Tanda Blog: Industry Insights

J. Barbor, Guest Writer

27 August 2019    |   

Technology as a business necessity In 2017, nearly half of all Australian innovation-active businesses spent on new equipment or technology, making tech the most common innovation expenditure — and rightly so. Technology has become a necessity for businesses everywhere, and the most competitive companies are always looking to upgrade theirs to improve productivity. However, it’s important to keep in mind that investing in innovative technology means more than just purchasing it. Often, the most crucial steps to maximise its benefits are what comes afterwards, when it is integrated into everyday business operations. Businesses must consider how new technologies will affect their employees, and although it might sound obvious, it’s a little more complicated than simply deploying them. Indeed, there are a lot of factors to think about, particularly with regard to how the technology will affect your frontline employees. They play a huge role in customer satisfaction, and the alienation or intimidation they may feel towards new tools will most likely affect their interactions with clients. Rosie Ramirez wrote that the smallest interactions with frontline employees can shape people’s opinions of your brand, meaning that even the small instances of bad customer service can make or break your company in the long run. That’s why getting frontline workers to engage with and accept new technology is essential in keeping them and your customers happy. That said, we’ve listed down some tips to make this adoption of new tech possible with your invaluable frontline workers. Choose user-friendly tech Frontline employees already face a lot of pressure at work — customer service workers know this more than most, and understand how stressful it can be to handle customers well. Adding new and complicated-looking technology can be frustrating (and terrifying) to those who already have a lot on their plate. Remember that there is a myriad of options for functional and user-friendly tech these days, so simply lining them up to compare your options will make a world of difference for your busy frontline workers. Think about day-to-day operations Considering how new technology will affect day-to-day operations is not a one-man job, and at this stage, it’s important to actually talk to your frontline employees who are likely affected by any changes made in the back office. For instance, if you change tracking systems for stock that will benefit your operations managers, how would this affect sales teams on the ground who rely on this information on a daily basis? Don’t assume that you know how everything works, and ask different departments how new tools might change operations from the ground up. That way, you and your workers know exactly what to expect and how to prepare for it. Be transparent about new tools Change can be intimidating, especially when employees don’t know exactly what is changing. It’s important to spell it out for frontline employees who are most likely going to be affected by the new tech. Verizon Connect’s guide on how to get employees to use new technology points out that it’s crucial to constantly repeat the benefits of new tools to employees until they’re integrated into the existing company culture. Resistance can be expected at first, but by being transparent about the new technology, you’re making frontline workers feel confident and included in the change. Guarantee effective training When you invest in new technology, it’s best to invest in effective trainers as well. This can make the adoption of new tools easier for both you and your workers. Staff won’t have to juggle trying to learn the new tech on their own while meeting with clients, since you will give them the one- or two-day training they need to understand it. Of course, follow-ups are key to knowing if additional training is necessary for certain employees, particularly the less tech-savvy ones. Data from the Australian Institute of Family Studies confirms that older generations are less likely to interact with new technology and often require extra training courses to improve basic skills for online activities. Listening to what individual workers need will help everyone gain the skills needed to operate new technology. It goes without saying that more changes should be expected in an increasingly digital world, and it’s critical to think about the individuals working on the frontlines when implementing these changes, given that they are the faces that drive brands forward. After all, what use is shiny new machinery to improve operations if your staff don’t know what to make of them? Ready to adopt a frontline-friendly technology platform? See how Tanda can make rostering and payroll more efficient when you start your free trial today.

