Workforce Management Blog

Synerion North America Inc. acquires ITR Systems Division

Synerion becomes the largest Canadian mid-market provider of WFM solutions following the acquisition of ITR Systems Division.

Dec 15^th, 2011, Mississauga, ON – A veteran in the WFM industry, Synerion announced this week their acquisition of the assets of the  ITR Systems Division.  Combined, the merger will create a company with more than 65 years’ experience and 20,000 customers worldwide, in a wide array of industries. The merger of the ITR division with Synerion means more effective, efficient and superior solutions for Synerion’s and ITR’s clients.

About Synerion

Tracking more than four million employees in various industries, Synerion provides comprehensive Workforce Management (WFM) software solutions and services that enable organizations to effectively optimize their most valuable asset – human resources. Using cutting edge technology and industry best practices, Synerion’s WFM Suite offers organizations a set of integrated tools for the measurable management of workforce performance. The solutions help companies meet organizational goals and maximize business performance.

About ITR

Established in 1965, ITR is the largest privately owned Canadian provider of workforce management systems, with more than 45 years of experience. With offices across Canada, ITR delivers exceptional, scalable solutions and responsive customer service. ITR’s Systems Division develops, implements and supports innovative software that helps organizations of any size and in any industry manage all aspects of their workforce including: time and attendance; employee and job scheduling; accruals; labour allocation; and time and labour reporting.  Tracy Parzych CEO of ITR believes that Synerion will be able to nurture and grow the ITR System Division.  She added, “The merger will enable the software to become even stronger and bring new opportunities to the employees”.

Ernie Pozzobon, President and CEO of Synerion North America, says this merger will provide expanded capabilities, and better levels of customer support.

“Synerion is excited about the possibilities and opportunities that will stem from the acquisition of ITR’s division and looks forward to creating many new and innovative releases in the human resources software arena in the future.”

“Moreover,” Pozzobon said, “the products and consulting services that Synerion delivers, combined with the complimentary products with which the company integrates, will create synergistic value. Customers will feel this synergy and ultimately receive a higher return on their investment.”

To learn more about Synerion, visit www.synerionwfm.com.

What is a workforce management system?

A workforce management system is a comprehensive tool which seeks to automate, regulate and centralize the process of workforce management. Scheduling, time and attendance, managing employee requests and absence management all represent different aspects of workforce management.  Clearly managing a workforce without an actual workforce management system would be a highly involved task that would eat up a lot of resources.

Why invest in a workforce management system?

-          Saves Money

• A workforce management system has been proven to save organizations of all different sizes money in a variety of ways. For example a WFM system automatically calculates the exact amount to be paid to employees based on the number of hours worked. The alternative to a WFM system is manual payroll calculation which is prone to human calculation errors.

-          Improves morale in the company

• Occasionally employees will have their friends punch them in for work if they are running late or punch them out on time if they leave early. This process is known as “buddy punching”.  Buddy punching hurts the morale of the employees who work their entire scheduled shift because they are being paid the exact same amount as those employees who are showing up late or leaving early. As a result more and more employees will begin to engage in this behavior creating a toxic environment.

-          Improves productivity

• Managers often spend a great amount of time dealing with administrative tasks such as approving employee absence request, creating schedules, generating workforce reports, etc. However workforce management solutions automate all of these processes resulting in more available time for managers to focus on other tasks.

-          Optimizes your workforce

• Workforce management systems have built in tools which allow managers to develop schedules based on reoccurring patterns to meet the needs of their clients while also taking into account labor laws, union rules, vacation days and sick days of employees.

To get more information on workforce management and to see how a workforce management system could benefit your company please visit our website.

No matter what industry you are in, companies know that every dollar counts. So why wouldn’t you want a solution that can help save your organization money while improving operational efficiency?

By implementing an automated time and attendance system, you can save your company 2-5% of your annual payroll expenses. This could amount to thousands or even millions of dollars a year. With time and attendance systems, companies of all sizes are able to realize a significant return on investment.

How does automating your time and attendance save you money?

-Decrease in payroll errors

-Decreasing total payroll processing time

-Decreasing unauthorized leave time

-Improving labor reporting

-Eliminating costs associated with paper timecards

-Eliminating the risks of employee buddy punching or time fraud

-And much more…

What should you consider when choosing a time and attendance system vendor?

