Workforce Asset Management Book of Knowledge

Lisa Disselkamp, Lisa Disselkamp

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781118417119
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Toma de decisiones

The official study guide for the Workforce Management Technology Certification, containing core knowledge for time and labor management

The worldwide standard for the time and labor management technology profession, Workforce Asset Management Book of Knowledge is the official guide to the Workforce Asset Management Certification. Establishing a common lexicon within the profession for talking about workforce management and systems, this essential guide is designed to establish a body of generally accepted and applicable practices and standards within the industry.

• Includes contributions from leaders in the field
• Covers everything from vendor and product selection, to implementation planning and execution, system design, testing and change control, financial analytics, fundamentals of scheduling people against workload and skill sets, and how to use these systems to manage labor costs and productivity
• Body of knowledge is focused on workers and technologies for every industry and every type of employer
• Designed around timekeeping and labor scheduling technologies

With contributions from leaders in the field, this book expertly covers the knowledge, practices, regulations, and technologies within the domain of workforce management systems. It provides the body of knowledge for managing a workforce using time and attendance systems, labor scheduling, productivity, staffing budgets, workforce software applications, or data, compensation and benefits for payroll and human resources.

UNIT THREE

Timekeeping

WHEN IT COMES TO IMPLEMENTING and managing time and labor management systems, the workforce management office(r) (WMO) and the Workforce Asset Management Professionals (WAM-Pros) are fully invested. They are the owners and “CEOs of Time and Attendance,” meaning that not only are they accountable, but they are actively interested in greater efficiencies and improved outcomes.

With regard to specific WFM timekeeping technology, WAM-Pros look at not only the immediate function and use as a tool, but also at the total cost of ownership, the end-to-end functionality, and desired fit for the company. WAM-Pros assess new and current devices such as biometric or mobile resource management devices not for the bells and whistles, but for the ROI, the learning curve, and the functionality and required maintenance over time. If faced with attendance issues or a benefit-tracking problem, WAM-Pros use technology to address the root cause of the issue. They consider the need when talking with vendors about accrual or leave management packages. They make sure that these add-ons produce the necessary data, solve the core issue, and integrate with the other necessary WFM systems to avoid inefficiencies.

A WAM-Pro does not simply ask what a device or package does in general, but questions whether it can do what the organization needs. The benefit of certified WAM-Pros supported by a centralized workforce management office (WMO) is that they are able to assess the device from punch to paycheck to bottom-line profitability. They are a user buyer, as much as they are a technical buyer or an economic buyer; they understand and represent the needs of the payroll department, as well as the IT department, and even the line workers.

For the WMO and the WAM-Pro, it is not just about the collection of time; it is about how the technology produces meaningful information and influences the outcomes of labor activities. For example, a missed in-punch alerts a manager to missing data for payroll, but it also alerts the operating manager to a staffing need due to an absence. When payday arrives, depending on the controls in place and the timecard functionality, a supervisor may need to sign and approve the timecard and the entered punch. This oversight reduces the amount of payroll leakage. Over time, a collection of missed punch data can be used to predict attendance and turnover, which can help the talent management or human resource (HR) department draft better policies and penalties, and maintain compliance. The absence data can also help reduce overtime costs and misapplied payments for unexcused absence, which impact the bottom line, and as a result affect and involve the accounting department.

The WAM-Pro understands the entire impact of real-time data—from the device's capacity for accuracy to alerting the organization to potential risk and cost. WAM-Pros can produce better outcomes because they are meticulous during configuration and conduct the necessary integrity checks to maintain the system compliance. Configuration and compliance should not be an afterthought or the only thought, nor should it be avoided or overlooked because it is not understood or unfavorable. With the overall goal of organizational maturity in mind, the WAM-Pro treats system configuration as an opportunity to create a better system and better outcomes. Leakage and lapses can occur if the rules were hurriedly input or incorrectly configured. Think of it like setting the correct time on the clock—if you start by setting the wrong time, you will always be off. Do not start off already late.

Because the configuration of the system profoundly affects the potential of the WMO to manage and mitigate WFM issues, it is critical that skilled WAM-Pros be involved from start to finish. With the support from the WMO and knowledge of state and federal rules and regulations, the WAM-Pro organization can be confident about the design of the system. Designing the proper controls into the system so that users are prevented from causing harm is also important to the WAM-Pro. Understanding where to configure these controls and how to audit for potential violations is how the WAM-Pro protects the organization. The penalties for noncompliance can leave a deep gash in the bottom line. If a lawsuit is brought against an employer for incorrect overtime pay or meal break allowance, the organization can spend a significant portion of its profits on legal counseling, internal investigations, court fees, and so on. A WAM-Pro realizes that abiding by and configuring WFM systems according to proper controls and regulations is more than just enabling the organization to operate legally. Solid configuration contributes to more accurate data reporting, less payroll leakage, and higher employee productivity and satisfaction as well as a stronger bottom line.