Rosie Ramirez

10 June 2019    |   

Superannuation underpayment is a significant problem in Australia. An estimated 2.85 million Australians are being short-changed. On average, they have 50% less in their super balances than those who are being paid correctly. Further, analysis of ATO data has shown that the average underpayment is $2,070 — that’s $80 per fortnightly pay. Young, blue-collar workers are especially vulnerable to underpayment. So how do you make sure that superannuation contributions are accurate for your employees? Trade in your pen and paper for a super calculator Superannuation is important because it applies to almost every type of worker in Australia. Thus, employers must pay super for any work casual, part-time, and full-time temporary resident employee who falls under the following: Employees over 18 years of age, who earn $450 or more every month (before taxes); and Employees under 18 years of age, who earn $450 or more every month (before taxes), and work at least 30 hours a week. Employers must pay a minimum of 9.5% of the employee’s ordinary time earnings into super. But this is set to gradually rise over the coming years. However, you won’t need to worry about any of this when you use our free superannuation calculator. See correct superannuation contributions for multiple employees Figuring out the correct superannuation for your employees is effortless with our free super calculator. This free super calculator shows you the correct contributions for multiple employees at once. Follow the steps below to see the correct superannuation contributions. Don’t forget to check all the data before June 30! Step 1: Input. Input the first employee’s details in each field using our switch system. Step 2: Add. Click the “add employee button” to input another set of details. Repeat as necessary. Step 3: Calculate. Click the “calculate” button to see results. Avoid being charged fees and interest for unpaid superannuation contributions Employers who do not pay the correct superannuation may face fines, penalties, or charges. Additionally, you may lose your tax deduction for super contributions. If you are a small business that pays employees in cash, you may be more vulnerable to making mistakes in filing superannuation contributions. Don’t take the risk. Use a superannuation calculator that eliminates human error from your administrative work. Switch to complete workforce management system effortlessly Calculating correct super contributions is just one small part of our full range of services. Upgrade your free superannuation calculator to our full range of services and you will also be able to: Search and consolidate all employees’ superannuation contributions Accurately track time and attendance Manage leaves, shifts, and unavailability See real-time staff count and wage spending Connect to your existing payroll system Produce reports for strategic planning Ready to take advantage of technology to make sure your superannuation contributions are spot on?  Start your free trial now and get one step closer to workforce success! Disclaimers: You should only use the results generated from this website as a guide. They may not be completely accurate for your business. If you have other eligibility criteria not covered by this calculator, please refer to the ATO’s superannuation guarantee eligibility decision tool.

Rosie Ramirez

16 May 2019    |   

Managers juggle different roles throughout the day. They set goals, coach employees, monitor performance, and control budgets and expenses. When they don’t do it effectively, employees become frustrated and can’t perform their best. In fact, a worldwide survey revealed that 40% of employees are dissatisfied at work due to a lack of help and support from their boss. Uncertainty about the workplace’s vision or strategy and heavy workload also factor into employee dissatisfaction. You can bet that this is because of an ineffective manager who doesn’t spend time on the frontline with employees. There are a couple of reasons why this is bad for any business. When managers aren’t on the frontline as often as they should be, they’re left guessing about day-to-day operations. They miss out on observing team dynamics and employee satisfaction. Engaging customers or responding to complaints about products and services is harder. And they become increasingly out of touch with both their team and customers. As a consequence, they don’t see why costs blow up and can’t figure out how to increase sales. The bottom line is that managers need to spend a significant amount of time on the ground. Few problems in service-based industries can be solved from behind a computer. So how can you keep your managers on the frontline? 1. Keep your managers mobile Don’t let your managers get stuck behind a desk. Keep admin tasks short by bringing it right to their smartphones. Tanda’s employee scheduling app gives managers the information they need to run a shift through their mobile device. It features automatic notifications and tools to respond to changes throughout the day. Managers can see who’s coming in for the day and when they start work. They can edit shifts without needing to sit down at a computer. They can even notify staff when new schedules are published, or when there are vacant shifts to fill. It doesn’t matter how many teams and venues a manager is handling because they can all be accessed from a mobile phone. They will be able to adjust rosters based on the flow of customers and other observations on the ground. Read more: Peak Season Rostering: How to use data to meet demand and raise profit 2. Keep an eye on staffing in real time Monitoring late staff and breaks, substituting unavailable staff, and calling in extra help are all part of running a shift. That’s where Key Alerts comes in. Key Alerts helps you make sure that staff stick to their rostered hours. It lets you know who clocks-in or out late, doesn’t take breaks, or takes breaks too long. Key Alerts, which comes for free with Tanda’s mobile scheduling app, also flags managers if staff are approaching overtime. Managers don’t have to sit at their desktop or constantly check their app to see who’s not in. The alerts come automatically every time. All bases are always covered with Key Alerts so managers can focus on helping employees identify ways to improve the business. 3. Lessen paperwork with Time Clock Questions Are employees clocking in too early without informing their supervisor? Are they consistently staying back into overtime without a known reason?  Instead of manually contacting staff about this and clarifying why, Time Clock Questions does this automatically. The feature asks staff relevant questions about their shift when they clock-in and -out of their rostered hours. You can customise questions and answer options to facilitate the process. Now there’s no need to call up staff manually to verify their reasons. The faster managers can complete timesheets or timecards, the faster they can get back to the frontline. Free download: Overcoming Employee Challenges in Shift Work Industries 4. Stay ahead with Shift Replacements Absences are inevitable, and good managers know that every unfilled shift adds burden to other team members and compromises overall performance. With Shift Replacements, managers can see which employees have indicated they won’t be able to work a shift. Once a replacement has been requested by an employee, the manager can go into Shift Replacements on their app. The number of replacements that need action is shown as a red bubble. Managers can offer these shifts to all available people on that team or just to specific people. Overtime, hours, and other information is shown to managers so that they don’t get any nasty surprises in payroll. With calling for replacements out of the way, managers can devote time and effort to other more important tasks. Keep your managers on the frontline Managers need reliable data to get their work done. Looking at the numbers after a day’s work is good. But looking at what’s behind the numbers is better. Ideally, managers should be able to address issues in real time rather than at the end of the day. Rosters, sales, demand, and staff engagement all affect how well the team does. But many managers are swamped with paperwork. They’re spending more time in the back office than on the frontline with their staff. Managers who are unable to spend time training employees and engaging clients will not be able to have a clear idea of how to improve the business. Indeed, time spent in your office as a frontline manager is wasted time. Tanda helps keep managers in the frontline with several features made with shift work in mind. Gone are the days when managers are burdened with hours and hours in the back office. And the less time you spend on paperwork, the more time you have to pay attention to things that really matter. Managing staff, engaging customers, and growing the business are easier with the right technology. No matter how competitive the business landscape is, managers on the frontline will make a difference. Investing in workforce management technology to empower your managers gets you closer to cementing your place in your industry. Want to eliminate tedious tasks and keep your managers on the frontline? Start your free 14-day trial with Tanda today! No credit card required.

