Keeping track of employees’ hours – even if your workforce is small – is never easy, but in the construction industry, where workers spend most of their time jumping from site to site, possibly with different time policies and daily work schedules, it can result in thousands of pounds in lost revenue.

The working conditions and temporary nature of construction sites makes the use of standard industrial time and attendance monitoring systems impractical. Swipe card systems, for instance, are just not suitable as cards can be easily damaged or lost, while hand scan terminals are not a viable option as they require a permanent location and PC link in order to work.

Subsequently many contractors simply use paper-based written timesheets to track time and attendance but these are unreliable, unnecessarily laborious to produce and are often ridden with errors. To make matters worse some contract managers have experienced the situation of turning up at jobsites in the morning or at the end of the day to find no workforce present. That’s not to say that construction workers are dishonest in their time management but sloppy habits and bad practices, such as “ghost working” or “buddy punching” can take a significant value from the bottom line of any project.

As a result construction professionals have become more aware of the potential of using GPRS wireless solutions to improve attendance monitoring, communication and productivity. This new technology allows managers to track the movements of personnel in real time and is ideal for industries such as construction where employees jump from site to site and often work alone. 

All workers have to do is enter a four digit code or scan their finger via a biometric reader to authenticate their identity and specific location. Alternatively employees can clock on using their mobile phones, from which both the site and employee location is verified using the triangulation of mobile phone masts. The moment the data is put into the keypad it is uploaded via GPRS, allowing managers to monitor activity instantaneously, and afterwards get full, customised management reports in a range of formats that show the shifts that have been worked, any overtime accrued, any bonuses earned and any deductions that have been made.

GPS systems can even deliver instant alert notifications by SMS if a member is unexpectedly absent, allowing managers to take action immediately and visit the site if required. What’s more is that they are versatile and accurate despite the inherent bumps, knocks and scratches that are part and parcel of the job.

The benefits of automated time and attendance go far beyond improving the payroll process; there are also security and health and safety issues to consider. Over the last few years new employment laws and tighter control on Health and Safety regulations have prompted many companies to monitor the working practices of their employees, especially lone workers and those who work on remote sites. Security firms may control the access to sites but the construction company needs to provide information to payroll clerks, site managers and health and safety managers, which done manually is time consuming and costly.

Previously staff monitoring has been a bit of a thorny issue, many likening it to a Big Brother state, but today clients want to know that they’re receiving the service they are paying for. Hence, if construction workers are working outside of their contractual hours due to weather conditions or other unforeseen delays, no one is seeing them work.

Being able to perform efficiently always differentiates good practice from bad. Decision makers need encouragement to understand that deploying technology will improve site operation and their bottom line if they choose the right product. Over the past few years the construction industry has been slow to embrace the potential of IT and has developed a reputation of being a technology straggler. This needs to change in a hurry!

A key aspect in the success of all companies is its staff. In the past, the introduction of new IT systems has led to staff problems, as they believed that employment opportunities may lessen, or cease, and that the new system would be difficult to use and fit into their daily routine. However, monitoring hours worked need not be seen in such a negative way. If used in the correct manner, your remote workers will feel trusted and will soon understand how the technology can improve their productivity from a business perspective. Moreover, the savings made by utilising new technology can often be channelled into increased commission, higher basic salaries and extra incentives, thereby giving the employee a better working environment. This in the long run will help to improve staff retention.

Keeping abreast of industry trends can often be the best way to stay one step ahead of the competition and the construction industry is no exception. Larger firms can cope with that pressure by trimming costs in a number of ways, but margins are at their tightest with the smaller operators and they are the companies that can benefit most from embracing new GPS technology. The construction industry is very competitive nowadays and effective tools for managing remote staff members could make all the difference between winning and losing contracts, as well as bringing the project in on schedule and within budget.

In today's economic climate, the best way to increase profit is to improve productivity without increasing overheads. Yet with contractors and materials showing up at the wrong time, the weather effecting progress, and hours spent on the phone relaying information, the construction industry has many obstacles to overcome.

At first glance, hard hats and high technology don't seem to mix. However, construction sites are ideally suited to wireless applications due to the security and health and safety risks involved on a day to day basis. Technology can make you more efficient, more professional, help you win more profitable contracts, keep track of job costs, and make you money.

If you don't have the technology, the bottom line is you can't compete. Within five years, there's no doubt that any major construction work in the world will use GPS technology to monitor staff attendance and track other assets.

However, this is not simply a ‘one size’ fits all approach, IT directors need to establish required functionality and invest in products which will achieve the best return. For contractors, the decision to jump on the technology bandwagon boils down to three simple questions Can I save time on every job?, Can I increase productivity on every job?, Will technology put more money on my bottom line? The answer for all three is yes.

Accurately track your employees, go wireless!

StumbleUpon

Del.icio.us

Windows Live Favorites

Digg

Yahoo! MyWeb

Google

Furl

 reddit

Comments