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Insights
on Excellence | "Insights
on Excellence" Archive
The benefits of interfacing with employees
online
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR |
 Stephen
Hawley Martin is
a former principal of The Martin Agency
in Richmond and the author of more than
half a dozen books including his newest,
Lean Enterprise Leader: How to Get Things
Done Without Doing It All Yourself.
He is editor and
publisher of The
Oaklea Press, a book publishing business
dedicated primarily to helping business
executives increase productivity.
He can be reached at shmartin@oakleapress.com
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by Stephen
Hawley Martin
for Virginia Business
Mary 8, 2007
Nowadays, more and more people are doing their banking
online, shopping online and buying and selling stocks
online. Why not have the same setup with employee time
and attendance issues?
With new time and attendance systems, for example, it's
possible for employees to ask for certain days off by
entering the request directly into the system. Instead
of filling out a piece of paper, an employee can go into
the system - either by phone or on the Web, and request,
let's say, Tuesday off. The system can check to determine
that the employee has accumulated sufficient paid time
off (PTO) for the request to be granted and automatically
notify the employee's supervisor.
With the latest technology, the supervisor can also
use the system to find the right person to replace that
particular employee on Tuesday - one who will not be
bumped into overtime, for example, but also has the right
skills.
The supervisor can enter the changes, the system will
update everyone's time and paid days off information,
notify the individual via e-mail or voicemail that his
or her day off has been approved, and notify the replacement
he's been scheduled to work at such and such a job in
such and such a place on Tuesday. Imagine the time and
effort this will save.
Some systems even allow employees to find their own
replacements, notify the supervisor of the proposed shift
swap and complete the process once the supervisor has
given his approval. Not only is this self-service convenient
for everyone involved, it is empowering for employees
and is likely to improve morale and long-term retention.
The time may have come for you to consider acquiring
this technology for your business. After all, it's likely
the next generation of workers will expect and be attracted
to this kind of autonomy and interface.
Why not have your company lead the way?
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Stephen Hawley Martin is a former principal of The Martin Agency in Richmond
and the author of more than half a dozen books including his newest, Lean Enterprise
Leader: How to Get Things Done Without Doing It All Yourself. He is editor and
publisher of The Oaklea Press, a book publishing business dedicated primarily
to helping business executives increase productivity.
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