Rosie Ramirez

6 May 2019    |   

Think back to the last in-store purchase you made. Were you promptly welcomed or was the store too busy for you to get their attention? Did staff assist you while you were looking for items, and given advice on deals or discounts? Was the cashier polite or uncommunicative? These small interactions with frontline employees often shape their opinion of a brand, regardless of how good the product is. They perform all kinds of customer service roles. This includes answering phone inquiries, assisting clients who visit a store, performing consultancy work, and fulfilling installation or maintenance jobs. At the end of the day, clients remember the experience that staff create. Frontline workers are vital to any business. But as the face of your organisation, they face high levels of pressure and stress. They juggle time pressure and quality of work to deliver the customer promise. If frontline employees are highly motivated, they are able to provide great customer experience, increase customer retention, elevate the brand, and grow the business. That’s why at this year’s Workforce Success Conference, we are inviting students to propose ways to motivate frontline employees. Read on to know more about why frontline employees matter and sign up for the student cup today! Providing Great Customer Experience Making sure the customer experience is stellar should guide all business decisions and methods regardless of industry or size. When businesses, especially large ones, go out of their way for customers, it doesn’t go unnoticed. Businesses need to leverage their ability to deliver the customer promise and surprise the customer with extra care and support. In fact, consumers are willing to pay up to 16% more for better customer experience. This underscores the fact that customer experience isn’t just a small part of the sales process, it’s a genuine gamechanger. Conversely, PwC suggests that globally, 60% of consumers would stop doing business with a company due to unfriendly service. Many consumers (46%) also would not patronise a company with poorly trained employees. Due to this, companies are increasingly relying on chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) to answer customer concerns. But the same survey suggests that a balance between human interaction and automation is what customers actually desire. It seems the verdict is in: consumers still value the human element, perhaps because great customer care is hinged on empathy — something AI cannot emulate. Read more: Keeping up with the Customers: Why feedback matters for every business Elevating the Brand According to a survey by PwC, 65% of respondents find great customer service more influential than great advertising. Getting customer service right is actually a better investment than spending millions on ads, because it becomes an advertisement in itself. In the age of social media, interactions with sales staff, cashiers, customer support, and other frontline staff make their way onto posts, stories, and tweets. This becomes even clearer when we consider that 84% of millennial consumers do not trust advertisements anymore, especially when making an online purchase. Instead, they seek third-party validation, whether through reviews left in the comments or through mentions on social media. Unsurprisingly, many comments left on websites are not about the product, but about the company’s customer service. When reviews about customer service are positive, they can create advocates out of customers. At this stage of the customer journey, they are already a valuable ally in maintaining the popularity of the brand. When negative, however, it can result in boycotts and massive losses in profits. Consider the United Airlines incident, where musician Dave Carroll saw baggage handlers damage his custom-made guitar from his airplane window. His band made a song about it which went viral, and reportedly cost the airline $180 million (10% of share value) in 2009. Social media has given consumers the power to be heard instantly around the globe. Harnessing it makes a successful modern business; failure to do so means losing out to more tech-savvy companies. Free download: Empowering Frontline Staff with Modern Technology Increasing Customer Retention “The most important customers are those that come back consistently and invite their friends,” says Michael Barnard, Workforce Success Champion and General Manager of consultancy firm Customology. Customer retention, or the ability of a company to retain its customers over a period of time, is impacted by how many new customers are acquired, and how many existing customers churn. It is important because it costs 10 times as much to obtain a new customer as it does to retain an existing customer. According to a survey by PwC, 73% of global respondents say that a positive experience is among the key drivers that influence their brand loyalties. The phenomenon is intuitive — why would you go back to a company that didn’t treat you with urgency, empathy, and importance? That’s why businesses need to invest just as many resources in retaining existing customers as in selling to new customers. A big part of this is making sure that frontline staff is empowered to deliver the best services so that customers feel they are a priority. Putting customers first through excellent customer service allows brands to make a lasting connection with them. Read more: Michael Barnard’s Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Customers for Life Expanding the Business Frontline staff have access to a wealth of information when it comes to understanding your customers and how the business is really doing. Owners and managers don’t always make time to converse with frontline workers, but they should. Being the first point of contact, they have unique insights that can improve how business is done, whether it’s about the product or the way stores are constructed. Keeping the lines of information open is not something all businesses currently do. According to a Gallup study, only 17% of workers strongly agree that they are able to freely voice their concerns and suggestions. Leveraging the knowledge, experience, and skills of frontline staff are key to expanding businesses. Without them, managers will not have a real pulse on the clients and what they want. The impact frontline workers have on customer experience, business branding, and customer retention cannot be understated. They can make or break your reputation. Managers on the frontline are also allies in growing the business and training new staff members in the company’s values and goals. When frontline workers cater to customers’ interests, they are contributing to the success of the overall business for years to come. Ready to forge the workforce of the future by motivating frontline employees? Form a team of 3-5 students and sign up today. A cash prize and internship awaits!

