UKG Ready

Clocking in and clocking out of work was a breeze. Kronos allowed us to clock in/out via the computer or by swiping our IDs at the time clock.

There were a few times that the software didn't catch a time where I swiped in or out of work. Luckily, my manager is able to go into the Kronos software an immediately fix the time card

It's still a work in process but we have found many things that we do like about Workforce Ready:
1. Customization - This system offers you the ability to customize your screens down to the individual level, as well as creating customized screens for other types of users. So if you want your Managers to log in and see a Timekeeping dashboard with graphs, and your Employee to log in and see employee related actions, and your Benefits Administrator to see a Benefits screen, you can set that up as defaults. Then each person can also customize their screens if they like and save them.
2. Reporting - if you need list style reports then this system offers one of the best reporting tools for easily building and customizing reports. Almost every screen is considered a "report" and you can add and delete columns as needed and then save that for later use, or even make it your default screen. Almost every screen is able to be exported in a variety of formats as well. You can also schedule reports to run automatically, as well as have them e-mailed automatically to Managers, etc. on a routine basis.
3. Notifications - This system offers the ability to automatically send e-mail notifications, reports, etc. for disciplinary actions, attendance tracking, reviews and other items. This is very helpful for our Managers and keeps them up to date on their to-do list.
4. Tools - Workforce Ready does have its own learning system, and they also offer many webinars, customer groups, KronosWorks, and customer sites that allow you to connect with one another if you have similar questions or problems.
5. Modules All Accessible from One Log-in - This was important to us as our other systems required us to log-in multiple times if we were trying to get into the Applicant module or Timekeeping. This is all easily found under one log-in. Very easy and timesaving.

As we go through the implementation process there have been a few surprises and disappointments:
1. Reporting - Yes, this is a Pro as far as customization and easy list reporting, but I do wish they had a more complex reporting tool available as well. If you want to have subtotals, grand totals, averages, grouped reports, add in formulas, etc. it is not easy to do in the reporting tool itself and you may have to export the list report out and finish building out the report in Excel or Word to get it how you really need it to be.
2. No Point-In-Time Reporting - This seems like it would be a given, but as we found out after the fact, we cannot do point in time reports. I feel like this is something we would have asked during our evaluation of the product, but again almost all products offer this now so perhaps we made a wrong assumption.
3. System Needs "Polished" - We knew going in that this product did not look as "user-friendly" as some of the other products. We felt like the flexibility of the system made up for it. However, as we are setting up our onboarding, our applicant site, and reviews we are starting to see the drawbacks in this. If you have users who are not as comfortable on a computer, this lack of "polish" and user-friendliness can make it difficult for them to understand the processes, and how to get through the screens. We also do not have the ability to customize the applicant website as much as we would like to help draw in applicants.
4. General Ledger - We came from another provider who did have a great General Ledger product, and this one was definitely a step back. Also, if your GL is tied in with your jobs you do have to have two separate lists in this system - the GL is not linked with the Jobs list in HR. So if someone changes position we have to update it in two places in order to keep the GL correct. This also comes into play if we add new jobs into the system - we have to update two lists. We also had to separate out our overtime into two pay codes since we have the overtime premium going to a different GL code. In our old system, they could have one pay code separated into two GL codes. We did not discover this until after we went live and so our associates started out seeing it one way on their check, and then another way, so it was very confusing for them.
5. On-site Training- This was contracted out to a partner of Kronos. It was not what we expected at all for the price we paid. You are better off to use the items built into the system or do it yourself.
6. Security - Yes, security is a pro, but some of the security set-ups in this system do make it very difficult and frustrating for our associates and applicants to get into the system on a regular basis which is a con. The system will automatically lock out any associate or applicant that does not log in every 14 days. However, the system tends to lock out every new user as well the first time they try to log-in. This is annoying and can make it difficult for those on off-shifts, as they have to contact us to get unlocked and then try logging in again within 24 hours. In addition, it does require you to enter a code if you're getting in on a new computer. It does have the option to check a box and only enter the code every 30 days, but that only applies to that specific computer and sometimes will not work depending on your cookie setting. Since most of our associates work in the plant, they only get on the system to print out check stubs every other week. They have to enter a code almost every time they log on to our public computers. This code has to be sent to their designated phone number or e-mail and cannot be easily changed to another number or e-mail. So if they forget their phone, or don't have their e-mail password with them, it can really make it difficult to get logged on, leading to frustration for them and a negative outlook on the system.

One of the things I liked most about UKG Ready was its comprehensive suite of HR and workforce management features. The software offered a wide range of tools for managing employee data, time and attendance, payroll, benefits administration, and performance management. The integrated nature of the platform made it easy to centralize and streamline HR processes, resulting in increased efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, the robust reporting and analytics capabilities of UKG Ready provided valuable insights into workforce trends and helped in making data-driven decisions.

While UKG Ready had many positive aspects, one thing I liked least was the occasional complexity of the user interface. Navigating through the various modules and configuring settings could be overwhelming, especially for users who were new to the system. The learning curve for mastering all the functionalities of UKG Ready could be steep, and it sometimes required additional training or support to fully leverage the software's capabilities. However, with time and practice, these challenges could be overcome.

I've used time and attendance systems before and generally like them.

We've have a tough time pulling the trigger to go live. I recognize that some of that is related to our unusual rules. However, I get a little disappointed about the lenghthy time and some of the hiccups seem to be for other reasons.