The "Kronos Guy" Blog

So our last QuickTip illustrated the process of recording a labor account at the start of a shift.  An underused and often confusing process to say the least.  So even though most users are familiar with this type of labor account transfer, we decided to include a QuickTip on labor account transfers in the middle or end of a shift.  Again, we are trying to change your perspective when recording this by asking the following questions: 

Kronos Timekeeper Can't Solve Every Payroll Problem

Jeff Millard has written about how in many organizations the way employees get paid is not consistent with policy and sometimes not even consistent between different Payroll Clerks. I think about these types of problems often and this particular one continually haunts me. The answer doesn't lie in the policy; many companies are actually quite clear in their intent. Nor is it the Kronos Timekeeper Payrules; they might be well programmed. One might think the Clerk mentioned above is the source of the failure, but they have had proper training. Have they? Yes. But is it too late? I'm beginning the think the actual source of the problem is how we are taught from the very beginning, in grammar school. Memorize, behave, comply. That's the throughline of public education. It's not Connect the dots, make something interesting, ask good questions, become passionate about something. Memorize, behave, comply.

Skills and certifications are a useful Kronos feature that allows organizations to schedule employees more effectively.  By using skills and certification, a business can better serve its customers or a hospital can ensure that departments have nurses with specific certifications. Let’s start by defining skills and certifications, and then talk about where Kronos stores this information, and finally, how it is used.

Anyone who has experience will tell you that the retail market (as opposed to manufacturing, health care or government/education) is very unique.  When planning a Workforce Timekeeper upgrade or implementation, a critical aspect of the overall success and adoption of the system is application/system training; a top consideration should be: How can Workforce Timekeeper training be adapted to the retail environment?  This is by no means an in-depth blog entry, but more of a quick review, the main ideas expressed here can be used to develop something more individualized for a retail organizations individual needs.  So let's start:

So a few years ago, I was shopping with my wife and she found what must have been the most beautiful sweater ever made.  The color and fabric were perfect for me; it was cool! I  know this because those were her exact words.  Anyway, I tried it on and found it to be a little itchy.  "Don't worry about it," my wife replied, "that will go away after a few washings, besides, it's on sale!"  Well, guess what, it's been washed 10 to 15 times by now, and though it still looks cool, the thing continues to itch like crazy.  I purchased something I really liked, but was less than happy with so I could save money.

I'm working with a customer now that has set a significant restriction.  They will only use distance learning for their live events.  They have sites across the country and don't want to spend resources moving people to a class.  OK, is this really a restriction?

In previous blogs, we have talked about nurses using Kronos 4500 terminals.  One of the common tasks nurses need to complete at the 4500 terminal is a transfer.  When this occurs, much like any other transaction at the terminal, the nurse should be responsible for ensuring that the transfer was recorded, and if not, responsible for reporting the error. 

When scheduling in Kronos, it’s good to keep some things in mind.  Now, this isn't an entry on different tools for scheduling in Workforce Timekeeper, that's already been done.  What you will be reading here is just simple tips to help ensure your scheduling experience is a good one.  The first and most obvious:

Goals.  We love them.  We set them, we strive for them, we meet them.  Sometimes we exceed a goal and sometimes we come up short.  Regardless, goals are a great way to motivate us.  Now, I am an obsessive goal-setter, but here is the catch.  I set too many goals.  Why is this a bad thing?  Well, when a lot of goals are set, it's common to miss a few.  Heck, it's common for me to just plain forget some of them.  Why?  They become unmanageable; and when they are unmanageable, they are unimportant.  There.  I said it.  I know that some folks will argue this point, thinking all goals are important.  That just isn't the case.  Setting too many goals lessens their significance, therefore, going against the goal of setting a goal! So what goals should be set for Workforce Timekeeper training?  Shoot, how do we qualify a goal as good in the first place?  Here are a few things to think about...

Technology has changed the way we work.  In some cases, it's changed the nature of our jobs.  So how would this affect on-the-job (OTJ) training?  More specifically, how has Workforce Timekeeper changed the way we handle OTJ training?  It's been mentioned before, OTJ training has been going on as since cavemen started making spears.  Why is OTJ training so great?  Well, to start, it's efficient.  You are working and learning at the same time.  Second, as anyone who has spent time in a foreign country knows, you are immersed in it.  You are surrounded by it, you breathe it.  You can't help but learn to do what you are required to.  I really don't know anyone who isn't proficient at on OTJ learning; if they weren't, they wouldn't have their job for very long.