Rosie Ramirez

30 April 2019    |   

Successful workforces always have an effective HR team at the helm. They are responsible for everything from recruitment to training and development. This entails many processes and paperwork that can be too much to keep up with. In fact, creating and tracking documents is difficult without templates. Templates let you save valuable time so you can focus on more important tasks. Tanda’s free HR templates for workforce planning cover a variety of tasks and situations across industries. They provide a basic framework that you can customise them to your needs. Check out the list below to learn more about free templates for workplace planning! Position Descriptions Hiring the right candidate starts with a position description. You can use it to establish expectations and screen applications. Recruiters often underestimate how important the position description is. If the description is too abstract, both employer and applicant may have a hard time assessing it. If it’s too specific, qualified applicants may be discouraged from applying because they lack one or two requirements. Use our free HR templates as a baseline and edit them for your organisation. We have templates for several occupations like retail store manager and public relations coordinator. You can pool the best candidates faster with a great position description. Then you can offer them roles that best fit their personality. Read: 5 Restaurant Hiring Mistakes You Should NEVER Make Interview Kits Conducting an interview is crucial to finding the best talent for a position. CVs only tell you a part of the story. Ultimately, personality and culture fit will determine a candidate’s success in their role. Asking the right questions during an interview will help avoid wrong decisions in the hiring process. The position description, along with the candidate’s CV, will provide the context you need. But whether you’re hiring for a telesales agent or a hotel manager, you need an interview pack that will guide you through the interview process. A successful interview is a two-way conversation between the employer and candidate. Structure your interview so that each has a chance to learn from the other. Read more: 5 Rules for Hiring “Perfect Fit” Employees Employee Handbook Content An employee handbook is typically given to a new employee during the onboarding process. It contains employment information like working hours and leave policy, duties and performance reviews, and dismissal and resignation procedures. The handbook, along with the rest of the onboarding process, has a great impact on how the new hire will approach their role. It helps ensure retention and productivity not just for individuals but also for entire teams. The employee handbook is something the employee can keep going back to, so it’s important to make sure that it contains the right information. Read more: Onboarding: The Employer’s Checklist Employee Performance After the employee is welcomed to the organisation, it is the manager’s job to make sure that the right mechanisms are in place to monitor performance. Part of the onboarding process is involving the new hire in setting their own short- and long-term goals. Goal setting in the workplace is an important part of individual, departmental, and company-wide success.  Make sure that the goals are easy to measure, set against specific tasks, and aligned with personal aspirations. Continuously monitoring employee performance helps ensure that every employee is empowered to contribute to the organisation. Read more: Giving Employee Feedback: 7 Ways to Constructively Deliver Bad News Employee Letters Finally, there are many documents used throughout the work week in any organisation. Any warnings or changes in the nature of someone’s employment must be officially communicated. This is to protect both the employer and employee from any liabilities down the line. However, crafting letters for these situations can become tedious. You can use our late attendance warning letter to address tardiness or absenteeism. You can also send notices of promotions or changes to working hours as the case arises. For shift workers, use the shift swapping form to adjust rosters according to the availability of your employees. Read more: Should you approve shift swaps at work? Unlock more HR Tools with Tanda Free HR templates are a good way to streamline your HR processes. However, they have proven unsustainable for growing companies. The more employees you have, the more administrative work it takes to keep up. Besides, free HR templates cannot provide the data you need to optimise your workforce.  Many companies today invest in workforce automation to free up their managers’ time to focus on more important tasks. Whether it’s onboarding, rostering, or payroll integration, automation does all the work and more at a fraction of the cost. The right workforce automation software takes you one step closer to increasing profits and growing into new markets. Ready to discover how to take the work out of running your growing workforce? Start your free trial today!

