Superior workforce management with workforce analytics

“In today’s volatile economy, companies are looking for new ways to do more with less and seek out efficiencies from their existing processes.”

Superior workforce management with workforce analytics

Traditionally information collected by workforce management systems served to assist the pay office in automating the payroll processing function. However accurate time and attendance data can be utilised to drive efficiencies across different areas of an organisation.
 

Automated time and attendance produces live reports with accurate, real-time data and analytics that can provide management with a better insight into their workforce. With this information at their disposal, they can identify potential problem areas, and take immediate action to resolve them before they have an adverse affect on operations.

Integration with other core business IT applications such as ERP, Outlook Email, Payroll, HR, and point of sale systems, further extend the use of workforce management information and corporate investment in IT systems.

Business areas where time and attendance information is proving to be particularly beneficial are job and labour costing, absence management, workplace health and safety and fatigue management.

The emergence of improved biometric data capture devices and the rapid growth of smart mobile technologies have also extended the reach of workforce time and attendance tracking, enabling organisations to effectively monitor employee activity and performance data regardless of where their teams are physically located.

No longer limited to payroll processing, this information is now being utilised to gain greater operational efficiencies, facilitate WHS and fatigue management initiatives, and plan production cycles and cost projects.

Mitrefinch Time and Attendance Systems up for Innovation in Business Award

The Mitrefinch team are pleased to be representing the South West Sydney region in two categories at the upcoming NSW Business Chamber Awards which celebrate and recognise business excellence across the state. 

As winners of the Innovation in Business and Young Business Executive Awards at the regional South West Sydney Chamber Awards back in September, Mitrefinch will contest these categories at the overall State Business Awards gala dinner which take place on Friday November 29th at Sydney’s Technology Park.

Our Innovation in Business entry focuses on the ongoing development of our workforce time and attendance solutions; to include smart mobile and web applications, as well as the integration of leading-edge Lumidigm multi-spectral imaging technology for accurate employee data collection. 

While Marketing Manager, Jamie Fitzsimons, is in the running for the Young Business Executive title. 

“Simply been nominated as a finalist has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments to date and feel proud of what we have achieved as a team, especially as we celebrate our ten year anniversary in Australia this month” said Ms Fitzsimons. 

“We attribute much of our success to the users of our time and attendance and workforce management systems who are a driving force for continued innovation and product development within our business.” 

Tickets for the State Business Awards can be purchased direct for the NSW Business Chamber - http://www.businessannualawards.com.au

Are your staff going home on time?

Do you find yourself staying late at work more than you'd like or does your Smart Phone mean you are constantly connected to the office? 

Well it turns out you aren’t the only one with Australians working on average 7 hours overtime each week, and this unpaid overtime equates to $109.6 billion or 7.4 per cent of GDP. 

It has been well documented that a poor work and life balance has a direct impact on our health, relationships and workplace. A recent report out of the UK found that one in five employees had taken a day off sick because they could not cope with the pressure of going into work, with most citing excessive workload and/or long hours as the most significant causes of stress in the workplace. 

Now in its fifth year, Go Home on Time Day (Wednesday 20 November) is an annual initiative of The Australia Institute, in partnership with beyondblue. The Day is a light-hearted way to start a serious conversation about work-life balance - and we are keen supporters of the cause!

As a provider of automated Workforce Management systems, we are often asked about the value of tracking employee time and attendance data when an organisation only has salaried staff on the books. 

In our opinion, if you don't measure it you can't manage it. By having all staff clock in and out of work, managers and supervisors can easily identify just how much unpaid overtime their team members are putting in, and if there is a particular pattern forming. 

What's more, if your employees have to frequently work extra hours, workplace health and safety may be jeopardised through increased fatigue, potentially leading to a workplace accident and subsequent legal action. 

Armed with this information you may be able to justify hiring additional staff or bringing in contract labour at times of increased activity, or at the very least acknowledge the effort being put in by your team - perhaps introducing a Time in Lieu scheme or incentives for those that are working longer hours. 

