Work in healthcare? Here’s why a good Time and Attendance system is a must
Whilst every industry likes to keep on top of their employees’ attendance, and for very good reasons, there’s one in which lives could literally depend on having good time and attendance software in place – the healthcare sector. After all, if the surgeon programmed to carry out your life-saving operation hasn’t shown up, for whatever reason, wouldn’t you want someone to realise that and act as quickly as possible to find another one?
That’s just one reason why tracking workers’ hours in the medical and healthcare industries is so important, but there are many others, and there are also characteristics of this sector that present unique challenges, and make cloud-based time and attendance even more paramount.
Firstly, there’s no closing times for companies in healthcare. People are working round the clock, every day of the year in some capacity, taking care of us and our loved ones. Within healthcare there are vastly different roles, from admin staff and cleaners to paramedics, nurses, domiciliary care workers, doctors, surgeons, registrars, etc. Changes in staffing requirements are virtually the norm, rather than the exception. In such a high-stakes, stressful environment, with strict targets and guidelines and rules to adhere to as well as the constant changing needs of patients, many plates are being spun at any one time. Such a complex and unique set of characteristics within the healthcare sector really demand an intense level of management in general, starting with time.
The healthcare industry in the UK is currently made up of government and non-government ran facilities, which together encompass a wide range of services such as nursing homes, social care, specialist care, hospitals, healthcare centres, etc. With pressure on the NHS reaching record levels, it often sub-contracts certain services, and this makes time tracking even more important; with funds so very tight, it’s vital to not waste even a pound more than necessary.
So why is a Time and Attendance system like uAttend so important for the healthcare industry?
- You know immediately who’s in and who’s out. In times of emergency, this 24/7 access to real-time dashboards can save lives.
- The system captures all of your clocking-in data, which is then easily exported to payroll systems, meaning that you know your workers will receive the correct pay for their hours worked, including any overtime.
- uAttend can produce detailed automated reporting on your labour costs using your clocking data gathered. This data offers you far greater insights into how both your business and your workforce are performing – information you may need ahead of making any important decisions regarding taking on more staff.
Oh, and let’s not forget how essential it is to keep these workplaces hygienic. Protective equipment is usually worn, including masks and gloves, which means a time and attendance system needs to work around this reality. Whilst uAttend offers several ways for your workers to clock in, including the very convenient clock-in app, there are also biometric clocking machines, which use fingerprint or facial recognition. These are the most secure option, make time theft impossible and also, in the case of the biometric facial recognition machine, can come with temperature readers, meaning that not only are they contactless, and able to clock in workers even when wearing protective masks, you can also set a temperature threshold of, say 37.8 degrees Celsius, above which they would not be allowed to clock in. This vastly reduces the chance of illness spreading in the workplace, which, when dealing with sick patients, is vital.
With a reliable time and attendance system in place, you will have more time to focus on your patients.
For more information, why not watch our online demo of how uAttend works?