Rosie Ramirez

10 April 2019    |   

It’s a good start for Australia’s manufacturing sector. According to Australian Industry Group’s (Ai Group’s) Chief Executive Innes Willox, Australia’s manufacturing sector strengthened in February 2019. It faltered at the end of 2018 but indicators for production, sales, exports, and employment all improved this year. Currently, the industry accounts for 6% of Australia’s economy. While manufacturing’s share of the economy has gone down in recent years, its prospects are very optimistic. Technology is changing the game for Australia’s manufacturers, and here’s how you can take advantage of the trend. Automating labour management Labour costs can account for up to 50% of total business costs. For manufacturers, labour costs should remain closer to 30% to remain profitable. But wages are growing at a faster pace than selling prices. Last year, wage growth hit the highest level in 3 years when the minimum wage increased by 3.5%. Even so, businesses should prepare for more labour cost increases. Calls to change the minimum wage into a “living wage” will be a defining issue in the upcoming elections. Profit margins will remain tight as higher costs will be difficult to pass on to customers. That’s where tech in labour management comes in. Read more: Achieving Workforce Success: Becoming a Data-driven Workforce Using tech to manage your rosters and wage costs can result in significant cost savings for your company. Old methods of rostering, whether on paper or Excel, will not yield the insights that modern software can. With workforce software, you can control your wage spend by setting targets for labour costs. You can also use existing roster templates to predict your staffing requirements. Throughout the week, you can even see wage costs in real-time and adjust staffing levels to drive profitability. Managers can have access to all this data on one seamless platform. Transitioning to a workforce management platform can be intimidating. But there is no better way for manufacturing companies to take advantage of growth than investing in the right software. In fact, it would be hard to succeed without it. Across all industries the automation of administrative tasks, especially in labour management, is best practice. It gives you unprecedented oversight no matter where you are. It also frees up your time for more important tasks like training staff and being on top of wage costs. And all this at a fraction of the time you used to spend in the back office. Read more: Crafting Workforce Success at Windsor Alehouse Investing in the next generation According to the Ai Group, “[Manufacturing] businesses in all states remain very concerned about growing skill shortages for experienced, technical and specialist tasks.” Millennials and Gen Zs aren’t necessarily lining up for jobs in manufacturing. In fact, many younger employees want to work for industries like technology and healthcare. And with the manufacturing industry’s aeging worker population, there could be a real shortfall in employees in the near future. Businesses should attract the next generation by hiring apprentices or trainees. Encouraging the youth to join manufacturing through apprenticeships or traineeships can ensure that there is no shortage of skilled employees. But businesses need to do more to attract them to the industry. One clear way of doing this is by incorporating tech into everyday operations. Younger employees expect that tech is integrated into work. They want to see accessibility, paperless communication, and instant feedback. Explore automated rostering, employee apps with GPS clock-in, and work chat apps to cater to the next generation. Read more: GPS Clock-in: Changing the way you track your mobile workforce Seizing today’s tech opportunities The manufacturing industry is undergoing many changes. It has gotten back on track after a dip in productivity and great opportunities lie ahead. However, rising wage costs and a skills shortage can threaten the gains and possibly the survival of the industry itself. It is now up to business owners to strategize for the future. Controlling labour costs is a major hurdle but easy to get right by using tech to set limits and adjust staffing levels. In the same way, tech can be used to attract the next generation to pursue a career in the field. Investing in tech today can increase the chances of a successful place in the manufacturing industry.

