workload and whether they’re workingfrom home, as well as advising them on healthy use of mobile devices.

A web-based time and attendance system can assist employers in effectively managing and tracking their mobile or remote workforce.

A web-based time and attendance system also facilitates real-time project tracking, providing accurate analysis of employee activity anytime, anywhere – increasing efficiency and ensuring that labour-related costs are genuine.

With an online time and attendance system, staff can remotely clock in and out of tasks, appointments and projects via desktop PCs, laptops, notebooks and the latest communications devices and smart phones. They can also view their holiday entitlements, apply for leave, and request updates to their personal records without having to converse with HR staff. 

 

For more information on how a web-based time and attendance system could help you embrace mobile/remote working contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (+61 2 8762 7888) or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au

Source: HC Online

Looking To Free Up Valuable Time For Your HR Management Team?

For organisations of all shapes and sizes, the role of a Human Resources Executive generally encompasses many different tasks - from payroll processing, scheduling, award and entitlement calculations, absence management, not to mention keeping track of mobile and flexi workers. 

Helping HR Manage!

By introducing an automated Human Resource Management System, you can lower administrative costs while giving your HR team the time to work on more productive activities and projects. 

Here's how: 

Award Interpretation: Easily calculate base and overtime pay, weekend and public holiday penalties, as well as leave loading and shift penalties, ensuring consistent application of your business rules and compliance with workplace legislation. 

A direct interface to your external payroll application further reduces payroll administration and the potential for costly payroll errors. 

Employee Self Service functionality: enables your employees to directly view any leave accrued, requests for time-off can be requested or approved automatically. 

Employee Scheduling: Assign resources based on predefined budgets and skill sets, keeping operating costs as low as possible. In addition, ensure you have sufficient staff on board to cover the holiday period by limiting how many employees can be off on a given day or time period. Once the limit has been reached no further employees can request leave.

Absence Management: Real-time reports allow you to analyse any particular attendance trends or unplanned absences, as well as the commercial impact of schedules, overtime, absence and stockpiled leave.


Comprehensive Reporting: All of your employee data, files and correspondence are centrally stored, making the filing and retrieving of vital information quick and easy to manage. The stored information can be used to run reports on past and present data, such as training and development requirements. 

To find out how you can improve efficiency in your HR and Payroll Department contact Mitrefinch today on +61 2 9762 7888 or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au