Time and performance

HFX COO Nicola Smart spoke to Mazhar Butt, IT & systems manager of Hahn Plastics about why they chose HFX’s Imperago time & attendance and rostering solution and what benefits they have obtained.

Hahn Plastics decided they needed to modernise and move from their paper-based Time & Attendance system and manual clock, to a modern Cloud workforce management system and biometric face reader for their Time & Attendance and Rostering. They initially chose to trial a competitor system which had been recommended to them, but after two months the trial had not gone at all well, with the biometric clocking devices failing regularly. The Head of Operations of Hahn Plastics had worked with HFX in a previous company so suggested contacting us.

HFX: a good product fit and a partnership approach to the Imperago project

It was commented that ‘HFX were very professional from the start’ and were chosen as their new supplier.

Hahn Plastics requirements were for Time & Attendance and Rostering, Biometric face scanners for attendance recording, export to payroll and an API integration with their HR system People HR as well as integration of HFX to the People HR employee portal.

The Hahn Plastics and HFX project team had a partnership approach and took their time carefully planning the scoping, implementation and full parallel run. Hahn Plastics has a weekly payroll so there was the opportunity to check the paper data to the system output every week for a period of several weeks. This paid off and in the end the project was implemented faster than the predicted time due to the smooth running and problem free implementation.

The HR Manager was concerned about having to learn a new system, but commented that Ian Roberts, the HFX consultant who did the training, made this process very easy by providing excellent training and ongoing advice.

High employee satisfaction

Due to the failed trial with a competitor system, Hahn’s employees had serious doubts as to whether the HFX system would work. In addition, a majority of the staff are blue collar workers with little or no experience of technology. However, post implementation the staff now trust the system and data, and employee satisfaction is high. They can now obtain confirmation of Absence Requests very quickly through Employee Self Service and it is even used for Group communications within Hahn.

Integration of HFX Imperago data into the People HR

The HFX Imperago and People HR systems integrate seamlessly utilising web-APIs to give Hahn Plastics a ‘Best of Breed’ solution. The data-flow is bi-directional and the HFX Implementation process ensured no issues were encountered.

Exceptions management decentralised to Managers has improved accuracy and time savings for HR

Previously, exceptions clearing for the night shift was time consuming because HR do not work at nights. Now this responsibility has been decentralised to Managers who deal with the exceptions during the shift, ensuring accurate information and timely exceptions clearing which in turn makes the payroll preparation faster and more accurate.

Success with HFX Biometric Face Scanners

The failed trial with a competitor system and all the issues with the biometric clocks had created mistrust among employees as to accuracy of the clockings. However, with the implementation of HFX Imperago and the HFX Biometric face scanners employees saw there were no problems this time and there is a 99.9% proved reliability statistic for these face scanners.

‘Imperago Mobile phone function is excellent’

Previously, the holiday request procedure for night staff was unsatisfactory because the system was paper-based and HR only work office hours. Now the system is accessible at any time from anywhere so communication with HR and holiday approvals are way quicker.

Hahn Plastics managing director Dave Watson said:

The introduction of the HFX Imperago / People HR Time & Attendance system here at HAHN Plastics Ltd has enabled business performance improvements to be realised on a number of levels:

a) Team Member Engagement:

The People HR Portal, which incorporates HFX Imperago data, enables all our team members to proactively manage their own holiday requests, gain visibility of HR related information updates, access company procedures and issues thanks to other team members for their support.

b) Time & Attendance Information:

The HFX Imperago system provides a robust platform for accurately capturing team members’ Time & Attendance information through its facial recognition system, whilst also collating this data in an efficient manner enables attendance performance to be easily monitored and effectively managed.

c) Real-Time Updates:

The HFX Imperago system provides real-time attendance information at the click of a button to support emergency situations such as fire alarm roll calls.

In summary, the HFX Imperago / People HR system combination provides a powerful business tool that releases our HR & Leadership team members from having to collect and collate time and attendance data for their respective team members whilst also encouraging those team members to proactively engage in HR matters through the People HR portal.

This is particularly useful when running a 24 hour operation as it allows team members who working outside normal day shift hours to establish and maintain contact on HR related matters through this system.

Hahn Plastics HR officer Sharon Haslam said:

HFX Imperago has really improved how we record every member of staff’s daily hours. We run two systems; in one we have monthly paid staff and in the other weekly paid staff. We provided all background data that was needed to implement the system. HFX then made the magic happen!

It now saves at least 3 hours work on a Monday doing weekly wages. From the old clock card system to facial recognition, we have seen massive improvements in a short time frame. HFX made it very easy, having regular catch ups through implementation and trial stages. Any glitches were sorted within hours of reporting. Training was excellent and very helpful.

I am a super user on the system and can set up new rotas and amend data, and all our head of departments have had training and use the system daily to check who’s in and who’s out.

We also use People HR software system which works in tandem with HFX.

Imperago which pulls through information re sickness and holidays from People HR to HFX Imperago automatically. Both systems run together brilliantly and both companies worked well together.

We can also access HFX Imperago through mobile or tablet which we use for Health & Safety roll call as the system shows you who is on site and who is not, making Fire Drills easier to manage.

Account Manager Patricia Broderick and Data Specialist Ian Roberts were very easy to work with always communicating at every stage. Nothing was too much trouble, and they were always happy to help