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.

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!

Automate this Tedious Task

Scheduling employees for shifts can be one of the most tedious and time-consuming jobs a manager faces. Sifting through various absence requests, ensuring no one is working overtime, while at the same time making sure the schedule gives everyone an equal number of shifts, is no easy task.

Implementing an automated scheduling system ­­­allows companies to:

• Control costs. Automated scheduling modules allow users to assign employees to shifts based on system recommendations, which provide you with many options in regards to costs (i.e. choosing the cheapest combination of employees, blending experienced workers with amateur staff, etc.). Furthermore, the system will avoid scheduling overtime. Using all these features will ultimately lead to decreased labour costs for the company.
• Reduce risk. Creating a schedule automatically allows managers to input any legal regulations, as well as rules in employee and union agreements. The system will take these all into account, to avoid any non-compliance.
• Be alerted. Companies using an automated scheduler have the option of setting up alerts within the system to inform them of any deviations from regulations, or if a specific employee has been scheduled for too many or too few hours.
• Empower employees. Give employees access to schedules in advance, and allow them to automatically request time off through a self-service portal.
• Take corrective action. Identify gaps between the budget forecast and planned schedules before deviations occur, to allow for corrective action.
• Stay organized. Automatically creating schedules is simpler, faster, and much easier to keep track of. All the information regarding scheduling is centralized and easily accessible, keeping the whole process more organized and less prone to error.

For more information on Workforce Management visit our website

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.

Today is the last day in our old office; boxes are being packed, wires are disconnected and everyone is really excited for the move!

I recently wrote an article to be posted in the Mississauga Board of Trade Magazine that is published every quarter. See below:

TimeTECH Moves to a Larger Office to Accommodate Expansion!

As most companies are struggling through these uncertain economic times, some companies are expanding and thriving.  TimeTECH is one of these companies.  Why?  TimeTECH is helping companies operate more efficiently by automating their workforce management and time and attendance practices, saving companies anywhere from one to three percent of their annual payroll expenses.  That’s a lot of dough!

So far in 2009 TimeTECH has doubled their staff, won the Small Business of the Year Award from MBOT and is currently moving into their new office at 7420 Airport Rd Unit 101 to accommodate the increase in staff and future expansion plans.  The new office will be equipped with state of the art technology, demo rooms and more room for the team!

TimeTECH celebrated their 25^th anniversary last year, and looks forward to the next 25 years of business excellence.  “We have achieved many milestones in 2008 and 2009…Moving into a larger office is a sign that we are going to achieve great things in the near future” Says President and CEO James Edwards.

For more information on TimeTECH visit www.timetech.ca or call toll free 1-877-816-TIME (8463)