Going Digital: Streamlining payroll and time & attendance with data-driven technology.

Do you recuit cleaning and maintenance operatives via job apps or Facebook and then manually process paper-based timesheets once they jump onboard? It’s a familiar scene as many businesses grow and struggle to adapt to integrate the various systems used to manage their dispersed workforces.

Most cleaning contractors will be involved with all stages of the employee lifecycle: recruitment, onboarding, development, payroll, retention and exit. Multiply this by the number of employees you process, and the day-to-day people management process is a complex task. By integrating automation, analysing data and embracing cloud-based information intelligence, efficiency and the entire process can get a whole lot easier. It’s entirely possible to move away from stacks of paper and an overflowing inbox.

It’s easy for employees with paper-based timesheets to enter incorrect times of arriving and leaving site or round up their hours. Overpayment will often happen as the employee is paid based on those incorrect hours or rates. Couple that with huge volumes of attendance data which needs retyping from timesheets or cards into the payroll system by back office administration staff, it’s easy for mistakes to be made and inaccuracies to go unnoticed.

Soft FM service providers can manage the employee lifecycle of hundreds of cleaning operatives in a sector that has a notoriously high staff turnover rate. By eliminating uncertainty and having information available real-time, it’s possible to free up time for Managers to make the best possible decisions, streamline processes, achieve optimum levels of productivity and boost long-term profitability.

Modern time and attendance software technology enables operations managers to verify attendance in real-time, and eliminates the need for paper timesheets thereby streamlining payroll reporting. A massive reduction in the administrative burden of paper timesheets can result in substantial savings in payroll processing including the elimination of time sheet fraud, reduction in payroll overpayments, discrepancies, disputes and time spent on supervision. The technology significantly reduces potential for fraud and time-keeping disputes as it enables Payroll Managers to compare actual hours worked against planned hours, therefore significantly reducing the chance of over-payments.

An integrated Workforce Management System will include scheduling, payroll and invoice reporting so that employees can be allocated, pay rates assigned and payroll extracts can be produced. Seamless integration means that tailored reports can be created quickly and easily. The method and frequency of how people are paid can have considerable impact on how they manage their finances and how they approach their daily duties. Financial stress can be a distraction at work for employees, and many employers recognise the direct impact it can have on productivity and engagement.

The digital streamlining of payroll should be a priority for employers, regardless of industry or size. That’s why there is an emergence of new technologies that aim to transform payroll for the benefit of both employers and employees, and more so in commercial cleaning and facilities management sectors where hours and locations can be varied. If we assess the efficiencies of payroll processing across different businesses and roles, we need to establish what is important for payroll back office staff, and what their key pain points are. Despite the rise in digital processes and the use of smartphones, there remains some level of resistance from the payroll administrators, who are reluctant to adopt online employee portals.

Streamlining payroll processes and adopting intuitive cloud-based management technology in your FM or cleaning company can be a double winner; meaning both the employer and the worker get to realise the benefits. With many systems already under pressure, payroll is a drain on administration and often takes several days to complete. Providing your employees with a portal, wallet or app that easily shows them things like wage slips, money transfers, PAYE, requests for drawdowns etc. means they are in control and responsible for their financial well-being and financial visibility. As a business, you will benefit the rewards that this automation brings and will quickly realise the value that cloud-based systems can bring to your company.

EziPay is a cloud payroll and workforce management platform that sits within the Ezitracker suite streamlining the employee journey from recruitment and onboarding to time and attendance, through to scheduling and payroll. It is an end to end solution allowing you to deliver payroll services as well as time sheets, expenses, absence management solutions and even clock on/off and rota management solutions to your clients: all from the same familiar EziHub platform. This facility allows your administrators to streamline their processes, and to spread some of the most time consuming tasks to the site managers via the time and attendence functionality. By introducing a solution that enables employee and manager to take control of timesheet logging, it saves the task of compiling that data and eliminates the need to enter it into payroll: It's immediately there when you need to process the next pay run. Come the day of the pay-run it’s a simple checking off process - no more Excel spreadsheets. Integrated Payroll can help you start making informed decisions by managing teams from any device - web, tablet and mobile. It will automate wage cost and leave calculations and empower your people with mobile apps and smart devices.

It’s all about creating a healthy, happy engaged workforce, so they can be in control of their finances. Money worries are common a distraction at work, supporting the financial wellbeing of your workforce is not only good for your employees, it’s good for business.

Ezitracker allows for the full employee journey from Onboarding to Pay - all from a single EziHub.