-Have a few companies present their solution so you can get a complete picture of what a time and attendance              solution can do for your organization

-Consider the level of support you will be receiving from the vendor if any issues arise with the system

-Speak to the company’s current customers to see if they are happy with the solution, the support, etc

-Do not focus too much on the price tag as a low cost solution may not have the capabilities that your organization will require to get a significant return on investment

For more information on Time and Attendance along with Workforce Management visit our website

To anyone who does not have experience in the workforce management industry, the components of WFM and why it is so important to any company is a mystery. We’ve put together a WFM Wheel, to help explain Workforce Management in a simple and clear manner:

The centre of the wheel is the key to any workforce management system. Accurate payroll records and employee profiles are essential to effectively managing any workforce.

In order to maintain a strong record of this information, data collection and self-service capabilities are utilized. There are a number of data collection alternatives available to companies. For example, when focusing specifically on employee time and attendance, organizations can use badge readers, swipe cards, fingerprint scanners or hand geometry units to track working hours. Employee and manager self-service capabilities are commonly seen through the web. These individuals can log in to an online portal to access and update data, view time cards, and request or approve time off.

Time & Attendance Management, Labour Allocation & Costing, Absence Management and Scheduling are essentially the four major components of workforce management solutions. Capturing and tracking employee time and attendance is the core of any WFM system, and involves monitoring employee hours through punch in/punch out machines. Labour allocation and costing allows companies to capture time against work orders or jobs, and track specific costs back to employees or jobs. An effective workforce management solution will leverage technology to decrease and manage employee absences. Finally, smart and dynamic modules can allow for optimized scheduling processes.

The outer ring of the wheel represents the end results or ultimate benefits of successfully implementing a workforce management system. Companies will witness an increased efficiency in the organizational processes, and total compliance with labour laws and regulations, as well as employee or union contracts. Furthermore, the return on their investment will be evident soon after installation. Organizations will see a drop in labour costs, payroll expenses, and increased control of the workforce through a centralized database of information. Finally, business intelligence capabilities will allow companies to analyze their workforce, monitor trends, and take corrective action where necessary.

This wheel outlines the basics of workforce management, and is a great tool for understanding the components of WFM!

Visit our website for more information on workforce management systems for your company.

Special thanks to Paolo Gilfillan (Director of Sales & Marketing, Synerion), for the breakdown of the WFM Wheel!

Excessive absenteeism has always been a problem in the business world. It is consistently ranked as one of the reasons for decreased productivity and therefore profitability. Absenteeism leads to employees having to work longer hours, resulting in a dissatisfied workforce, as well as unhappy customers. There are a number of solutions to control absence rates within organizations:

1.       Allow for a work-life balance

Build “personal days” into employee packages. Often individuals resort to calling in sick because they’re worried that their bosses won’t be sympathetic about problems at home. Making sure that employees are comfortable enough to be honest is extremely important for a manager. Implementing flextime rules is another effective way to encourage a work-life balance.

2.       Post-absence interviews

When employees take time off unexpectedly, it could be beneficial to follow-up with them upon their return. Discuss the reason for absence, and how it could have been prevented. Also, if the employee in question has frequent absences, it could help to reinforce how absenteeism can affect the company and their fellow co-workers.

3.       Offer incentives

Offering rewards for positive behavior is a proven motivational method. To decrease absenteeism, managers can provide monetary incentives, awards such as “Employee of the Month”, or even simple praise can be effective.

4.       Punishment

Simply punishing employees for unauthorized absences or unexpectedly calling in sick is a common practice. However, it is not the most effective – managers should work instead to reward individuals who attend work, to encourage attendance.

5.       Implement a Time & Attendance System

This final option reduces administrative work, by automatically tracking employee hours and absences, allowing employees to request time off easily, and calculating who is eligible to work overtime. Reports can be created and data can be analyzed, to determine who is commonly absent, and on what days/times. Having these features and this kind of information allows managers to schedule accordingly, and monitor any trends in absenteeism to ultimately combat the issue.

For more information on dealing with Absenteeism and Workforce Management please visit our website