How does your organisation keep track of employees’ timekeeping and attendance? Some companies don’t have a formal system and simply trust workers to be punctual and work the hours that they should each day. Others prefer a traditional clocking in and out system, allowing them to keep a closer eye on punctuality and attendance.
But which method is best? Of course, it all comes down to whatever works for your management style, but with the latest labour market data showing that many Australian firms are planning to increase their headcount over the next few months, now might be a good time to consider implementing an automated time and attendance system in order to keep tabs on an expanding workforce.
Australia’s current hiring landscape
According to the most recent Australian Employment Outlook from the ManpowerGroup, 15 per cent of managers in the country are planning to take on more staff between now and June. This marks an increase from the previous projection, when 13 per cent were planning to grow their workforce.
The majority of this hiring activity is expected to take place in New South Wales, while employers in Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia have also revealed their intentions to boost their headcounts over the coming months.
Manpower Group’s report states: “Large employers report solid hiring intentions with a net employment outlook of +23 per cent, while some job gains are expected in both the medium and small-size categories with outlooks of +8 per cent. Meanwhile micro employers report modest hiring plans with an outlook of +4 per cent.”
These figures indicate that Australian organisations are going to have markedly larger workforces in the near future, which may present some management challenges, particularly when it comes to keeping tabs on an increasing number of workers’ punctuality and attendance, both of which are vital in ensuring maximum productivity levels.
Our time and attendance software
At Mitrefinch, our market-leading time and attendance software is designed with exactly this kind of scenario in mind. Not only can it help you to see which employees are present and on time, but it can also assist you in dealing with tricky situations, such as when multiple workers are on holiday at once – something that is all the more likely in a larger workforce.
Our system offers benefits to both employees and an employer, making it a highly visible and collaborative platform. It’s not about making staff feel that they can’t be trusted to be on time and that you’re ‘spying’ on them, it’s more about showing them that they are trusted to take responsibility for their own timekeeping and attendance.
For example, employees are expected to log their arrival at work each day. The system will record the time accurately, which should encourage workers to improve their timekeeping if they are regularly late. They can also use the software to request annual leave and to view statistics on their attendance.
This can be particularly helpful for employers when it comes to keeping record of homeworkers or those who work flexible hours, as it means you’ll always know when they are and aren’t working or if they are doing fewer hours than they are contracted to.
Another handy feature is that management can set rules via the system, such as ‘only two people from this team can be on annual leave at one time’, which puts an end to the need for complex spreadsheets and allows you to automatically see if you can grant a holiday request.
We also make sure that the software is regularly updated in line with the latest employment legislation to make all of this even easier for you. What’s more, it can be accessed anytime and anywhere from any device.
