Cape Town, 12 Jun 2017
The retail industry faces a number of challenges with regard to containing costs. One of the areas of concern is employee time management, which has often been a very difficult and nebulous arena. Buddy clocking, 'stolen' or over-calculated hours and unreported downtime are the primary causes of reduced profitability with respect to employee timekeeping.
In this fast-paced environment, the negative effects of employee downtime can result in reduced productivity and profitability for the retailer. Manual time card calculations, coupled with varying pay rates, are time-consuming and often frustrating for human resources departments.
According to Powell Tronics CEO John Powell, whether a retailer has one or 100 locations, a Web-based time and attendance (T&A) software solution, ATOM, allows retailers to simplify employee time recording, improve accuracy and increase their business' efficiency and bottom line by streamlining the payroll process.
"The question posed by anyone investing in an electronic time and attendance (T&A) solution for the first time is whether they will recoup their investment. The answer is an emphatic 'yes'. We have a formula we use to demonstrate that the clockable hours saved by employers on employee timekeeping far surpass the initial outlay in a Web-based solution such as ATOM," says Powell.
Powell cites a solid example, using a very simple formula, of the tangible cost savings produced by using ATOM. "Let's say a retailer has 100 employees. If one uses T&A software such as ATOM, this will allow management to calculate time worked accurately, with a saving of 10 minutes per employee per day. This equates to 1 000 minutes a day multiplied by five working days, resulting in a saving of 5 000 minutes (83 hours) per week. That is equivalent to employing two extra employees per week. Based on an average minimum wage of R25/hour, the resultant cost saving is R2 075 per week, R8 300 per month or R99 600 per annum."
When linked to a reputable biometric fingerprint reader such as the Safran Morpho biometric terminals and Impro's various software suites, ATOM allows for a large ROI on even the most complex of installations. In addition to providing employers with instantaneous information on employee hours worked, team hours worked, leave and sick leave taken, ATOM also eliminates the need to install software on each computer. It also obviates server maintenance, thereby saving on IT costs and feature upgrades, along with future product enhancements. Other advantages include eliminated downtime due to local PC failures, as well as minimising of data breaches.
ATOM provides employers with automated scheduled reports. Because these can be used to highlight staff that have not arrived for their shift at a particular time, the retailer has a proactive opportunity to reorganise key personnel, like cashiers, for maximised productivity.
Time savings extends to employees, with ATOM allowing employees to securely clock-in in under two seconds at the point of entry or at the employee time clock. Not only does this automated method remove human error, but it allows staff members to move onto the sales floor as quickly as possible.
"The benefits of solutions such as ATOM are manifold. Employers benefit from accountable hours worked; employees benefit from an easy-to-use system and precise payment of remuneration; and consumers benefit from a motivated retail team. ATOM is easy to use, with a very visual interface, and with a recommended dealer/installer base available nationally, all geographic areas in South Africa are completely covered," says Powell.
Interested parties are welcome to visit the Web site on www.p-tron.com for further information or call and discuss how ATOM can provide any operation with substantial cost benefits and return on investment.
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