Posted by Andrea Kayal on Mon, Feb 06, 2012 @ 05:33 PM
The art and science of paying employees has plagued organizations for decades. As the Department of Labor adds new layers of legislation to Wage and Hour laws, it becomes increasingly more difficult for companies to pay their employees correctly. The Wage and Hour Division is clear about their mission- strict enforcement of federal labor laws. This ensures that minimum wage is met and overtime hours are paid- without this oversight,
employees may be expected to work unfair hours or in unsafe conditions.
The Wage and Hour legislation holds companies accountable for their pay policies, but complying with all of the wage and hour laws becomes overwhelming if an organization does not have a modern time and attendance system in place. The benefit of such a system is that it automates even the most complex pay rules so that organizations can rest assured that their employees are always appropriately compensated.
At TimeLink, we recognize the importance of compliance and understand the overwhelming nature of complex pay rules. As such, we are proud of our powerful rules engine, which processes the logic in a series of “IF” “THEN” statements. The natural language inputs further reduce the complexities and allows for customer modification and maintenance.
I was however, curious about what complex actually meant since the TimeLink Marketing Department isn’t always privy to the details of our client projects. So I polled the TimeLink Professional Services team to see what types of pay rules they have encountered. I could not believe the responses! One of our Senior Managing Consultants, Mike Verost, won the award for the most complex pay rule. As such, I wanted to share with you our favorite rules- the first one wins because of its complexity and the next two win for most entertaining.
Favorite Complex Rule:
1. Shift Differential
IF bargaining unit within (GG,GP,SS) AND (scheduled shift start within Swing Shift Zone 1) OR (Task= Shift Differential, Hazard Hourly and Shift Differential, Hazard Increment and Shift Differential) AND actual start time is within Swing Shift Zone 1) AND Schedule Template Type!= “Irregular” and Seasonal Indicator (Resource Subtype) NOT IN (Regular, Salary, Flexible).
THEN for all applicable time codes for that shift pay to Swing Pay, ELSE if past OT Threshold pay to OT Swing Pay.
Favorite Entertaining Rules (no pun intended):
1. Inclement Weather Pay
IF there is a Typhoon and a performer is scheduled to work, THEN the shift is cancelled and the employee received Regular Pay for hours scheduled.
2. Substitution Premium Rule
IF a Chorus Dancer works as a Dance Captain, THEN he or she is entiled to an additional $X per hour.
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Ed Rizzo on Wed, Jan 25, 2012 @ 01:25 PM
Last night, the President delivered his State of the Union Address and outlined a number of initiatives and policies that his administration will be focused on in the upcoming year. One area that he highlighted was education. He spoke about the vital importance of education and its role in creating new opportunities for our citizens and our country.
He spoke specifically about higher education costs and how they have “skyrocketed” in recent years– making a college education prohibitively expensive for many Americans. He challenged America’s colleges and universities to “do their part” to keep rising tuition costs in check. However, he went further than merely challenging them and outlined a policy that would reduce federal funds available to institutions that were not able to maintain their tuition levels.
This is a daunting challenge for today’s colleges and universities. In an environment where many of the costs of providing a college education- such as labor, fuel and physical plant maintenance - are continually on the rise, colleges are challenged to find new and innovative ways to maintain their costs without sacrificing the quality of their education. When examining these costs, there are not many that a college can control - with one exception - labor. Labor costs – compounded by rising healthcare and retirement benefit costs represent one of the largest components of a college’s overall fixed costs. It also therefore represents one of the most significant opportunities for cost savings. In looking at labor costs, the obvious answer is to reduce costs through staff reduction – but this would lead to a direct reduction in the availability and quality of college services delivered. However, today’s technology has provided us with a more compelling solution. Workforce Management solutions can help colleges and universities reduce labor costs without the need to reduce staff or cut back on work hours. Technology such as time and attendance, workforce scheduling, absence management and labor planning empowers today’s colleges and universities to unlock the productivity of their workforce – helping them take control of their labor costs all while increasing their operational efficiency.
