Get InTouch with WFM reality

BANGALORE, INDIA: It is a very common scene at large enterprises that HR executives struggle with employee or workforce management (WFM), as the burden to manage their attendance, leaves and salary dispersal, etc., rest on their shoulders. As of now, there is no real-time mechanism to help them out with managing these 'burdens'.

But, now the scenario is changing. Companies are now realizing the importance of WFM applications. According to a recent study by Nucleus Research, WFM applications are delivering significant return on investment, with an average benefit of $7.88 returned on every dollar spent. The research further goes on to say that those who haven't yet embraced WFM tools to support HR-related processes are missing out on significant cost savings.

Needless to say, WFM is an integral part of enterprises that look to save on time and cost. In fact, there is a very few number of companies, which are extensively focused on this segment, of which Kronos is a crucial player .

In an interview with CIOL, its India head James Thomas talks about the WFM market and Kronos' WFM tool.

CIOL: What is workforce management tool?

Thomas: As we all know, most companies have historical view of people when it comes to employee management, like what an employee is, what his/her salary is, what his/her skills are, among other factors. They use traditional core HR system for this data.

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What is happening in real time on shop floors of manufacturing companies or in the nursing bays in hospitals. Employers are absolutely struggling to manage the workforce. Many companies have a partial or near-blinded view as far as knowing what is going on in their firm.

This is where WFM tool assumes importance. Our tool Kronos, 'InTouch', helps an employer to manage its workforce, time, absence and leaves of its employees.

In a nutshell, Kronos — which means 'time' in Greek language — gives a single remedy to everything related to workforce management. 'InTouch' is a revolutionary new time clock device that will reshape the way organizations think about, and employees interact with their workforce management solutions. The advent of 'InTouch' has revolutionized the WFM market like what ATM has done to the banking sector.

CIOL: Could you explain the working process of 'Kronos'?

Thomas: Kronos InTouch is a small touch-enabled monitor. While traditional time clocks rely on physical buttons, small displays, and fixed menus, 'InTouch' combines the latest in hardware technology with a powerful user interface to deliver an unrivaled user experience. It has a color touch screen and a graphical interface.

With its self-service capabilities, InTouch enables employees to check accrual balances, request time off, and view schedules all in real-time, unlocking the value of an organization’s existing workforce management solution.

It is the first time clock built for the cloud, which works securely and easily over the Internet and through firewalls. This device securely communicates with a private cloud provided by Kronos cloud services or with an existing enterprise cloud.

During non-peak hours, most time clocks remain idle. InTouch enables organizations to use the device for other functions, including checking sales or census data, executing an employee survey, or delivering a message to employees via video.

In addition, Kronos empowers users to create their own applications and share them via the Kronos InTouch App Platform.

Simply put, InTouch helps an employer in time and attendance management, scheduling, absence management, etc. One of the most powerful and unique capabilities of InTouch is its ability to be monitored and controlled from a remote location.

Combined with VoIP phone support, it delivers an unprecedented level of help to frontline managers and employees alike.

CIOL: What is the role of the software part in the device?

Thomas: This is basically an app and can be downloaded to your smartphone, PC, laptop or tablet, etc.

It provides an extensible application platform for people to actually streamline things.

It gives them information, such as if you want to check your schedule for the next week, there is a schedule button. Using this button, you can check it and you get to know what your schedule is for the next week.

You can request for a swap shift saying that you have discussed it with your colleague, and your manager can see your message and can approve it. Even if you have two different managers, both of them can have the visibility and get it done here.

The software is available for the employees depending on which devices they use.