Despite the current economic conditions, the manufacturing industry in Canada is thriving: it currently employs 1.7 million people and contributes more than 10% of the country’s GDP. 68% of all Canada’s merchandise experts stem from manufacturing. At the same time, Data from Statistics Canada indicates that the country loses a greater number of days per year to sick leave than many other countries.
Given that manufacturing plays such a huge role in the Canadian economy, improving productivity has never been more of a priority. Here at Mitrefinch, we’re interested in understanding how to do this and believe that one of the key areas of focus should be on absence from work due to sickness.
What Is the Average Number of Sick Days Per Year in Canada?
The average number of sick days per year in Canada is 11.6 days according to recent data from Statistics Canada. This compares with a national average of just 5.3 days in the UK.
How to Improve Productivity Using Time and Attendance Software
One of the most significant ways for manufacturing employers to counteract this worrying trend is to implement time and attendance software. This enables companies to monitor employee attendance and sick days, facilitating the identification of any absence patterns that may need to be addressed quickly, and with minimal additional work.
At Mitrefinch, we believe that it is important for employers to be able to maximise efficiency and reach informed decisions without being micro-managerial or overbearing. Time and attendance software, contrary to popular belief, provides managers with the information they need to achieve this with as little interference as possible.
Benefits of Time and Attendance Software
As well as helping managers to pick up on trends in employee sick leave and increase productivity in the process, time and attendance software offers a range of other benefits for businesses in the manufacturing industry.
Reduce Labour Costs
Traditional attendance checks are vulnerable to manipulation by unscrupulous employees. These systems can be cheated by a variety of means such as logging additional hours of work or buddy punching, where one employee clocks in on behalf of another absent employee.
The extra hours of pay that accrue as a result of such dishonest practices increase employers’ labour costs. Our intelligent time and attendance software prevents this from occurring and provides an accurate picture of timekeeping using biometric timekeeping.
Biometric timekeeping is one of the most effective ways of preventing employees from abusing your timekeeping system with buddy punching. By using a unique fingerprint scan rather than a card-clocking system, the employee needs to be present in order to clock in or out. Ultimately, the software ensures that you only pay for hours that are worked, helping to reduce labour costs.
Manage Time Allocation Effectively
Unwarranted sick leave and employee tardiness can prevent managers from allocating roles and scheduling tasks effectively. Absenteeism in key members of a manufacturing project tends to grind progress to a halt, preventing other employees from doing their jobs.
As well as discouraging unauthorised absence from work, our time and attendance software helps managers to allocate time effectively by facilitating the management of overtime hours, including accurate tracking of refused or accepted requests for overtime. Managers find it particularly useful for people planning when coupled with HR software.
Our software can also assist companies with return to work processes. Scheduling return to work interviews is easy, with full transparency for both employers and employees as well as alerts and reminders to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Improve Productivity and Efficiency
Time and attendance software enables managers to pick up on many different forms of absenteeism. In this way, the software discourages employees from missing work without a good reason. Line managers can also identify and address absence early, improving the productivity and efficiency of the workforce overall.
Employee Satisfaction
Whilst this might seem like an unusual benefit, time and attendance software can actually increase employee satisfaction. Software and hardware that has been developed with the user in mind, such as the Mitrefinch solutions offer a positive, high-tech experience at the point of entry. Additionally, it can be linked to payroll systems, facilitating the accurate calculation of wages and compensation. Payroll integration also ensures that paychecks are always delivered on time and are easy to access, helping to make your employees happy, motivated, and loyal.
If you think a time and attendance solution could be right for your business. Contact us today to find out more.