Monic Del Rosario

4 April 2019    |   

Whenever business owners come to the point of growing their company, they naturally begin to think about managing people during shifts they can’t be physically present. One of the first puzzles managers solve is tracking employees’ time and attendance. From the get-go, this is the most basic yet the trickiest administrative task to keep up with. Probably because every business operates differently (various employee types, industry rules, pay rates, etc.) but mostly because a lot of the existing ‘solutions’ available do not always work as expected. One of the most common ways businesses track time and attendance is through a fingerprint scanner. It has some nifty benefits for employers: it’s a fool-proof way to prevent time theft, it ensures that you’re paying the right staff, and that you’re paying them exactly for the hours that they declared they worked. But just the same, there are also some disadvantages in using biometrics to log staff attendance at work, specifically regarding privacy. Last year, a scuffle over biometric attendance tracking was reported by the Fair Work Commission, where a sawmill worker in Queensland refused to use their employer’s fingerprint scanner to log their shifts at work. Superior Woods of Imbil, Sunshine Coast opted to require employees to clock in and out with a biometric device in order to avoid time theft. However, as personal data collected from these devices are being allegedly stored in servers off-site, Lee refused to comply to the company’s policy, stating that, “I am unwilling to consent to have my fingerprints scanned because I regard my biometric data as personal and private.” A little while afterwards, Lee was sacked from his job, despite never missing a shift in more than three years of working at Superior Woods. He then filed an unfair dismissal claim to the Fair Work Commission. “My biometric data is inherently mine and inseparable from me,” Lee said. “My employer can’t demand it or sack me for refusing to give it. It’s not about this particular employer. Ownership to me means that I can refuse consent without being sacked.” The Fair Work Commission’s ruling stated that it is a legal ground to dismiss employees who refuse to hand over biometric information. They also stated that this was a breach on privacy grounds. They found that the company had a site-attendance policy that was not automatically rendered as unlawful, regardless of whether or not Superior Woods was breaching privacy laws through their biometric fingerprint scanners. Read more: Facial Recognition vs. Fingerprint Scanners for Time and Attendance Fingerprints and other biometric signatures might seem like an easy way to solve this time theft, but in reality, there have been claims that hackers are still able to access such type of data or their representation in a system where they’re stored. With the case of Jeremy Lee, important legal rights are already a hot topic of debate that has since been unresolved. Even after the rejection of Lee’s unfair dismissal claim, the commision has mentioned that upon review, the legality of firing a worker for not providing biometric data hasn’t really been thoroughly examined within the Australian legal landscape just yet. “The policy itself is not unlawful, simply the manner in which the employer went about trying to obtain consent may have constituted a breach of the Privacy Act,” they said. In this day and age where businesses are heading towards becoming fully digital in their operations, many are still struggling to even get administrative tasks out of the way, with time and attendance being one of them. Tablets and smartphones are practically the norm, which makes it easier for any employee to use. Compared to fingerprint scanners, smart devices are now being utilised for admin work in operations that have multiple shifts, different types of staff, and 24/7 operations. Some software like Tanda’s Time Clock App make use of these devices to avoid time theft in the workplace, verifying the employee’s identity with a unique passcode and a selfie-verified clock-in/out system. Read more: How to Eliminate Time Theft Business environments are moving towards automation and digitalisation at a startling rate. Software and apps are indispensable to everyday life, the workplace included. To remain competitive, businesses need to invest in software that will help them remain compliant without sacrificing the trust they build with their staff, especially ones that bring about legal discussions. Doing so will allow managers to not be bogged down by unnecessary tasks such as having to negotiate with workers for attendance policies, and instead focus on successfully navigating daily operations of their business.