In the long run, this will ultimately benefit your business as a motivated and happy workforce generally means increased productivity. 

To find out more or get your organisation involved in Go Home on Time Day see: http://www.gohomeontimeday.org.au/

2013 Australian Payroll Benchmarking Report

The 2013 Australian Payroll Association Benchmarking Survey is now open and we encourage all our readers to get involved.

By collecting and analysing payroll data and publishing benchmarks, the survey and subsequent report aims to assist participants in understanding how they compare with other businesses within their particular industry, as well as across many other sectors, whether they are top performers and where improvements might be found.

All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the report when it is launched in January 2014.

The report is unique as it is the only survey of its kind in Australia that specifically relates to the costs and efficiencies of the payroll operation.

Complete the survey here before 22 November.

In addition, feel free to pass on to other colleagues or peers that may be interested in getting involved.

2013 Australian Payroll Association Benchmarking Survey is now open

Melbourne Cup Day brings with it Sickies and Long Lunches

The Melbourne Cup carnival is in full swing, with many organisations across Australia busy planning themed lunches and office sweep stakes ahead of tomorrow’s big race. 

However legal experts are advising employers to have all the right policies in place before Cup Day to avoid getting caught out. 

Joydeep Hor, managing principal, at People + Culture Strategies, explains that it doesn't matter whether you decide to have a half-day or not: you need to set expectations for all staff so there's no disappointment or confusion on the day. 

“Issues have arisen in the past for some of our clients where their staff assume they have the rest of the afternoon off, when in fact they are required in the office”. He also added, "There are plenty of complications regarding the consumption of alcohol and the risk of inappropriate behaviour, the disclosure of corporate information." 

Hor recommends that businesses spend some time setting guidelines for all staff about whether or not they should come back to work, if alcohol can be consumed, and any other related topics. 

Despite it been a Public Holiday in Melbourne, Victorian employers have raised concerns about the tendency for workers to call in sick on the Monday before Cup Day - giving them an extra long weekend. 

While the majority of employees take a legitimate four-day weekend by applying for leave in advance, employers have also experienced a significant increase in unplanned absences or sickies on the day. For example, figures by absence management company Direct Health Solutions predict that there will be a 20-25 per cent spike in absences from work nationally tomorrow. 

The impact of staff taking a ‘mass sick day’ on a business is significant in terms of financial costs and lost productivity. Where possible, employers should encourage staff to use up any stockpiled leave if they are planning on taking an extra-long weekend. 

DHS chief executive Paul Dundon reports that sick leave costs us about $30 billion a year. "It seriously reduces service levels and causes a big disruption by affecting those who do show up." 

People working in call centres and manufacturing and production industries are most likely to chuck a sickie. 

Dundon acknowledges that the risk of being short-staffed can be minimised on Melbourne Cup Day if businesses host special activities or a luncheon.

Mitrefinch to focus on new Trends in Time and Attendance at TAPS Workplace Review

The Association of Payroll Specialists’ (TAPS) are hosting their annual Workplace Review Conference in both Melbourne and Sydney this month. The event is Australia’s longest running payroll conference and this year’s theme is “Give your Payroll a Workout".

Give your payroll a workout at the TAPS Workplace Review and Payroll Expo

The conference will feature an impressive line-up of educational sessions with a strong emphasis on recent changes to legislation, as well as popular pay and HR related topics such as long service leave, super reforms, expats, payroll fraud, workplace health and safety, salary packaging and fringe benefits tax. 

The team from Mitrefinch will be on hand to present an informative session on “Trends in Time and Attendance”, focusing on new advancements in workforce management, incorporating leading-edge biometric and mobile technology, as well as the different ways in which employee time and attendance information can be effectively utilised across other areas of the business, outside of payroll processing and HR management. 

The Payroll Expo will run in conjuction with the Workplace Review, providing attendees with an opportunity to learn more about the latest payroll and HR technology and tools to implement best practices, operational efficiencies and cost savings. 

