Time Keeping: Grafton’s “On The Clock” Solution

By Greg Dabbs – Business Development Manager at Grafton Staffing

Grafton is more than just a staffing company. We’re always looking to find solutions that will help our clients with their day-to-day processes. Finding helpful solutions to problems, or making improvements, is part of what helps Grafton be a partner and not just a vendor.

Time Keeping

Grafton Staffing: On The ClockFor example, time keeping is something that every company would like to do as efficiently and accurately as possible. Wouldn’t you like to simplify that process as much as possible to focus on other things?

Grafton offers a product that is free to our clients that helps make time keeping much more efficient. It’s a web based time management system that improves accuracy. And we’ve heard from our clients that it makes the process of collecting, correcting, and monitoring employees time and submitting hours much easier.

We recently had another client begin using our “On The Clock” time keeping system and they love it. It saves them time collecting paper time cards and tracking employees down for last minute corrections or questions. Since the system is web based, they can manage time entries from any place where they have internet access.

Our On The Clock system punches employees’ time to the minute.

Our client’s employees can no longer fill out their time cards as being there from 8am to 5pm when they’re 15 minutes late. Monitoring this daily from their office allows them to address tardiness and other issues quickly so those issues don’t go unnoticed.

There are a couple options to have the employees punch in and out daily.

Some clients choose to set up a dedicated On The Clock computer at their office for employees to use to record their time in and out. Others can have a group punch station.

Our client opted to have a group punch so we installed an iPad on the break room wall. The employees come in daily and use the iPad to punch in and out. That information is stored for that employee for the approving manager to see and then approve for payroll. This option is great for warehouses and companies with departments in different buildings.

Our client reviews employee time entries every pay period and makes any corrections on their computer before approving and submitting electronically to Grafton.

We’re always looking for good partners. Let us know how we can help you!

A Great Onboarding Process Makes All the Difference

Mike Bollinger

Mike Bollinger

Post written by Mike Bollinger, Operations and Business Development

Hire. Fire. Repeat.

Sounds like the beginning of a human resources commercial sponsored by Head and Shoulders, doesn’t it? Are you an HR professional experiencing PTSD after reading the first couple of sentences of this blog?

My name is Michael Bollinger, and I’m here to tell you a little secret that will help you sleep better at night.

Accept the fact that this process will never end, and then take a look at the first five days in the life of a new employee within your organization.

A great onboarding process makes all the difference when introducing new employees to the organization. Setting expectations, providing training and setting employees up for success is just smart business.

What you’re about to read WILL have a positive impact on your retention rate. Why? Because it works. Here’s what this approach has accomplished for me:

  • I’ve managed onsite and recruiting operations over 28 sites throughout the nation
  • My clients are anywhere from 50 to 1200 employees
  • I successfully launched eleven of those clients from ground zero
  • DIDN’T LOSE A SINGLE CLIENT

What does your onboarding process look like?

trainingSeriously, think about it. Does your organization even have an official SOP (standard operating procedure) for new employees? Think about your first week or even your first day.

Was there structure, organization and direction? Or did you get tossed into the chaotic universal SOP known as FIO (figure it out)?

Let’s face it. FIO only works with a very small percentage of the working population. And those people are usually in management.

For most employees, there must be structure, organization, training and setting proper expectations.

Doing so dramatically decreases the possibility of employees developing bad habits and plausible deniability. (aka “I wasn’t ever taught how to do that.”)

What can you do?

Start by implementing the following onboarding approach for all new employees. Get creative and add your personality/culture to the mix:

  • Day one orientation (i.e. ALL paperwork, a tour, meeting team members, day to day operations).
  • Solidify a training process backed up with reference material.
  • Explain how long the training process and what you expect to be accomplished.
  • Set proper expectations during training (first 30 days, 90 days and one year of employment).
  • Introduce them to as many members of management as possible (make them feel welcome).
  • Follow-up during the first few months

Walking into a new job, with new people, and not knowing what to expect can be nerve-wracking and overwhelming. That often leads to poor performance, poor attendance and poor attitude. Add that all up and you get high turnover.

An effective and well communicated/executed onboarding experience always makes long-term operations far more effective. Let me know what your process is or if you decide to implement the process above!