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Time is Money. Where Did It Go? How Was It Spent?
Payroll and Time Management Software
Payroll and time management go hand-in-hand, especially if you’re keeping track of jobs or projects!
What did we bid? How did we determine how many resources to devote to this job or project? Did we bid too low just to secure the business? Did we bid too high and lose the business?
Were we able to look back at similar jobs/projects and see what really happened the last time? How did the time we estimated compare with the actual time it took to complete?
If you don’t know the answers to these questions or can’t put your fingertips on the data you need, we can help!
Now, we’re not talking about a full-blown ERP system (Enterprise Resource Planning) that allows for estimating, materials costing and inventory management through production and shipping, but how our HCM system may be a lower-cost alternative to provide the insight you need into your business.
With the changing costs of everything we use, it’s more important than ever to know where each dollar goes.
Our HCM system with Payroll, TLM (Time Labor Management) and HR can provide insight and analysis.
- Job Costing
- Project Management
- Labor Allocation by Department
Whatever you call it, job costing will allow you to see if you’re hitting the target when it comes to bidding. It will also tell you lots of other things about your business.
Industries where job costing is used:
- Accounting
- Construction
- Landscapers
- Lawyers
- Manufacturers
- Free-standing Surgery Centers
- LTC (Long Term Care) Facilities
- Graphic Design and Printers
- Cleaning Services
- Service Professionals
- Home Health Care
- Property Management
Issues Connect & Simplify's HCM System Can Uncover
Equipment issues
Your employee spent extra time on the project because of equipment problems. Maybe it’s time to replace that older piece of equipment on the shop floor?
Time management issues
Your employee didn’t get the project done in time because he/she doesn’t know how to manage their time. Maybe he/she needs a little direction or coaching?
Staffing and schedule issues
Your employee didn’t get the project done in time because he/she needed help. Maybe you need to delegate or add more staff to the project? Maybe schedules needs to be changed? Maybe you needed certified staff that wasn’t available?
Here's a first-hand experience I can relate:
Years ago I wore multiple hats working for a daily newspaper: Operations Manager, Certified Unix/Xenix Systems Administrator, Advertising Sales, Trade Show Coordinator, AP Wire Administrator.
You can see from the list above why my boss, (the publisher), had me track my time during the day on each project I was responsible for. You’ve probably heard the term “lean manufacturing” well this was “lean publishing”. I had to do this manually on a hand-written sheet of paper with columns for time in/out by task!
My day would have been so much easier if I’d have been able to use a PC to clock in/out of each area! Being a daily newspaper there was NO margin for error!
Here’s How Connect & Simplify™ Can Help!
Today, having employees use an HCM system such as Connect & Simplify™, which tracks time they spend on tasks is a valuable tool that any employer who bids work, projects or services should consider.
Employees record their start and end times to each location, department, cost center, or client they work with during the day. The data collection process can be automated by having employees punch in/out on a time clock, computer, or mobile device for those on the road.
Once bottlenecks surface, our HCM system has tools to alleviate them:
- Equipment issues: Employees can attach notes to the times they record so managers can see why a job took longer than expected.
- Time management: Maybe the employee needs to be assigned a learning and development course with a monitored completion process managers can view?
- Staffing and scheduling: Maybe you need to allocate staff from another department to help out? Maybe you need our Advanced Scheduling Module to schedule certified employees? Maybe you need to use our Talent Acquisition component to recruit additional people?
Added benefits are the reduced processing time which saves Payroll, fewer questions for HR, and easier access to data for Finance.
About The Author —
Barb Schnoll is a Subject Matter Consultant in Payroll, Time Labor Management, HR, and HCM systems. Her prior history also includes many years of business-to-business consulting, sales, implementation, and training in technology. She has seen payroll evolve from writing checks, paying taxes, and producing W2s to a full-fledged, cloud-based HCM system offering mobile access from smartphones to employees and new hires.
In her spare time, she loves traveling, motorcycling, and new this summer, discovering the endless trails of UTVs.
She has represented The Benefit Companies for 20 years.
Connect & Simplify™ partners with UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) to offer best-in-class Payroll Software, Kronos Time Clocks, HR, and HCM solutions.
Call Barb at 262-207-1999 ext. 217 and visit www.connectandsimplify.com