WAM-Pros know that the organization's work should not be constrained by the tools and technology, but rather the tools and technology should enhance the work and improve the results for both employer and employee.

CHAPTER FIVE

Workforce Management Devices and Functionality

IN THIS CHAPTER, A WIDE ARRAY of data collection and management tools are identified and their functionalities discussed. Today's workforce interacts with more technology than ever before; being able to wield the technology with prowess is increasingly vital to an organization's sustainability. This chapter introduces and briefly explains many of the biometric, mobile, and fixed devices in the market today. Yet more importantly, this chapter describes the methods and techniques of effectively managing these resources. The intention is to expand the organization's knowledge of what devices and functionality packages are available, and also to teach them what to expect and how to use what they already have. The more an organization can do with technology furthers their competitive advantage. This chapter, in effect, connects device functionality to return on investment (ROI).

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Learning Objectives

By the end of Chapter 5, you should be able to:

• Anticipate the types of features that are often required within timecard modules and explain the processes that automated timecards facilitate.
• Define the various types of accruals and required pay rules and relate them to the Workforce Asset Management (WAM) system design.
• Understand the structural impact of automated workflows and how this shifts the responsibility of traditional roles.
• Recognize which types of data collection systems are better suited to which types of work models as well as general limitations to functionality.
• Explain the basic capabilities, potential benefits, and possible challenges associated with biometric and mobile resource management (MRM) devices on the current market.
• Develop methods and practices to mitigate common issues associated with biometrics and MRM systems.

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5.1 TIMECARD FUNCTIONALITY

The timecard, or time record, is the focal point of workforce management (WFM) systems. It is simultaneously the repository, calculator, worksheet, notepad, reporting mechanism, and viewfinder for labor activity. This is where data comes into the system, is manipulated, reviewed, and moved to outside systems. The timecard is where employees and managers congregate to communicate about time worked. The timecard depends on inputs from collection devices, employees, managers, schedules, and payroll and human resources (HR) systems and personnel. Timecards depend on business rule setup in the pay rules, system access rule sets, user role design, interfaces, and WFM modules such as accruals, schedules, leave, and attendance. The Workforce Asset Management Professional (WAM-Pro) designs and monitors timecard activity to deliver high-integrity data to critical systems and operational areas and personnel such as to payroll, managers, compliance, reporting and business intelligence, staffing, finance, and product and customer satisfaction.

(a) Time Record Views

There are several common types of time record views, including the weekly or biweekly timecard view showing employee arrival and departure times and various details about where employees worked and what tasks or roles they fulfilled. This view is most like paper timesheets. Timecards can also be laid out to show durations or spans of work time without specific start and stop times visible. This project view is useful for professional service employees and people who work against project budgets or client accounts. It is sometimes used for exempt workers who do not punch in and out but merely report total time worked. Some systems use the first timecard view mentioned earlier, but limit the record to in and out times only, not computed amounts. These views are most often used when the hours are not computed inside the timekeeping system so that users do not get confused when actual payroll amounts differ. Another type of time report view is the calendar view. This view shows a larger set of time data—often a month at a time and can be color coded to reveal high level activity such as absences, total hours, or special comments. This view is helpful for audits, attendance reviews, and overall monitoring of work activity.

Timecards can be viewed via the computer, the collection device that is enabled with a display screen, smart phones, and handheld devices. However, granting access outside of employer systems such as via a home computer presents serious issues for consideration. How is confidential data protected? Who manages the network to these nonemployer systems? Is the time spent reviewing timecards on personal systems compensable and how can it be managed?

Timecards are used to make a number of business processes easier, more accurate, transparent, and efficient. Basically they are designed to allow the input and editing of work activity data, automate the calculation of time based on the data, allow managers or timekeepers to review and approve time, and facilitate the entry of corrections to present or historical time records. The timecard itself only reveals the calculations that are generated in the background of the system via the rules engine. Timecards may promptly update computed data when it is entered or require the user to save and process the data to improve system performance. Some systems allow users to do a trial calculation to make certain their entry produces the desired outcome. In this way their edits are not saved and tracked until they are final.

It is worth mentioning, too, that what users, particularly managers, are allowed to do to a timecard may not necessarily be the same for their own timecard. Different groups of users may have different rights as well. Exempt workers may be allowed to enter their own time off (e.g., vacation or sick) while hourly workers must depend on supervisors or timekeepers to do so. Professionals such as programmers may enter in their total hours worked, but store employees must use the time clock to report their arrival and departure times. The WAM-Pro considers each of these things ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Unit One: Groundwork for Workforce Asset Management
• Unit Two: The Framework for the Organization
• Unit Three: Timekeeping
• Unit Four: Scheduling and Labor Management
• Unit Five: Analytics, Data, and Integration
• Unit Six: Project Implementation and Support
• Glossary
• About the Editor
• About the Contributors
• Index