Now colleges can ensure that their workforce is efficiently deployed, that their pay rules are applied in a fair, consistent and accurate manner and that their business processes are streamlined and efficient. All of this can help to reduce labor costs – in many cases from 3% -7% without the need to reduce services or staff. This in turn will help reduce the pressure of rising tuition costs and continue to make a college education accessible and affordable.
Edward M. Rizzo, Jr. - Chief Executive Officer
Edward Rizzo has over 15 years of experience within the systems integration and strategic consulting industries. Prior to TimeLink, Mr. Rizzo worked as a consultant with Andersen Consulting (currently known as Accenture) and Computer Science Corporation in both the information systems integration and strategic development groups. He has worked with clients across a variety of industries including: Financial Services, Energy & Utilities, Media & Entertainment and Retail. Mr. Rizzo has a BA in Economics from Davidson College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Posted by Ed Rizzo on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 @ 01:39 PM
The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) declared a record year in 2011. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that in a recent congressional hearing, the Wage and Hour Division hired an additional 300 investigators in 2010 to help them recover an estimated $225M in back wages and penalties for fiscal year 2011 - a record total.
The overall mission of the Wage and Hour Division is to ensure compliance with federal labor laws and to protect employees from unscrupulous employment practices. While this mission is to be commended - the rules and regulations surrounding it are sometimes unclear and confusing. In this context, it is unfortunately all too easy for even the most diligent of companies to run afoul of the rules – exposing organizations to severe penalties, costly litigation and unwanted negative publicity.
In a business environment characterized by increasingly complex labor laws coupled with more aggressive enforcement - effective compliance has never been more vital to your organization's reputation and bottom line. Workforce management provides a set of business processes and technology solutions that can help your organization more effectively mitigate these risks and keep you focused on your business.
Edward M. Rizzo, Jr. - Chief Executive Officer
Edward Rizzo has over 15 years of experience within the systems integration and strategic consulting industries. Prior to TimeLink, Mr. Rizzo worked as a consultant with Andersen Consulting (currently known as Accenture) and Computer Science Corporation in both the information systems integration and strategic development groups. He has worked with clients across a variety of industries including: Financial Services, Energy & Utilities, Media & Entertainment and Retail. Mr. Rizzo has a BA in Economics from Davidson College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Posted by Andrea Kayal on Thu, Nov 17, 2011 @ 04:11 PM
According to the Service Annual Survey (2009) published this year by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Economics and Statistics Administration), the total revenue for employer firms in selected service industries was well over 10 trillion dollars. The number is unfathomable. Not only because it’s unequivocally a lot of money, but because according to the World Bank, 10 trillion is 70% of the US’s gross domestic product ($14.119 trillion) and 20% of the world ($58.26 trillion).
Admittedly, that data is from 2009, but the fact remains- America’s role as a global provider of services is significant.
While this data demonstrates the true revenue generating power of the indusry, it doesn’t explicitly state how companies have utilized resources to close the gap between this exponential number and their expenses. As the Human Capital Management Institute notes in their brief, Managing an Organization’s Biggest Cost: The Workforce, 70% of the total operating costs are allocated to the workforce.
The service industry is especially prone to workforce management costs. After all, the value and competitive advantage experienced in a service-oriented organization is generated, for the most part, by the knowledge and expertise of their people.
When digging in to this article a little deeper they state that, “simply put, organizations lack tools with which to surgically manage, tune or optimize their workforce.” After shuttering at this notion a bit, considering our (TimeLink’s) livelihood is in part built around the optimization of an organizations workforce, the fact of the matter is that this statement may be true.
As such, here is a quick list of the ways in which an Enterprise Workforce Management (EWM) solution can be used as a tool to help reduce labor costs:
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Automation of workforce scheduling leads to reduction in time required to manage staff
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Budgeting and Forecasting tools help to identify labor supply and demand
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Planned vs. Actual schedules reduce overtime and annual payroll expenditures
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Increased reporting capabilities make it easier to review important data used to make strategic payroll and budgetary changes
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Increased communication across channels enable the streamlining and dissemination of vital information- allowing for quick and easy decision making
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Loralee Bodo on Mon, Oct 10, 2011 @ 03:37 PM
Did you know that on average 3% - 10% of your organization’s employees are absent every day?