Joel Jensen

21 February 2019    |   

The last 10 years have been an exciting time for businesses. The growth and adoption of cloud technology have presented huge opportunities for business optimisation and increased profits. One of the most popular categories has been the adoption of Workforce Software. This type of software has been used to manage shifts, monitor staff, and ensure timely, accurate pay. This makes sense when we think about it. Employees are your most valuable business assets, but are also one of, if not your largest, cost centres. Naturally, businesses have attempted to optimise this cost by adding oversight and controls to their wage spending. But there are still lots of businesses who use paper to handle their rostering, timesheets and award interpretation. This was always to be expected as many businesses are hesitant to change what they know. Perhaps more surprising, however, is the persistence of old technology. They predate cloud technology and bearing many downsides that continue to hurt businesses. About a year and a half ago we wrote an article about why fingerprint scanners don’t work for time and attendance, and we preferred to use employee timeclocks. It turned out to be one of our most popular articles, presumably due to the number of people still using old technology and experiencing the frustrations that come with it. This week we released our completely new, rebuilt Time Clock App. It has a bunch of cool new features like facial detection, facial recognition, multiple breaks, predictive shift status, and more. We thought it might be worth an update on the downsides of fingerprint scanners and how using modern technology solves these problems. Check out the three biggest problems with fingerprint scanners below. Tanda uses facial recognition technology to ensure accurate clock ins and outs They’re expensive The issue is that fingerprint scanners are expensive pieces of hardware. Just one reliable fingerprint sensor can set you back by several hundreds of dollars. Imagine what that means for those managing hundreds of staff across multiple locations. Installation is also costly and allows little flexibility. Because of these large upfront costs, and the fact that they do little else than record fingerprints, these scanners have become an impractical investment.  Conversely, Tanda’s Time Clock app can run on any tablet device. Most of our clients run the app on a tablet worth less than $200. They’re unreliable As anyone who has used one knows, even the best fingerprint scanners don’t work 100% of the time. To solve this problem, businesses usually keep a paper timesheet below the scanner. This is fine at face value, but what employers quickly realise is that if it doesn’t work 100% of the time, it doesn’t work at all. It becomes far too easy for an employee to be running 5 minutes late, use the paper timesheet, and say “sorry, the fingerprint scanner wasn’t working”. Using a time clock means 100% of clock ins are recorded, even if your internet is down and it goes offline. It will store all data and send it as soon as you get back online. Maintenance is difficult/costly Due to the nature of the hardware, it requires a trained technician whenever there is an issue. Often, it works out cheaper to replace than repair. This presents a new problem because the devices aren’t always readily available. Compare this to a timeclock which can be ‘repaired’ more easily, at no cost, and remotely, because you’re working with cloud software. When the hardware needs replacing, it’s cheap, easily accessible, and requires no downtime. There’s something wrong when you spend more time fixing, maintaining or administering the workforce software you bought instead of working on improving the business you bought it for. Using a modern solution like a timeclock solves the problems presented by legacy software. It’s less costly, more reliable, and far more efficient. It lets your managers spend less time on admin, and more time on the frontline, training staff and engaging customers. Empower your workforce and increase your chances of business success by shifting to cloud-based workforce software today.

Tom Dowling

8 February 2019    |   

“Instead of just learning something at school and getting thrown off the deep end sort of thing, you get that chance to really be immersed in your field and learn everything from the bottom to the top.” – Colin Wilson, Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) Apprenticeships and traineeships in Australia are employment arrangements which combine training and working in a real occupation for real income. Anyone who is older than 14 years and 9 months of age can undertake it. This can lead to a nationally recognised qualification held in high regard in Australia and in many countries overseas. Employers who hire apprentices can benefit from incentive payments under the Australian Apprentices Incentives Program. Apprentice vs. Trainee: What’s the difference? “I just turned 17 and starting next year I’ll be fully qualified vet nurse, which has been an awesome achievement for myself, the TAFE school, and everyone involved.” – Jessica Pendlebury, Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing “Apprentices” and “trainees” are industry-specific terms. On one hand, apprentices train in skilled work industries. They can belong to a wide range of occupations and trades. This can include plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, bricklaying, and so on. In order to become a qualified tradesperson, one must first complete an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship takes approximately 3-4 years to complete. On the other hand, “trainee” refers to individuals who complete their certification in a vocational field. They work toward certificate level qualifications in industries such as hospitality, retail, or administration. These take approximately 1-2 years to complete. Apprentices and trainees retain many of the rights of a regular employee. This includes right to leave types like annual leave, sick leave, holiday pay. They can also receive wage increases and join a union. More information on apprentice entitlements can be found here. Read more: The Step-by-Step Guide to Hiring an Apprentice or Trainee in Australia Bringing in the next generation “Doing apprenticeship is rewarding, or beyond rewarding, for anyone thinking about doing it, if they’re ready to commit. The rewards at the end are overwhelming.” – Ross Ingham, Certificate III in Plumbing Apprenticeships and traineeships can bring significant benefits to any business. These programs can help develop multi-skilled employees, and allow them to work across the organisation. They offer professional and career development opportunities to attract the next generation. And they also empower new staff to deliver quality services. The role of the next generation in ensuring the sustainability of businesses cannot be understated. Apprentices and trainees contribute practical skills learned throughout their training. They also bring in new perspectives that can enhance systems, processes, and relationships in the workplace. Honing talent and training future industry leaders starts with hiring the right apprentices and trainees.

