Is your organisation taking advantage of flexible working arrangements?

The team at Mitrefinch were interested to discover that over one million Queensland employees have engaged in some form of flexible working arrangements as part of their main job, and it begged us to ask the question - is your organisation engaging in Flexi Working?

As reported in HC Online, the figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), found that Government sector employees reportedly make greater use of flexible working arrangements than their colleagues in the private sector, with 67% of government staff using some form of flexible working arrangement in the last year. However the private sector aren’t far behind, with 56% of employees advising that they are able to take advantage of similar flexible work arrangements.

Those working in the government sector enjoy the additional freedom of being able to choose their start and finish times as well as when to take annual leave.

It’s not a big surprise that financial reasons were the driving force behind Queenslanders wanting to work more hours. While, lifestyle was the main reason given for those wanting to work less hours.

The benefits of flexible workplace arrangements have been well documented and the Australian Government Job Access factsheet provides employers with a multitude of reasons why organisations should look to offer flexible work options to employees, such as:

• improving the ability of employers to attract skilled and motivated employees
• creating greater staff loyalty and higher return on training investment
• increased trust and respect
• reduced stress levels and improved morale and commitment
• reduced absenteeism and staff turnover
• improved productivity
• potential for improved occupational health and safety records
• assisting compliance with anti-discrimination and workplace relations laws.

For further information you can read the full article on HC Online here.

Want to introduce flexible working arrangements but not sure how?

Web-based time and attendance software is an effective, yet affordable, means of managing an organisation's entire workforce, allowing management to take full advantage of today’s flexible working practices such as mobile working and flexi-time, keeping costs low and increasing employee productivity.

A web-based time and attendance system allows employees to manage their own time and attendance information in a controlled, accessible and efficient way - regardless of their location.

Staff can remotely clock in and out of tasks, appointments and projects via desktop PCs, laptops, iPads/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 constantly interfering with the valuable time of HR staff.

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

Meanwhile, powerful reporting functionality enables managers and supervisors to identify the commercial impact of staffing decisions.

Ready to take the next step?

For more information on how a web-based time and attendance system could help you embrace mobile workforce management and flexible working arrangements contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (Aus) or 09 363 9557 (NZ).

Alternatively feel free to chat with us online at http://www.mitrefinch.com.au

Give your HR Department the gift of Employee Self Service

With the Christmas and Summer holiday season well and truly upon us, HR departments across the country are being bombarded with various requests for time off.

How your business deals with these requests can make a big difference to your bottom line - as well as your HR team's wellbeing!

Mitrefinch's Time Management System, TMS, lets your employees manage their own time and attendance in a controlled, accessible and efficient way.

Our web-based interface can be customised to allow remote clocking in from desktop PCs, laptops and the latest smart phones - enabling staff to clock in and out of tasks, appointments and projects whether they are in the office or out in the field.

Employees can also view their accrued leave, entitlements, and request updates to their personal records without having to bother the HR department. It TMS allows you to take full advantage of today’s flexible work schedules and split shifts, keeping your costs as low as possible and increasing your organisation’s productivity.

Employee Self Service is ultimately designed to make your business more profitable and your HR team more efficient.

To find out how, please visit www.mitrefinch.com.au or call 1300 884 831 and put Employee Self Service on your Christmas Wishlist today!

More and more Aussies working away from the office

Almost half of Australian workers are now spending more time doing business out of the office than five years ago, according to a recent survey by Telstra to mark the launch of their new Ultimate USB modem.

The survey of over 2000 Australian employees found that one quarter spend five or more hours working away from their office. This is largely due to improved mobile and broadband technology and flexible workplace conditions.

Telstra Spokeswoman Rebekah O’Flaherty said, “Our research shows almost half of all working Australians are spending more time doing business outside the workplace than they were five years ago and they’re attributing that to better technology and increased flexibility of employers.”

Almost 80 per cent of respondents said they would work outside the workplace if allowed by their employer, claiming they would be just as if not more productive if they were allowed to work remotely.

In response to the findings, Paul Colgan, Managing Editor of The Punch advises, “As the technology improves and more and more companies make it an option for their workers, it’s worth stopping to think about how to really realise the potential of remote access.”

He adds that it’s not just big corporations that reap the rewards from having staff working remotely, “small business, too, can get huge benefits from having staff out on the road and handling correspondence or doing paperwork on the fly”.

With more people working from home, or on projects at remote sites away from the office, the collection and management of employee time and attendance data can become increasingly complex.

Mitrefinch provide a range of Employee Management solutions to enable both employees and managers/supervisors to work remotely. From mobile time recording and tracking via iPhone, Blackberry or other Smart Phones, to an Employee Self-Service web application allowing staff to clock in/out or on/off jobs, request leave, shift and work record changes, and check attendance information.

Supervisor functionality includes checking, editing and approving anomalies, planning absences and shift changes, future work planning, skills search, and reporting, allowing them to easily manage their work from PC's or mobile devices wherever they may be.

For more information on Mobile Workforce Management contact Mitrefinch Sales today on 1300 884 831, email sales@mitrefinch.com.au or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au

Links to full articles:
Sydney Morning Herald: Aussies working out of the office more
The Punch: Is it time to put the brakes on remote working

One billion man hours lost to sickies across Europe each year

It might be every employer’s worst nightmare: to discover that staff have been feigning sickness in order to take a well-deserved break or attend to urgent personal affairs.

According to a new study by leading employee risk and benefits management firm Aon Consulting, a staggering 120 million sick days a year are taken across Europe for reasons other than genuine illness. Of these, 35 million are taken by British employees. All in all, this costs employers an incredible €40 billion.

Significantly, Aon also asked the surveyed employees what measures would dissuade them from taking phony sick leave in the future. Along with the ability to take ‘social days’ away from the office, the provision of flexible working options was the most common request.

Indeed, it is likely that more and more companies will turn to flexible working in the fight to reduce absenteeism.

Mitrefinch provide computerised time and attendance systems which allow employers to implement and monitor flexible working patterns throughout their business.

To find out how Mitrefinch can help you better manage your flexi-time contact us now on 1300 884 831, email sales@mitrefinch.com.au or visit www.mitrefinch.com.au

To read the full Aon Report go to: http://aon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1957