When 
an employee is absent from work, productivity declines, causing a waterfall affect on other’s productivity- potentially impacting the bottom line. Managers are tasked with finding resources to fill vacant positions as quickly as possible. In traditional methods, this may mean that the manager has to ask other departments for resources, call in employees on alternate shifts, or hire contract workers to fill these positions. All of these tasks could lead to an increase in overtime and force management’s attention away from core tasks.
In recognizing this, organizations are turning to automated processes to identify open shifts as soon as possible and getting the right resource to fill those shifts at the lowest cost. Using the right workforce management tool, absences can be identified before they occur by allowing the employee to call in via an automated IVR (interactive voice response) system to record an absence. Identifying an absence prior to the start of shift provides management extra time to fill the shift before commencing.
There are several approaches to filling an open shift. This includes offering the shift to a defined employee(s), allowing employees to bid on the shift, or selecting the most qualified resource using automated lists based on qualifications, skills, minimizing overtime, or seniority.
Shift Offer (aka Overtime Equalization) is a means of filling an open shift that has been put in practice by organizations for decades. This is the process of offering overtime shifts in a fair and equitable manner. Traditionally, this process has been a very painstaking process where the list of employees needs to be manually updated to reflect who the offer should be made to next. The calculation of ‘who’s next’ can be based on many qualifiers including seniority, wage, grade, last offer, overtime worked, or any other arbitrary calculation. Today, automation offers a more expedient way of calculating ‘who’s next’ and displaying a list based on customer-defined requirements. Ranking methods can be specified to list employees in the right order, the first time – all within seconds. Managers can make decisions of the awarded shift, or employees can accept or reject an offered shift electronically. If the qualified resource(s) is not available to fill the open shift, the list can be escalated to include additional resources in the organization that are qualified to perform the job; allowing for many shifts to be filled before the shift even begins.
Shift Auction (aka Shift Bid) draws on the same concept as Shift Offer in a more employee-led approach. Employees may bid on the open shift electronically and at the close of the auction, the winner of the shift is automatically determined based on the highest rank.
In an organization where Shift Offer or Shift Auction is not a requirement or a solely manager-led approach is desired, automation can provide the most qualified list of resources, called call-lists, for the manager to select who should be placed into the shift. Using simple drag-and-drop technology, assignments can be made in seconds. Automated notifications of newly assigned shifts or schedule changes can be sent directly to the employee to notify them of a schedule change.
The fact does not change that every day your organization will have to manage absences and how it adversely affects your bottom line; however automation can significantly reduce the cost of absences and provide efficiencies to your process so your managers can get back to business
Loralee Bodo - Director of Product Strategy
Mrs. Bodo joined TimeLink in July of 2007 as a Pre-Sales Solution Consultant responsible for the TimeLink Enterprise Edition product. Throughout her tenure with TimeLink, she has become an expert in the TimeLink offerings and has greatly contributed to the product direction and feature set. Loralee is now responsible for setting the strategic direction for TimeLink's Enterprise product suite and a contributor to the company's overall product strategy. Loralee holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems and Finance from The University at Albany.
Posted by Andrea Kayal on Wed, Sep 28, 2011 @ 10:30 AM
A change management plan of action should be an important and necessary consideration with any new Time and Attendance application. Implementing a new system throughout an organization impacts most, if not all, of the stakeholders. As such, they need to be informed and properly prepared to handle such a change.
Change Management addresses the people side of change which, if ignored, can negatively impact the implementation. The most important, and oftentimes, the most overlooked part of the project is linked to how people do their jobs. Having a planned change management approach works like a shield- it protects the goals and objectives of the project.
