What role can technology play in attendance?
When someone considers working at your warehouse, they'll want to know they're on even ground. Attendance is a critical issue for reward and emotional support. With a sharp eye on who's turning up regularly – or missing shifts – you can double down on incentives, and speak to those who are having issues with their work or personal lives. Everyone wants a fair measure of attendance that balances their contribution to your business against the time off they may need, at short notice, to recoup their strength.
Absence management specialist Eday reports that sick days in the logistics trade spiked by 139% in 2021, per theHRDIRECTOR, which it attributes to more pressure and (of course) COVID-19. So as more employees consider taking days off, how can you handle attendance issues with greater control?
The answer may lie in warehouse management systems (WMS). They level up your sight and seamless processing for workers that are due to clock in. Let's explain some of the ways in which WMS improves your attendance.
Accurate, digitized records
Plenty of warehouses still cling to physical documents such as timesheets. Using WMS for attendance, however, keeps that data centralized and on file forever. You won't need to ask for signatures anymore. Instead, some of the best modern solutions have face-scanning technology: employees clock in and out by looking at a screen. Soon, we may see fingerprint detection leave a mark on the attendance process too – according to a Taiwanese research project, it's already being trialed for product control on Android devices. Both of these options beat pen and paper.
Instant alerts for shift supervisors
If someone doesn't come into work without telling you first, or stays for longer than they're legally meant to, your warehouse managers must be notified. Thankfully attendance features in the majority of WMS send alerts in seconds. You can set your own attendance policies which, if violated, inform everyone on the network who needs to know. Automating a red light means you don't have to fret about getting the timesheet right, and can take action, following up with the people who aren't where they should be.
Coordination with HR and payroll
Workers really appreciate the chance to earn a bonus on their monthly salary. You can make attendance a part of this – sustained work, without a sick day for several months, can lead to a bump in wages or company treat. But it's always wise to tie this to performance as well. WMS covers every base for who's doing what and how consistent they've been. You might find a lot of value in the digital synchronicity with payroll and human resources: employees are never over or underpaid, and their track record can be fed into automated rewards.