“We are pleased to be associated with TAPS and the Payroll Expo once again, and are especially looking forward to presenting as part of the educational sessions”, said Jamie Fitzsimons, Mitrefinch Marketing Manager. 

“As well as advising attendees on new trends in workforce management, we will also demonstrate how up-to-the-minute time and attendance data can be used for effective labour costing, fatigue management, mobile workforce tracking, and staff and production scheduling.” 

The Conference will take place at the Bayview Eden in Melbourne on October 17/18 and at Luna Park in Sydney on October 24/25. 

For more information contact Mitrefinch direct on 1300 884 831 or visit the event website. 

Workforce Time and Attendance Management for Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is subject to rapid changes in supply and demand, often as a result of seasonal changes, special promotions or new product launches and changes in the economy.

Improve the efficiency of your production staff with specialised Workforce Time and Attendance Software

To remain productive and profitable, manufacturers must respond to these fluctuations by ensuring that their workforce matches the supply and demand situation. 

By achieving this balance, they can avoid problems related to over or understaffing such as increased labour costs, decreased productivity or poor product quality. 

With an automated Time and Attendance System, supervisors and managers can easily assign employees to pre-defined work shifts and rosters, and schedule staff across a multitude of production sites. 

A good time and attendance application should also be able to accommodate complex award entitlements, rosters and work schedules, ensuring you have the appropriate number of staff, with the required skills, available for each shift.

How you capture your employee's time and attendance data is also important. Time clocks and terminals need to suit the environment. Will the area be hosed down? Are staff required to wear latex gloves? Do employees work with different oils or lubricants? Is the area refrigerated or chilled?   

Data capture options can include; biometric fingerscan technology, touch screen kiosks, durable proximity fob and swipe card terminals, or mobile applications. 

Working with some of the world's leading manufacturers, Mitrefinch's Time and Attendance system provides manufacturers with the tools to: 

• Accurately track employee time and attendance, reduce absenteeism, and improve productivity 
• Plan for future work and cover with our budget costing and time allocation tools 
• Easily track expenses against revenue 
• Automate compliance with work rules and industry award entitlements 
• Ensure shifts align with machine time, in order to maximise productivity 
• Manage overtime planning and allocation 
• Increase site safety with integrated Access Control, Fire Evacuation and Fatigue Management Reporting 
• Access real-time information on overtime, absences, and productivity and use this data to make important strategic decisions
• Capture employee time and attendance information from a range of sources

For more information on Workforce Management for Manufacturing visit Mitrefinch online or call 1300 884 831

Alcohol and drug use costing Australian businesses $5.2 billion a year in lost productivity and absenteeism

A new academic paper written for the Australian Drug Foundation has found that alcohol and drug use is costing Australian businesses $5.2 billion a year in hidden lost productivity and absenteeism.

The paper entitled, “Workplace Alcohol and other Drug Programs: What is Good Practice?” estimates the annual cost of absenteeism due to alcohol alone to be close to $1.2 billion.

Australian Drug Foundation Head of Workplace Services, Phillip Collins, explains; “The costs of lost productivity or absenteeism due to alcohol and other drugs are well hidden in most businesses.” “Employers and HR departments simply don’t have enough information to attribute the days of work their staff are missing as being due to drug and alcohol use.

“With access to real-time information on absenteeism, employers can quickly identify; how often a worker is absent, how much working time has been lost, if there is a particular pattern forming, and in which area of the business absenteeism occurs most” advises Jamie Fitzsimons, Marketing Manager at Mitrefinch Workforce Management. 

Workforce time and attendance management systems specialise in recording unplanned absences and leave, producing a complete Absence Profile for an individual employee, group of employees, or department. Armed with this information management can determine how absence impacts the organisation's overall productivity and address potential issues before they get out of hand.

For more information on preventive alcohol and drug workplace programs and how they can help your business become healthier, happier and more productive visit the Australian Drug Foundation website: www.adf.org.au/programs-services/workplace-services.

New report reveals work is the primary cause of stress

Work is the biggest cause of stress in the UK, a study commissioned by mental health organisation Mind has revealed. 