Liam Hukins

17 January 2019    |   

There has been a lot of speculation on why we are losing retailers so fast. An interesting research piece from the US presented an alternative hypothesis that generalises the issue down to rostering for profit rather than rostering to control costs. For context – If you were given the choice of increasing revenue by 5% or reducing costs by 5% in order to create the most profitable outcome, what would choose? A “back of the hand” calculation would show that reducing costs increases profit more than the equivalent uptick in revenue. Accordingly, most retailers choose option two. This makes sense if you assume the two scenarios are independent of each other, but what if the cost was your employees? This is where the problems arise. For industries like retail, where staff have a direct impact on sales, it’s not as simple of a question as cutting costs to increase profit. In a study led by Professor Marshall Fisher from Wharton, he and his research team constructed a conceptual model from historical data to identify stores within a US-based retail chain that had the highest potential to benefit from increased labour spend. Importantly, the strategy was actually implemented at 168 retail sites over a 26-week period to validate the model, with the retailer electing to implement the strategy further. The result: A near $8.9 million increase in profit of the stores included. The labour cost challenge The challenge in allocating labour budgets lies in the tradeoff between the known immediate payroll cost and the less certain increase in sales that could be achieved with more staff on hand. The researchers point out that retail managers have a tendency to overweigh the decision to reduce the known payroll cost than the less certain increase in sales which could be achieved by allocating additional labour spend. The labour budget death spiral The study highlights the limitation of the most common retail strategy — setting labour budgets as a portion of sales. Fisher points out that this approach creates a circular problem by failing to take into account how store labour spend can positively impact sales, with the worst case leading to a spiraling effect of reduced sales forecasts reducing labour spend which reduces sales further and so on. Quantifying the impact of labour spend on revenue Creating labour budgets that are designed to maximise profit requires retailers to know on a store-by-store basis the correlation between labour-spend and sales. One way to do this is by looking at times when staffing levels deviate from the original schedule. If ten staff were scheduled on a particular day, but on that day only eight turned up, did sales also decrease by the same portion? If not, by how much? If the answer to the above is that sales didn’t decrease at all, the store is likely overstaffed. If there is a measurable impact, the inverse scenario is likely true and the store may be losing sales by being understaffed. This is the same approach used in the study, which found the relationship between random staffing deviations and impacts on sales was statistically significant. Results showed an increase in labour spend pointed to increased sales at varying degrees, depending on known store attributes. Implementing the strategy for profit The study identified stores in a US retail chain which had the highest market potential, making them good candidates for an increased labour spend. The market potential factored in attributes like average basket value and proximity to competitors, which would create scenarios that allow workers to have the highest impact on converting sales. In the study, 168 stores were selected this way, then allocated a 10% increased labour budget over a 26-week period, of which 75% of the increase was actually consumed in practice by the stores. The outcome was a 4.5% increase in revenue at the impacted stores and resulting in a near $8.9 million profit increase. Learning from the strategy The study shows empirically why the common practice of setting labour budgets as a fixed proportion of forecasted revenue is often self-defeating when applied in a retail setting. An opportunity exists to all retailers to leverage this same profit-centric model for defining labour budgets. The data required is available to all retailers however, it may just be a matter of leveraging that information with the right systems. An integrated forecasting strategy that integrates foot traffic, sales, and employee scheduling data is a practical opportunity afforded to retailers of any size to optimise their labour resource allocations. The interesting part is, Fisher’s research is readily available to all retailers who are looking to drift away from the traditional method of fixing labor budget rosters. The next step is to get this method of labour resource allocation battle tested in the Australian markets. Stay tuned. Up next: What is the Contingent Workforce and how can you leverage it in your business?