The Convention Centre Dublin
A modern time and attendance solution for The Convention Centre Dublin
NorthgateArinso’s ‘Optimum’ time and attendance solution was selected from a number of alternatives considered by The CCD. The solution was supplied and integrated with biometric hand scanning devices to record when staff arrive at and leave work.
The challenge
The CCD has a diverse workforce made up of over 200 full-time and hundreds of casual staff. This created a number of challenges including the need to accurately record in real-time attendance information for
staff working at a wide variety of events. The CCD wanted a time and attendance solution with the right flexibility, as well as an excellent user interface and comprehensive reporting capabilities.
The solution
NorthgateArinso’s ‘Optimum’ time and attendance solution was selected from a number of alternatives considered by The CCD. The solution was supplied and integrated with biometric hand scanning devices to record when staff arrive at and leave work.
The benefits
• Complete accuracy and transparency of attendance data.
• Real-time online access to information and comprehensive reporting tools.
• The ability to roster casual staff on a per-event basis.
The latest scanning technology for ‘clocking in’ The Optimum time and attendance system can work with a wide variety of ‘clocking in’ hardware, including hand scanning devices, smartphones, PC based interfaces and card-based timeclocks. For The CCD, the chosen method was biometric hand scanning - a technology that has proven itself for well over a decade in environments such as airports, data centres, retail outlets and manufacturing facilities.
“Hand scanning has a number of advantages for us,” says Michael O’Brien, IT Director at The CCD. “The registration process is simple, with employees taking just a few seconds for the initial scanning, followed by some simple data management. Despite the simplicity, the technology is more sophisticated than fingerprint recognition and has 90 individual measures of the size and shape of each hand.
“Once registered, staff simply place their hand on one of the scanners installed at entrance points around the building each time they clock in or out, or take a break. There is no need to issue timecards or PIN numbers, which can of course be transferred from person to person and so offer limited assurance of actual attendance.
“The solution gives us excellent functionality, recording each employee’s time in and time out to validate their hours. Staff have adapted very well to the system: the scanners are easy to use and it has become second nature for staff to use them each time they arrive or leave the building.”
The company
Designed by Irish-born architect Kevin Roche, The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD) offers 22 multi-functional, flexible rooms suitable for meetings, conferences and exhibitions of all shapes and sizes.
The CCD is Ireland’s first purpose-built convention centre and opened in September 2010, with its stunning glass-fronted atrium giving visitors panoramic views of the River Liffey, Dublin city centre and the Wicklow mountains.
Using data about time and attendance
“We get much more from Optimum than basic clocking-in functions,” says HR Manager, Eimear Herron. “To begin with, it provides absolute transparency to managers and staff alike about hours worked. Each member of staff can log in securely to check their own attendance record, so there’s no difference of opinion or confusion. The online interface itself is easy to use and has a modern look and feel that’s a far cry from the traditional clocking-in systems of the past.” Once an employee registers a particular movement at a scanner, the information is fed into Optimum and can be processed in a number of ways.
Some Optimum users, in environments similar to The CCD, are finding that it lets managers identify in real time whether any employees have yet to arrive for their shift. At The CCD however, each team is small enough so that line managers and supervisors don’t need the system to help them identify non-attendance minute-by-minute.
Where Optimum is proving useful for The CCD is post-event analysis. After an event, managers are able to see when each employee arrived and left. This is an important management tool as managers can decidewhether they need to discuss issues with staff, from managing absence or lateness to making sure people are availing of their rest periods.”
NorthgateArinso Ireland also integrated Optimum with The CCD’s event management software, which opened up a number of valuable features for managers. For example, because staff can log in to their own profile within Optimum and update their availability, managers areable to see who is available for upcoming events and plan accordingly. It can all be done online with no need to send emails or make phone calls to check on availability of staff. The integration between Optimum and the events management software also makes other event planning tasks simpler, including the costing of events.
Reflecting the needs of variable shift patterns The implementation included putting the flexibility of Optimum to the test to accommodate The CCD’s requirements. The customisation - which can be done for any customer - reflected the fact that staff at The CCD often have flexible shift start times and end times, rather than the more regular rosters that most organisations work to.
“No two days are the same,” says Eimear Herron. “Each day, there will be a different combination of events with different staffing requirements. This is why we needed a system that could be tailored to fit precisely with the way we operate.” A working solution with a fast implementation Eimear Herron has been impressed with the professionalism and flexibility of the NorthgateArinso Ireland team and the functionality of Optimum: “As well as meeting the sophistication we required, the team met the tight timescales we set them and had the solution in place and tested in just ten weeks and in time for our first event. Since then they have surpassed our expectations from a support perspective and we look forward to building on our relationship over the coming years.”
For a free consultation and a return on investment analysis, please contact the NorthgateArinso Ireland sales team at:
NorthgateArinso Ireland
Palmerston House,
Denzille Lane
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 481 4300
Email: irelandsales@ngahr.com
Website: www.ngahr.ie