The research showed that 34 per cent of those surveyed felt their job was either "very" or "quite" stressful and this was a bigger concern than financial or and health worries. 

One in five of the 2,000 people who took part in the survey said they had taken a day off sick because they could not cope with the pressure of going into work. However, 90 per cent made up a different excuse for their absence. 

Most cite excessive workload and/or long hours as the most significant causes of stress in the workplace. While the emergence of new mobile technology and the "alway-on" employee, as well as a lack of work-life balance are also common contributing factors. 

Employers can use the data collected by their workforce time management system to effectively monitor their employee’s time and attendance – analysing unpaid overtime, those who work from home, as well as absence statistics. 

Armed with this information they may be able to justify hiring additional manpower or bringing in contractors at times of increased activity, or at the very least acknowledge the effort being put in by their team - perhaps introducing some incentive or a Time in Lieu scheme for salaried staff who work overtime.

In the long run, this ultimately benefits the entire organisation as a motivated and happy workforce will lead to increased productivity, as well as reduced absence and staff turnover.

Chief executive of Mind Paul Farmer agrees, "Improving mental wellbeing in the workplace doesn't have to cost a lot. Our research shows that people whose organisations offered flexible working hours and generous annual leave said such measures supported their mental wellbeing."
 

Overtime and Absence costs Queensland Corrective Services $35m - what about your business?

Queensland Corrective Services Minister Joe Francis has raised concerns over “unacceptable” levels of sick leave, overtime and workers compensation amongst prison officers - with overtime and personal leave costing the state close to $35m last year*. 

Organisations need to establish an effective means of measuring and monitoring employee attendance and overtime, particularly across the Public Sector where they are under constant pressure to manage their wage bill more effectively.

Mitrefinch are currently assisting a number of Government and state agencies with their absence and attendance reporting needs, arming them with the information they need to optimise their workforce and eliminate costly overtime and contract labour.

With this information on hand, department heads and managers can quickly identify; how often a worker is absent, how much working time has been lost, if there is a particular pattern forming, and where absenteeism occurs the most (i.e. within a particular department, team). 

An automated Time and Attendance System is a powerful Workforce Management tool designed to accurately analyse employee attendance information and the associated costs. 

By recording unplanned absences and leave, a Time and Attendance System can generate a complete Absence Profile for an individual employee, group of employees, or department, for further analysis. As well as identifying how absence impacts the organisation's overall productivity. 

To help alleviate the problems associated with unplanned absence, in-built employee scheduling and rostering capabilities can help management to plan work schedules and shift cover according to available resources, skill sets, and pre-defined budgets. 

For more information on absence management, attendance recording and time tracking solutions contact the Mitrefinch team today.

* Source: HC Online

Safeguarding your business from an underpayment law suit with better workforce management

Yet another company is in the Fair Work Ombudsman’s sights for underpayment with SmartCompany reporting that an Adelaide windscreen company is set to appear in court over allegedly underpaying seven employees more than $100,000 over a period of four years.

In this case, the FWO argues the employees were paid flat hourly rates ranging from $12.50 to $21.62, "resulting in the employees variously being underpaid their minimum hourly rates, casual loadings and penalty rates”.

Employees were also allegedly instructed to work through lunch periods without a break, and then weren't paid for that time. One employee has also accused the company of underpaying annual and personal leave entitlements.

The FWO has been eagerly chasing businesses accused of underpaying workers, especially workers from other countries. However, business groups have complained the wage system is too hard to understand, with businesses likely to make mistakes because of the complexity of different awards and rates.

Safeguard your business from a potential Fair Work Ombudsman investigation

An automated time and attendance system can assist organisations with better workforce management by accurately capturing and recording employees’ work time and attendance information.

With this information a time and attendance system can easily calculate base and overtime pay, weekend and public holiday penalties, as well as leave loading and shift penalties and modern awards. This ensures consistent application of your business rules and compliance with federal and state workplace legislation.

