Nypro, a large contract manufacturer, has selected Softworks Computing’s time and attendance system to automate the recording of working hours and personnel details at its plant in Waterford.
Following a review of a number of time and attendance systems, the firm opted for ClockWise from Softworks Computing on the strength of its usability, reporting capabilities and built-in ‘mini HR’ system.
The multinational firm, which employs 200 people in Ireland, specialises in high volume, fully automated mechanical assembly, and counts many large companies in the telecommunications, IT, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors among its customers.
Prior to the installation of ClockWise, working hours were manually recorded and entered into an MS Excel spreadsheet. According to Clare Kennedy, HR manager at Nypro Waterford, being able to manage varying shift patterns, reduce the amount of time spent assessing and monitoring hours worked, and improve accuracy of data were the main priorities for any automated system.
‘In the HR department, we couldn’t rely any longer on paper timesheets to provide us with detailed, timely information and the manual process was also proving very laborious.’
Representatives from the HR, Finance and IT departments worked together on the technology selection process, which included visiting existing Softworks customers to see examples of similar systems in place. Kennedy thinks this was time well spent: ‘I would recommend that anyone thinking of installing a new system looks at how it works in other companies of similar size or industry’.
The ‘mini’ HR system allows key personnel information such as contact details, PRSI and pension details, start dates, probation dates and so on to be stored in a central, accessible location. ‘The fact that we have not had to invest in a separate HR system has meant extra cost savings for us. The system is extremely flexible and allows us to decide what information we want to store,’ says Kennedy.
One of the obvious benefits of any automated system over a paper-based equivalent is accuracy. Clocking in and out is now a well-established part of an employee’s routine at Nypro Waterford, partly due to the fact that employees know that accurate clockings mean accurate pay. The system links directly into the company’s payroll system.
Other departments besides payroll and HR have benefited from the new T&A system. For instance, team leaders can manage varying shift patterns more easily thanks to the easy to read shift calendar features, which provides an eight week window in which to plan schedules.
The HR department now makes extensive use of the reporting capabilities. ‘By running off monthly reports on holiday balances, time-keeping and attendance, hours dedicated to training etc., we are guaranteed to have up-to-date information and a good audit trail which would have been virtually impossible to manually manage before,’ said Kennedy.
03/10/2003
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