The implications for not having a battle-tested change management plan can adversely affect cost, cause delays in project schedules and devalue the quality of the project. With a proven change management methodology, business processes are identified, properly documented and planned around to lessen the occurrence of risks such as user resistance, an apathetic workforce, and confusion caused by the unfamiliarity associated with a new time and attendance application. With the correct change management plan, the following benefits are realized:
• Proper communication is sent to key project stakeholders, managers, team leads, and project staff
• Users are compliant and accept the new system
• Stakeholders are on-board and prepared to use the system
• A high rate of adoption is realized
• High proficiency is instated once new system is in place
As your organization evaluates the capabilities of TimeLink, it is important to consider how you will educate your employees on the features of the new technology. The TimeLink investment can be ensured if your employees use it correctly and effectively. Without training, your employees cannot adapt to the new system and thus cause delays in the implementation. An effective training plan, such as the proven TimeLink methodology, provides multi-faceted learning opportunities which allow quick user adoption and assurance of a ROI.
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Andrea Kayal on Wed, Jul 20, 2011 @ 07:30 AM
Healthcare has been the focus of controversy and debate in recent years. 
Overall cost increases have far outpaced inflation and therefore have caused healthcare to take up a shockingly large proportion of America’s GDP. The Congressional Budget Office indicates that healthcare's share of economic output was 16% of the total in 2007. More worrisome for many, is that this portion is projected to rise to 25% by 2025 as the nation ages. With so much focus on the healthcare system in America, healthcare providers need to take informed steps to cut costs in an industry which is currently being held under a microscope. Adopting a web-based time and attendance software solution is a simple step that providers can take to make sure they stay relevant in a rapidly expanding industry.
Enterprise Workforce Management Software (EWM) companies offer solutions which can give healthcare providers a competitive advantage by making their operations as efficient as possible. Staying on top of patient appointments, doctor and nurse schedules, specialist visits, and vacation/sick time can be a burdensome task for mid-sized to large providers who cannot afford to manually track such a variety of activities. However, web-based time and attendance software allows a company or hospital to effectively track all of their employees in order to minimize confusion and avoid the risks of cumbersome paper-based systems. Additionally, the automation of these activities subsequently mitigates compliance risk.
Trends in the healthcare industry indicate a decentralization of care, and as such patients expect that this higher cost/visit will earn them more personalized and attentive care. This shift away from centralized practices and hospitals towards more flexible care systems promote treatment of patients in a variety of locations. Such a shift means managing a workforce outside of one location. The most effective way to do so requires substantial changes to the current healthcare provider's business model. In order to make the most of expected changes in the medical world, providers should consider adopting a web-based time and attendance system to continue providing the same high level of care that their clients require and demand.
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Andrea Kayal on Tue, Jul 19, 2011 @ 10:43 AM
In a brilliant article written in the New York Times on July 15, 2011, titled A Debt 
Ceiling Cheat Sheet: 8 Possible Plans, Mr. Shear reduces the complexities of the current national debt ceiling stalemate down to a cheat sheet for the layman.
Among the possible options listed, none of the eight suggest a review of the current budget infrastructure to find more efficient spending options within it. Spending cuts, as proposed in two of the eight plans, in my opinion, indicates that sweeping eliminations of personnel, programs such as student loans and entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid will be made. However, I would think that the most effective method to saving money would be to seek out methodologies and technologies which create more efficient internal processes and operations. I am by no means an expert on government budget allocations nor do I have insight as to why this option may not have been explored, but I have not been privy to that via this cheat sheet.
If we take a look at the U.S. Government services sector, it consists of nearly 150,000 federal, state and local government entities and is the nation’s single largest employer, with 2 million individuals currently on the payroll. Not unlike the US government, human capital is typically one of the largest investments that any organization makes. In our (TimeLink) case, we immediately see ways in which an Enterprise Workforce Management (EWM) solution can be deployed across these agencies for a direct way to close in on arbitrary spending. I am certain that there are EWM systems in place across the various agencies, but I propose that the government standardize such cost-saving initiatives across the board. I know it may be presumptuous to imply that deploying new technologies should be a ninth plan, and that our solution could be one the factors that bring us farther from the (debt) ceiling, but I think it could be a start. A few of the benefits behind enterprise workforce management solutions are highlighted below:
- Automation of time collection reduces not only the number of employees assigned to specific tasks, but mitigates compliance risk
- Automation of workforce scheduling leads to reduction in time required to manage staff
- Budgeting and Forecasting tools help to identify labor supply and demand over time
- Planned vs. Actual schedules reduce overtime and annual payroll expenditures
- Increased reporting capabilities make it easier to review important data used to make strategic payroll and budgetary changes
- Increased communication across channels enable the streamlining and dissemination of vital information
- Robust product features such as FMLA case management provide quick and easy tracking and reporting of leave
- Quick return on investment
It will be interesting to see how the next few days, weeks and months play out in our nation’s capital. At the very least the debt limit debates are providing a deeper level of transparency into spending at the White House.
