Grain Storage Systems Leader simplifies Workforce Management

GSI is a world-class manufacturer of agricultural services and products around the globe, including steel farm and commercial storage bins/silos. GSI also offers technologically advanced grain dryers and a full line of material handling systems such as portable augers, sweeps, scalpers, commercial bucket elevators and chain conveyors. Established in 1972 with only three employees, GSI grew from one of the smallest steel storage bin manufacturers to one of the largest in the world by 1988—serving over 70 countries worldwide.

WorkForce Challenges & Issues

For years, GSI’s payroll department used a somewhat tedious system that required time and attendance data to be exported into an Excel spreadsheet and then re-entered into the HR and payroll system. There were no checks and balances of people’s time; for example, employees would clock their buddies in and out for the day, or supervisors would change timesheets to eliminate tardy reports (GSI called it the ‘buddy swipe’).

“For 30 years, we did not have a single employee tardy,” said Brad Lott, IT administrator and project manager. “We knew this wasn’t the case, but there was no audit trail. We needed a system that would accurately track employee time and not allow anyone to falsify time worked.”

Another issue for GSI was the 1.5 million square foot facility that housed 2,000 employees. It could take employees ten minutes or longer to get to their work areas after swiping in for the day. When adding together the minutes each employee spent walking to a job location, GSI wasted a significant amount of time and money.

When its time and attendance vendor was bought out by a much larger time and attendance software company, GSI thought this would benefit them—they would get the software features and functionality of a better system without having to spend the money. They quickly learned that was not the case. The new company was not going to support the modem-based time clocks GSI was using, and GSI was required to upgrade its software system at a cost that was significant enough to give GSI reason to look at other software solutions in the market.

Selecting WorkForce Software

It took about four months for the search committee to find the right vendor. They looked at nearly 50 systems to get ideas of what they wanted and did not want, and then narrowed their search to WorkForce Software and the vendor that bought their old system. There were several deciding factors in choosing WorkForce Software. The other vendor was unwilling to make any changes to the software without additional costs, while WorkForce Software offered a configurable solution requiring no customization to the product and no hidden costs.

One of the key features GSI required was the ability to give supervisors limited access to the system, so they could only make exception-based changes or approve timesheets to ensure accurate time tracking. With 2,000 employees and numerous schedules, pay periods, pay codes, and labor distribution rules, the process was ready for automation. WorkForce Software was able to configure a system that would meet GSI’s needs.

“WorkForce was a fairly new company when we bought the system, but the people were impressive as they knew the product and our needs inside and out,” said Lott. “Not only was WorkForce chosen unanimously, but the system works like they said it would. WorkForce’s EmpCenter is the best purchase we’ve made, and we don’t ever see ourselves changing systems.”

Implementation

Five people from GSI group and one consultant from WorkForce Software were involved in the project plan. One of the first steps was the discovery phase; the consultant posed a series of questions to help configure and implement the organization’s preferences and business rules.

Some of the GSI business requirements included supporting weekly and bi-weekly payroll for 2,000 employees in six plants; managing 32 different employee schedules; creating a point system for employees who are tardy, have an unexcused absence, etc.; automating supervisor approval capabilities and an email alert system for unsubmitted timesheets; and, functionality supporting detailed labor distribution.

“Our WorkForce consultant was very professional and knowledgeable about the system and the industry,” said Lott. “She understood what we wanted and made sure the system did just that. We could not have been happier with the implementation.”

Data Collection

GSI utilizes proximity badges to enter time into the IP based time clocks. Each employee carries their own badge to get into their work area. Employee time is automatically stamped into the system, along with tracking specific jobs and/or projects based on the location of the clock and/or the employee. WorkForce’s EmpCenter is used to validate accruals, calculate overtime pay on a weekly basis, and identify pay codes by user type for sick, vacation, bereavement, jury duty, etc.

EmpCenter seamlessly interfaces with GSI’s other systems, including Open 4 HR and Open 4 Payroll, so GSI can continue to utilize its current investment. Within EmpCenter, an employee’s time is calculated and then sent to the payroll software to generate paychecks. EmpCenter synchronizes data with the HR system as often as necessary, or as scheduled by GSI to ensure time and attendance information is captured for new employees. The system also ensures proper pay rates and pay codes are used to calculate gross pay, generating accurate paychecks and an audit trail for compliance.

Customer Service & Support

“We don’t have to call in for support often, but when we do, our consultant responds quickly with a resolution,” said Lott. “There is always someone there who knows our system and can help us. One of the most positive aspects of WorkForce is the service it provides customers.”

Results

“We saw a significant savings quickly,” said Lott. “We were losing a lot of money before we had checks and balances, because people would punch in for each other, and supervisors, who were friends with their employees, would make changes to time cards, but WorkForce’s software put an end to this. The system is as good as it gets.”

Before WorkForce Software, a payroll person worked Monday through Friday (and sometimes Saturday) to run payroll. Now, with the automated process, she only works four days a week. The accuracy of the data, from time to accruals, ensures the accuracy of paychecks and eliminates the manual steps that were taken.

“There are continuous changes to federal regulations when it comes to wages and compensation, and WorkForce proactively implements the new regulations as necessary, so we don’t have to invest the extra time and money to make sure we are compliant,” said Lott. “I don’t see us ever changing our time and attendance solution.”