Technology innovations facilitating flexible working practices

New technology and communication devices are making flexible and mobile working practices more and more commonplace. 

According to a recent study by Siemens Enterprise Communications, 85 per cent of communication devices used for team collaboration, including smart phones, laptops and mobile phones, are located outside the company headquarters. 

Siemens believe that this trend could result in the 'anywhere employee' - who can use modern technology to work from multiple locations - replacing the traditional office-based worker. 

The communications company says that 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 now mean this can be done seamlessly and irrespective of location. 

The increasing adoption of cloud computing is also helping organisations to enable remote working, said the study – with 40 per cent of the businesses surveyed intending to deploy some form of cloud computing in the next year.

"The rise of the anywhere employee has meant the end of the office worker," said Rob Keenan, head of UK portfolio management, deployment readiness management at Siemens Enterprise Communications. 

"Business tools, such as unified communications, are reshaping the way organisations collaborate and are helping deliver on the previously-too-difficult promise of enhanced communication. More than ever, work isn't where you go, it's what you do." 

Providing employees with the means to work flexibly can prove a useful absence management tool for employers, allowing staff to work from home or elsewhere should they be unable to make it into the office. 

A web-based time and attendance system would also provide employers with the capability to effectively manage and track their mobile workforce, regardless of their location.

With a web-based 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. 

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. 

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

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

Are your Admin staff stretched and overworked?

Well, apparently they aren’t the only ones, with new research revealing that three quarters of office and administrative staff in Australia are forced to work outside regular office hours.

And believe it or not, they aren’t just doing it to impress you or senior management. Being “over-stretched” and having too much work to do were cited as the main reasons for staying late in the office.

The study compiled by recruitment firm, OfficeTeam, examined the working habits of 540 administrative professionals across the country. They found that while 76 per cent of recipients admitted to voluntarily working outside their contracted hours, more than half of those questioned said that they felt pressured by their employer to put in extra graft to help keep on top of their workload.

Stephen Langhammer, Associate Director of OfficeTeam explained that, “It is the responsibility of employers to manage their staff’s hours and ensure that they are not burning out at work.” “Managers need to heed the warning signs and look at ways they can alleviate the pressure if their administrative staff are regularly working overtime,” he said.

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that 84 per cent of those questioned said that they sometimes went to work when feeling ill, while one in four were not satisfied with their current remuneration package. Langhammer advises employers who can’t afford to renumerate staff for the extra hours that they are putting in, to instead look at compensating them in other ways, and aim to offer a better work/life balance.

“Whilst alternative work arrangements have obvious health and well-being benefits for employees, there is also a strong business case for equipping staff to work flexibly, as it can boost efficiency and, in turn, reduce the pressure to work overtime and to come into the office when sick,” he added.

Source:http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/A1/0C06FEA1.asp

How might an automated Time and Attendance System help?

A first step might be to monitor the hours your admin staff are actually putting in at work. An automated Time and Attendance System will allow you to track when staff are working longer hours and if there is a particular pattern i.e. at month or quarter end, every fortnight etc...perhaps you need to hire extra manpower during these busier periods to help elevate the workload inflicted on your admin staff.

If you want to introduce flexible working practices, an automated Time and Attendance System can be customised to match your specific working patterns and legislation, supporting flexi-time and shift work across multiple sites and pay centres, while seamlessly integrating with you other business, HR and Payroll systems.

Web-based and Mobile Time and Attendance applications 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, working from home or out on the road.

In addition, by eliminating the manual calculation of working hours, an effective Time and Attendance System will eradicate the mountain of administrative work involved with payroll processing, and thus saving the Payroll Department from unnecessary stress and hardship as the generate the pay run.

While an Employee Self Service module, would allow your staff to manage their own attendance information in a controlled, accessible and efficient way. Employees could simply access the system online to view their accrued leave, entitlements, and request updates to their personal records without having to bother the HR department.

Want to find out more?

Don’t stress! Simply download our Free Guide on “How to Choose an Effective Time and Attendance System” or call us on 1300 884 831 for more information.

Flexible work options to boost job opportunities in rural areas

The introduction of a high-speed broadband network and a shift in employee attitudes towards working remotely will undoubtedly benefit regional areas in terms of increased job opportunities. This was the outlook from Cisco’s “The Changing Nature of Work” debate last week.

Speaking at the event, Senator Kate Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, explained that the growing flexibility of working locations and advancements in technology and infrastructure would present a ‘phenomenal opportunity’ for those not living in metropolitan areas.

“People will have choice in this country about where they work, and how productive that work can be, like no other country. The change would set Australia up to be a fascinating test bed for change in work practice across the world, and lead by example,” she said.

Jacob Murray-White, Head of Salmat@Home, said that geographic diversity and ‘working from home’ allows organisations to “to reach out to people all over Australia and therefore attract a really high quality of people who really want to work from home.”

He added, “it allows people to make a lifestyle choice about where they want to live and it allows them to work in what is essentially a very nice work environment at home doing a high white collar style job on their own terms – it means that we get some fantastic people who would have no other way of participating in this type of work force.”

As a precursor to the debate, Cisco conducted a survey "The Connected World" which questioned over 2600 workers from around the globe. The results revealed that two thirds of participants would rather have flexible working arrangements than a higher salary, while in Australia the figure was even higher at 73 per cent. However, 43 per cent of Australian employees believe that they needed to be physically ‘in the office’ to make decisions more effectively and efficiently, with nothing replacing daily ‘in-person’ interaction.

Fernanda Afonso, organisational development specialist for Freehills and national chair of the Australian Psychology Society, said that while a high proportion of employees would prefer more flexible working conditions, it is important to remember that we are social human beings and need to feel connected to a broader community in some kind way.

Interestingly the Cisco results suggest that the ability to work outside office hours, doesn't necessarly result in a shorter working week for employees, instead participants said that on avearge they worked an extra 2-3 hours per day, while 10 per cent said that they were always online and work through their waking hours.

Afonso said that the responsibility should lie with employees, who must set strict boundaries for a work/ life balance and communicate what is acceptable for them personally.

"Sometimes we do expect our managers to second guess what’s going on in our life, so I think it’s important for the individual to communicate that,” she advised.

To read the full article see the HR Leader: http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/E8/0C06F6E8.asp

To support today’s flexible working practices such as job-sharing, flex-time, and remote offices, Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance software (TMS) and HR systems are available as web-based applications, an iPhone App or can be deployed on other smart phones, WAP enabled mobiles, notebooks and laptops.

This enhanced functionality enables organisations to monitor the time and attendance of all employees, and automate time-intensive administrative tasks, in turn enhancing productivity, improving workforce compliance while also increasing customer and employee satisfaction. In addition, integration with GPS technology and Job Costing facilitates real-time project tracking and analysis of employee activity from any location.

To find out more contact Mitrefinch Sales on 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au