How it Works:

Each employee receives a badge with a barcode of his or her name, and employee ID number. Slot scanners are placed at each entrance. When employees enter the building they simply slide the badge through the slot scanner to record their arrival. The system records the information instantly.

The automated system also incorporates protection against errors (such as forgetting to clock in then clocking out) by immediately notifying the employee to see a supervisor. At each supervisory workstation PC supervisors can key in adjustments and/or details in the employee time record if needed. They are also given a bar-code menu of approved and unapproved absences to use at the scanners.

The entire process is fully integrated to third party systems such as ADP, Paychex, APRA etc. Any special additions or alterations in attendance procedure are easily accommodated.

  Benefits of Technology:

The cost benefits of automated data-integration are instant and profound. The entire time and attendance system is streamlined to save time, eliminate duplicate efforts, and catch errors immediately. From the shop floor to payroll and human resources, the hours spent filling out cards and forms, entering data, and tracking employee job histories are a thing of the past. All reports and queries are available at a moment's notice.

Because the supervisors have the ability to enter reasons and approval (or lack of it) for missed time as it occurs, the information is immediately matched to the employee history. HR personnel need only recheck entries and investigate the any discrepancies highlighted by the program. The margin for error is virtually nil, so employee time spent questioning management about pay is greatly reduced. That translates into stronger management/employee relations, and smoother union/management interaction. That same accuracy saves dollars lost in miscalculations of sick time or vacation accrual; and abuses of special approved times-off such as bereavement. In addition, records of tardiness or other problems are readily available for analysis.

The system is flexible enough to accommodate any changes in company or union pay policies, seniority benefit calculations, allowed holidays, overtime variables, and governmental guidelines. The information is easily used by different departments within the company to generate statistical data on labor utilization.

Our applications are designed specifically for the needs of our clients. The above is a general description of a typical situation. For specific case samples please see the Success Stories section of our web site.

  The Problem:

A manufacturer of small plastic parts contacted Current Directions to automate their recording of employees' productivity, time, and attendance. They were still using time clock cards and handwritten labor-collection forms. Collecting the information involved too many people, too many pieces of paper, and too many steps. The entire process was slow, cumbersome, expensive, and prone to error.

  The Solution:

Current Directions designed a solution that utilized the company's existing Sun Unix system thus cutting equipment needs to a minimum. An Intermec 9154 crossbar controller was connected to their host. Eight 9560 bar-code readers were then connected to the controller. A bar- code printer module was attached to the company's current HP4 laser printer.

Working with the company's computer personnel, reports were developed using the Informix database system already in use. Each employee was given a unique bar-code identification number. Menus were created for each bar-code reader site listing typical jobs with a matching bar-code.

A dispatch control program, running on the Host Sun Unix system, sends the prompts (including the current date and time) to each bar-code reader. The program also continuously checks the controller for new information from the bar-code readers. By simply scanning their employee badge bar-code, every employee's time and attendance are instantly recorded. As the scanned information is received, the dispatch program validates the data. At the end of each prompt sequence the database is updated with the results. This means management has instant access to all information.

At the company's request, the dispatch program also sends a series of ringing sounds to each bar-code reader at certain (program-changeable) times to notify the employees when they can clock in and out. Current Directions also helped develop Informix scripts to determine the amount of regular and overtime hours worked by each employees.

Recording labor information is equally easy. The work orders are already bar-coded. The employees only need to scan their badge, the work order, and the labor-collection menu provided at each bar-code reader. The information is validated, and processed immediately.

  The Benefits:

The manufacturer no longer has to deal with mounds of paper, poor handwriting, cumbersome data entry and potentially inaccurate reports. The new time and labor-collection system is fast, accurate, and easily compiled without any additional tasks for the employees. Because labor information is now scanned at the job site work orders can be tracked, and production trends can be recognized as they develop. The data is accurate, and immediately available for analysis. Because the CD team created a seamless integration with the manufacturer's existing system and programs, in-house computer staff can create reports, modify the correct response for the labor collection, and create bar-code menus in a program already mastered.