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

For more information download our White Paper "Howto choose the right Time and Attendance System for your Business".

Positive relationships and better work/life balance 'key to job fulfilment'

According to a new study out of the UK, encouraging better relationships between staff and helping them strike a reasonable work/life balance could be the best workforce management techniques for employers looking to boost staff engagement and wellbeing.

The study by support charity Samaritans and insurance firm Simplyhealth, asked more than 1,400 workers to identify which aspects of their job they felt was most essential to feeling fulfilled at work.

Just under half (42 per cent) of workers felt positive relationships with their bosses and colleagues helped them to feel good at work, while 40 per cent said having a good work/life balance was key.

Receiving praise (26 per cent) and earning the trust of the boss (16 per cent) were also important factors. While just 14 per cent of workers said hitting their targets was essential for feeling good about their job, and interestingly only four per cent agreed that team activities including 'away-days' made them feel fulfilled.

Commenting on the findings, Rachel Kirby Rider, Samaritans' director for fundraising and communications, said: "Samaritans understand how interacting with people is really important and so it is interesting to see that having positive relationships tops the poll of making people feel good at work”.

"Our survey results demonstrate how looking out for each other’s wellbeing and having a good work/life balance is essential."

Employers looking to help staff achieve a better balance between their work and private lives could find that investing in time and attendancesoftware, which allows for the monitoring of employee working hours, can help achieve this.

Management could use the data collected by their time and attendance system to monitor not only the contracted hours of their staff but also the extra hours that employees put in to complete projects. 

Armed with this information they may be able to justify hiring additional staff or bringing in contractors at times of increased activity, or at the very least acknowledge the effort being put in their employees - perhaps introducing a Time in Lieu scheme or incentives for those that put in the hard yards?

This could not only improve staff wellbeing but also boost productivity, suggested Mark Day, spokesperson for Simplyhealth.

"Organisations with healthy, happy employees can find they see improvements in productivity and results," he added.

There are many more benefits of using an automated time and attendance system, visit Mitrefinch online to find out more.

Up to 173,000 Aussies planning a sick day today - things may be a little quiet around your workplace!

Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi!

With Australia Day falling on Saturday this year, Monday is regarded as a public holiday. And as a result the NSW Business Chamber, warns that this Friday (today!) employers will encounter some additional 173,000 sick days, at a cost of $36 million, as many employees plan on enjoying  an unofficial extra long weekend.

As reported on HC Online, the peak business body advises employers to take a tough stance on the act of “chucking a sickie”, and communicate that such unplanned absence can have a detrimental effect on productivity. 

“It's amazing how many people get 'sick' the day before a long weekend, but it's an obvious stunt that only serves to damage personal reputations and morale in the workplace," CEO Stephen Cartwright said.

Employers are encouraged to communicate a willingness to approve leave requests either side of the long weekend where possible, he said, as this can greatly reduce ‘sickies’ taken. 

Generally when employees are aware of their annual leave entitlement and if they have a substantial number of days stockpiled, they will be more likely to use this rather than feeling like they need to use a sick day instead.

An automated time and attendance management system, with EmployeeSelf Service (ESS) 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.

In addition, by maintaining a central repository of all employee leave records, a time and attendance management system monitors and record patterns of absenteeism, sick leave, and productivity, enabling you to identify any particular patterns or sudden unexplained changes.

A time and attendance solution can also help you to effectively manage your organisation’s leave and holiday planning processes by:

• Calculating leave eligibility based on an employee’s hours worked and hire date
• Generating real time absence management and vacation planning reports
• Creating work schedules that take in account employees on leave, thus ensuring you have sufficient cover to meet customer or project demands and deadlines

So if you want to enjoy your Australia Day festivities without having to worry about the effects of unplanned absence, contact Mitrefinch on 1300 884 831 or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au to find out more about effective Absence Management and Time and AttendanceTracking.

Source: HC Online

Festive Workforce Management: Managing Public Holidays

While Christmas is generally regarded as a holiday for most, there are a number of industries that will require staff to work across some or all of the public holidays. 

