Payroll, time and attendance technology has undergone huge change in the past few years. Perhaps more aptly called workforce management technology (WMT), it has leaped far beyond the point of simply being able to calculate the pay of individuals and write checks. This book explains how data from such systems can be exported to software programs that enable executives to “see” in real time what’s going on in their operations. Potential problems and unnecessary expenses can be headed off before they occur. Managers and workers can be held accountable, and their decisions channeled to support corporate objectives or to conform to best practices. The technology can be used to pursue goals that range from boosting revenues in health care, to balancing lines in lean manufacturing, to maximizing sales in retail, and reducing overtime in any field. All this and much more is possible, yet many in business today are unaware of this new technology and what it can do.

The technology can be used, for example, to keep overtime hours to a minimum, monitor and enforce company, union, and government policies such as Sarbanes-Oxley. It can be used to prevent employee payroll fraud, limit employee access to sensitive data, and it can even make certain physical areas of a company off limits. At the same time, it can empower employees by allowing them access to their own payroll and attendance information such as overtime hours worked during a given period and accumulated PTO (paid time off). It can even allow them to schedule their own days off and to have their preferences taken into consideration with respect to the hours they would like to work when schedules are drawn up.

The technology can help company managers operate their businesses in the most efficient manner by allowing them to schedule people possessing specific skills at the times these skills will be required, or are most likely to be needed. It can schedule workers in the right numbers to match the projected needs of different shifts or times of day. Labor data and the scheduling function can be used strategically to maximize customer service, sales, and to insure proper and adequate staffing in a variety of industries such as health care, manufacturing and retail. All this and much more is explained in this new book.