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.

Calculating an organization’s payroll may seem like a relatively simple task:

-  Take each employee, identify the number of hours worked in a pay period, multiply by the hourly wage and then pay that amount.

This would be correct in an ideal world however in the real world things are a lot more complicated and so a lot of errors are made in determining payroll. In addition to identifying the specific wage each employee makes and identifying the number of hours worked for each employee, organizations must also take into account:

-          Sick days

-          Vacation days

-          Overtime

-          Statutory holidays

-          Provincial/State tax deductions

-          Federal tax deductions

-          Benefits

-          Retirement Plans

-          Unemployment insurance

-          Etc

Statistics have shown that 33% of employers have made payroll errors which have a variety of impacts such as legal implications, unhappy employees, lost revenue, etc. Studies have also shown that many organizations overpay employees as a result of human calculation errors. Even if organizations discover this overpayment recouping the payment can become a long process which will negatively impact morale in the company.

What can you do to avoid payroll errors?

A great solution to avoiding payroll errors and the negative impacts associated with them would be to automate your organization’s time and attendance using workforce management software. In an automated system, employees can sign in and out of work using a time clock which lets employers know exactly when their employees came into work and when they left. The time clocks in combination with the software calculates the exact amount to pay an employee based on their hours worked, wage and the various other considerations mentioned above (taxes, benefits, etc).

For more information on payroll and workforce management please visit our website

What is one thing you can do to improve and simplify workforce management?

At some point in history, someone asked them self the same thing…and then decided to do something about it.

Let’s reflect on the past for a moment…

For over a century, time clocks have been used to help employers track the hours an employee worked. Willard Bundy, a jeweller from New York, invented the first time clock in 1888, which was supposed to eliminate the need for time keepers and watchmen, whose laborious task was to ensure that workers were diligent in performing their work.

Although these time clocks offered a semi-automated way of tracking employee hours, it was still necessary for the employer to manually add up the time cards and calculate wages…which was quite a time-consuming task.

In the 1990s, time clocks progressed from mechanical systems to electronic time and attendance systems. Depending on the system being used, the employee might need to enter what should be recorded. This could be “punching in”, “punching out”, lunch breaks, reasons for leaving early, or any other type of information the employer requires. These systems protected a company from payroll fraud and provided both the employer and employees with confidence in the accuracy of their wage payments. It has also been estimated that companies saved up to 5% in payroll costs by not tracking time manually.

Today, biometric technology is being used to revolutionize workforce management. These systems, which scan the employee’s finger or hand as they clock in, help to eliminate fraud such as “buddy punching.” Buddy punching is when an employee gets his or her friend to clock them in when they are not working, which results in unnecessary operational costs.

So, what is one thing you can do to improve and simplify workforce management?

Begin using a biometric time clock system and discover how easy it can be to manage your workforce well…and save money in the process! Implementing an automated time clock system will save companies time and money by:

• Reducing total payroll processing time
• Eliminating costs associated with paper timecards
• Eliminating the risks of employee buddy punching or time fraud

We’ve come a long way since 1888, and all it took was one man with a vision to get us on track towards a well-managed workforce. Continue to TimeTECH’s website to learn more about biometric time clocks and how YOUR company can improve its workforce management!

As companies look to better manage labour costs and improve operational efficiencies, automating time and attendance management is a key area for direct savings. Although more and more companies have began moving in the direction of automating some of their payroll functions, they are still faced with the challenge of eliminating the risk of buddy punching.  In fact, three out of four companies experience losses from buddy punching.

If employees believe that the system they are using is reliable and accurate, they will be far less likely to attempt buddy punching or other fraud. Deploying biometrics virtually eliminates payroll errors associated with buddy punching since it requires the employee to physically be there to clock in and out of work. By doing so, companies can realize significant returns by reducing the cost of payroll. Biometrics can also eliminate the need for paper-based or badge-based systems and its associated maintenance costs, and overall improve efficiency.

Depending on the number of employees, facilities, and work schedules involved, the scale of potential returns from implementing biometrics can vary. On average when implemented successfully, companies using biometrics can deliver a payback in fewer than 9 months. That is return on investment (ROI) within the first year of purchase.

The ROI will also depend on the adoption process, and ease (and cost) of development. With biometric terminals, ROI can be realized by both the employees and company as a whole. At the enterprise/end-user level, improved accuracy of data collection, elimination of manual entries and printed cards, and the added integrity of biometric records dramatically increase the confidence that the correct employees are on site. ROI can be realized in reduced supervisory and monitoring time and improve the employee-supervisor relationship. This allows managers to focus their efforts on achieving an effective workforce instead of constantly worrying about their employees and time consuming administrative tasks. With biometric time and attendance terminals, it is estimated that 2 to 5% of payroll can be cut, which can save companies thousands of dollars.

For a quick estimation on how much your company can be saving by automating your workforce, click on our ROI calculator at www.askjimmy.ca. Learn more about biometrics at our website.

Well, the countdown is on! Only a few more days until the 2009 APA Annual Congress in Long Beach California!

TimeTECH will be exhibiting at the tradeshow portion of Congress at booth number 435. Last year Congress was held in Austin Texas where we made our first APA appearance as an exhibitor. The show was so successful, we decided to participate again. Last year we met thousands of HR and Payroll professionals interested in workforce management software, time and attendance, absence planning, benefit accruals, vacation planning and more!

We were shocked at how many large organizations across North America are still processing their time and attendance and other workforce management practices manually! They were all impressed by the amount of time and money their organization could saving by integrating TimeTECH’s workforce management solutions. Most companies see anywhere from 1-3% of their annual payroll back in savings.

Where do the savings come from?

• Eliminating buddy punching
• Time fraud
• Manual processing time
• Processing errors
• Rounding of hours
• Time spent processing pay rules
• Eliminating spreadsheets!
• And more!

If your company is attending the APA Congress in Long Beach, feel free to stop by our booth during the tradeshow hours to say hello! You can find us at booth 435.

Show Times:

May 20^th: 5:15pm-8:15pm

May 21st: 12:00pm – 7:30pm

May 22^nd: 10:00am – 12:00pm

For more information on the APA’s Annual Congress, visit their official website at: http://www.americanpayroll.org/congress/congress-2009

About APA Congress:

Pack your steamer trunk and head to Long Beach, California, May 19-23, 2009, for 4-1/2 information-packed days at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center.

This year’s Congress features more than 190 workshops covering a wide spectrum of payroll, accounts payable, human resources, benefits, technology, management, and career development topics, along with the largest payroll and accounts payable exhibit hall in the world! Hear about the latest legislative and regulatory changes from government representatives and industry experts. Network with colleagues through workshops, at our exhibit hall, at meals and evening entertainment events.

See all the details in the Congress brochure.

Who should attend?

Our annual Congress is open to APA members, their colleagues, and others involved in payroll, accounts payable, human resources, benefits, and technology.

What you will learn

• What APA’s Washington lobbyists are doing to make your job a little easier
• The latest payroll compliance developments from the IRS, SSA, OCSE, DOL, and DHS
• Steps taken by leading payroll departments to reduce costs and improve their organization’s performance
• How to ensure compliance in difficult areas such as fringe benefits, 401(k) plans, stock options, cafeteria plans, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, and more
• What the IRS is looking for in executive compensation audits