Image courtesy of Fair Work Australia

Managing public holidays and associated pay rates over the festive period can be quite confusing – in particular for organisations who operate nationally – as some Australian States and Territories adopt slightly different arrangements. For example, in South Australia, part-day public holidays have been declared from 7pm - midnight on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. 

Employees also have workplace entitlements on public holidays, regardless of whether they work or not. Fair Work Australia advises that minimum wages for working on public holidays depend on a number of things, including the industry you work in and the work you do. 

Under many awards and agreements, an employee who works on a public holiday may receive a penalty rate or loading for the hours worked, be provided with time off instead of payment of penalty rates, or receive equivalent time added to their annual leave balance. 

Fair Work also advise that an employee's roster can't be changed to avoid the payment for a public holiday if the employee doesn't work. 

Useful Links: 

• What Employees Get on Public Holidays 
• Christmas and New Year Public Holiday FAQs
• Annual Shut Down FAQs

Regardless of the State or Territory you operate in, a Time and Attendance system can take the stress out of employee allowances and entitlement calculations via inbuilt Award Interpretation functionality. 

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

Current Mitrefinch TMS users can easily configure their Time Management System (TMS) to process Public Holidays – for assistance contact Mitrefinch Support. 

If you are still processing your payroll manually and would like to put improved Workforce Management and automated Award Interpretation on your Christmas Wish List contact us via email (sales@mitrefinch.co.au) or call +61 2 8762 7888.

Suffering from overworkitis? Take a dose of "Go Home on Time" today!

Do you struggle to clock off on time? Never enough hours in the day to do all the things you want to do? Does having a Smart Phone mean you are always connected to the office?

 
New research by The Australia Institute in the lead up to “Go Home On Time Day” has found that, 6.8 million Australians' personal time is interrupted by work phone calls or emails, 2.2 million don't know what time they will be heading home from work when they leave the house in the morning, and 4.8 million find it hard to take their annual leave at a time that suits them. 

Now in its fourth year, “Go Home On Time Day” (November 21) is an initiative of The Australia Institute and its aim is to show employers and their staff that life doesn’t need to revolve around work. 

The day was originally conceived as a light-hearted way to start a serious conversation about the impact of poor work/life balance on our health, relationships and workplaces – and needless to say the team here at Mitrefinch are keen supporters!

The negative impact working excessive hours can have on an employee’s mental wellbeing are well documented. Just a couple of months ago, we reported on a UK study that found working 11-hour days on a regular basis can more than double a worker’s risk of depression compared to those who typically work an eight hour day – Read the "Excessive Overtime may be linked to Depression" blog post.

As a provider of Workforce Management Software Systems, we are often asked about the value of having a Time and Attendance Solution when an organisation only has salaried staff on the books. 

In our opinion, if you don't monitor your employees’ working time you can’t manage it! 

By having all staff clock in/out, managers and supervisors can easily identify just how much unpaid overtime their employees are putting in and if there is a particular pattern forming - e.g. staff being forced to work overtime around the end of the month or busy trading periods. 

Armed with this information you may be able to justify hiring additional staff or bringing in contractors at times of increased activity, or at the very least acknowledge the effort being put in by your team - perhaps introducing a Time in Lieu scheme or incentives for those that put in the hard yards? 

In the long run, this ultimately benefits you as a motivated and happy workforce generally means increased productivity! 

There are many more benefits of using an automated time and attendance system, visit our website to find out more or feel free to contact us directly on +61 2 8762 7888 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au 

Also, be sure to relieve work related stress this afternoon and Go Home On Time! 

For more info on “Go Home On Time Day” and to get your workplace involved see: http://www.gohomeontimeday.org.au/

The pitfalls of underpaying staff - what you can do to ensure it doesn't happen to you

A national service station operator has been fined for underpaying more than 200 employees, resulting in a $46,200 fine, as reported by Payroll News. 

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) also ordered Freedom Fuels Australia to back pay a total of $191,197 to the 234 employees it underpaid between May, 2006 and July, 2009. 