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Andrea Kayal on Tue, Jul 05, 2011 @ 01:36 PM
American manufacturers need to be attuned to global competition if they are 
going to retain market share and remain profitable in a climate of global industrialization. When American producers cannot access cheap labor the way that some of their foreign competitors can, or be supported by generous trade protections, there are numerous other ways to cut costs and remain competitive. One of these is to consider a time and attendance solution that allows companies to more effectively plan, deploy, track and engage with their workforce
Employee time tracking systems give a firm the ability to direct their workforce towards the optimum production levels given their unique constraints and needs. Since competitive firms are increasingly flexible to meet the needs of their customers and respond to other competitors, their employees are expected to work a variety of schedules with fluctuating pay rates. For any mid-sized to large company, managing all of this data is a logistical challenge and a time tracking software can help to solve this issue. This software allows organizations to efficiently and confidently manage a complex workforce, accurately tracking salaries, overtime, pension contributions, hours worked, sick leave, and holidays through a single program.
Such a system is particularly ideal for mid-range firms which are unable to match larger competitors R&D budgets and cannot afford to rapidly expand via acquisitions. Unless these firms are able to cut costs, they are often unable to match a larger firm's rate of innovation and ultimately fall into obsolescence. However, cost-conscious firms that adopt technologies such as employee time tracking are able to combat this trend and continue to operate as a midsized firm specializing in unique products and catering to the specific needs of their customers. Today's business environment requires forethought and investment planning. Those that want to be the best in their industry will be looking to such technologies to help them.
Andrea Kayal - Director of Marketing
Ms. Kayal joined TimeLink in 2011 as Director of Marketing. Prior to joining TimeLink, Andrea worked at Octagon Marketing where she managed global marketing portfolios for clients such as BMW of North America and MasterCard. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of Michigan and an MBA from American University.
Posted by Ed Rizzo on Tue, Jun 28, 2011 @ 04:40 AM
It was recently reported that a large retailer lost its appeal of most of the $187.6M verdict that was initially awarded by a Pennsylvania trial court.
The case was brought on behalf of some 187,000 current and former employees who accused the employer of denying them their meal and rest breaks between 1996 and 2008. The verdict from the appellate court jury highlights not only the burden of complying with the growing and, at times, confusing list of state and federal wage and hour laws, but also the potential costs related to non-compliance. The size and scope of the verdict has sharply focused the attention of many business leaders on their own workforce management processes and has challenged them to find new ways to mitigate risk.
Enterprise Workforce Management solutions provide organizations with a technology-enabled platform that can automate work and pay rules, maintain historical work records, and streamline an organization’s business processes – thereby reducing exposure to the risks of non-compliance. In short, Enterprise Workforce Management is a comprehensive set of solutions that can help your organization plan, deploy, track and engage with your workforce.
As work rules and legal regulations continue to become more prevalent, far-reaching and complex – an investment in Enterprise Workforce Management can provide a rapid and substantive return on investment – and get you back to focusing on your business’ success.
Edward M. Rizzo, Jr. - Chief Executive Officer
Edward Rizzo has over 15 years of experience within the systems integration and strategic consulting industries. Prior to TimeLink, Mr. Rizzo worked as a consultant with Andersen Consulting (currently known as Accenture) and Computer Science Corporation in both the information systems integration and strategic development groups. He has worked with clients across a variety of industries including: Financial Services, Energy & Utilities, Media & Entertainment and Retail. Mr. Rizzo has a BA in Economics from Davidson College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.