Organisations need to ensure they have systems in place to accurately pay staff - or face large fines

 According to the FWO investigation, casual and part-time workers made up the majority of the underpaid workers, and the mistakes were predominantly made in the calculation of overtime rates, namely penalty rates for weekend, shift and public holiday work. 

So how can other businesses ensure they don’t make similar mistakes? 

Small to medium-sized businesses without dedicated HR staff can ensure they are better equipped to manage employees by using free employment documentation templates available through the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website. 

A series of Best Practice Guides have also been developed by the Fair Work Ombudsman to assist employers make better use of the provisions of the Fair Work Act and better understand other aspects of workplace laws. 

Businesses can also benefit by implementing a Workforce Management System, which records employee time and attendance as well as automatically calculating specific pay scales, modern awards, pay penalties and overtime rates. 

This pay information can then be imported into the organisation’s payroll system – further improving the efficiency and accuracy of the pay run. 

Real time Absence Management reports also allow management to view the Annual Leave and sick leave taken by employees to date, while Employee Self Service functionality enables staff to view accrued leave and request holidays with the click of a mouse. 

For more information download our Guide to Implementing a Time and Attendance System. Alternatively feel free to call +61 2 8762 7888 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au to discuss in more detail. 

 Read the full article on Payroll News: http://www.austpayroll.com.au/announcements/employer-fined-for-underpaying-200-staff

Melbourne Cup: the Race that can grind Business to a halt

With the Melbourne Cup day just a few days away, many employees across NSW are busy planning Cup day lunches and office sweep stakes.

However legal experts are advising employers to have all the right policies in place before “the race that stops a nation” to avoid getting caught up in any scandals.

Speaking to mX Sydney, Joydeep Hor, managing principal, at People + Culture Strategies, explains that it doesn't matter whether you decide to have a half-day or not: you need to set expectations for all staff so there's no disappointment or confusion come Tuesday.

“Issues have arisen in the past for some of our clients where staff assume they have the rest of the afternoon off, when in fact they are required in the office”.

He also added, "There are plenty of complications regarding the consumption of alcohol and the risk of inappropriate behaviour, the disclosure of corporate information."

The solution isn't difficult, according to Hor. Just spend some time setting guidelines for all staff about whether or not they should come back to work, if alcohol can be consumed, and any other related topics you may think of.

Despite it been a Public Holiday in Victoria, employers there have raised concerns about the tendency for workers to call in sick on the Monday beforehand - giving them an extra long weekend.

While the majority of employees take a legitimate four-day weekend by applying for leave in advance, employers have also experienced a significant increase in unplanned absences or sickies on the day.

The impact of staff taking a ‘mass sick day’ on a business is significant in terms of financial costs and lost productivity. Where possible, employers should encourage staff to use up any stockpiled leave if they are planning on taking an extra-long weekend.

In addition, there are numerous tools available to help employers better manage leave and absence.  

Leave Slots are an innovative holiday planning feature available in the latest release of Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance System. 

This new functionality enables managers and supervisors to limit how many employees can be off on a given day or time period (e.g. the Monday before Cup Day) - averting potential staffing shortfalls and ensuring you have sufficient staff on hand to meet demand.

Employees can view available Leave Slots online and they will be unable to request leave once the limit has been reached – hence HR won’t need to deal with multiple requests from staff on what days are available etc...

In addition, Absence Profiling, allows you to see who took a sick day, when, and if any particular pattern is forming. For example, you could check back to last year and see if there was a significant spike in absence on the Monday of Cup Week – and take appropriate action.

If you happen to work in an industry where staff are required to work on Cup Day, an automated Time and Attendance Software System can also take the stress out of payroll processing – by easily calculate overtime pay and public holiday penalties, and exporting this information direct to your external payroll application. 

For more information call 1300 884 831 or email sales@mitrefinch.com.au

Read more: 

Smart Company: Cup day blues legal expert warns businesses to get their work policies in order

mX Sydney: Race that stops nation if boss OK