- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Messages
- 825
Last night I came in for my closing shift and couldn't clock in because the time clock was gone. As in, not even on the wall anymore. Instead, there was an LCD screen with a bar code scanner.
So then our ETL-HR came out of her office and told me she had to give me something, which turned out to be a little card with my name and a barcode on it.
So she told me that our store is one of like 15 stores in the company that is testing a new way of clocking in/out. Instead of using the time clock, we have to scan the card on the little scanner.
I thought at first "ok, no big deal. Seems kind of like a waste of money though"
Then I found out what the real huge change was. We can now clock in/out from damn near anywhere in the store! Corporate pushed a software update to our store, and we can now clock in/out from the registers. They added a menu on one of the K keys that says "clock in/out", you then pick what you want to do and scan your card at the register.
The coolest part of all? You can clock in out from the freaking price scanners on the sales floor! You just have to scan your card on them.
They even added an option to do it on the PDAs, but it doesn't work yet. You just get an error message if you try it.
I asked our ETL-HR why we are doing this and she kept saying "think of all the time that is being wasted having everyone walk up front to clock in out. It wastes your time and the companies time". That is what she kept saying "wastes your time and the companies time", so I am pretty sure that most be some corporate talking point they sent her.
I guess it is true if you think about it. I know backroom TMs, for example, move so damn slow and come across so many "distractions" (talking, roaming the floor, etc) on their way up front to clock in/out or go to lunch they probably each burn 5-10 minutes on every trip. I suppose if you add that up across 2000 stores that is a lot of wasted payroll.
The only downside to this is that there are now rules about how we clock in/out. Apparently cashiers are not even allowed to be in clerical on the clock anymore pretty much. They have to clock in/out from their register, and if they do it from any place else it is a coaching.
We on sales floor have to clock in/out "from the nearest available price scanner/register" or if we are closest to the LCD screen scanner on the wall in clerical at the time we need to clock in/out. If we don't, it is a coaching. So in other words, if I am working electronics, I have to use the register back there to clock in/out. If I walk up front to do it I'm in trouble.
Also, we always have to use the card - no exceptions. The registers will let us key in our number, but I was warned by our ETL-HR that if we do it the LOD gets some kind of alert and they have to have AP investigate it as a possible "theft of time" issue. Basically, they are paranoid another TM is clock in/out for you if you don't use the card. Also if we lose the card more than one time it is a write up because the card is considered "equipment".
Overall though, I really like this. I personally hated having to go across the damn store to clock in/out and then walk all the way back to the back of the store to the break room. Then have to walk all the way back up front again to clock in and all the way back again to my department.
Also the little card they gave us works for our TM discount, so that is pretty cool too.
So then our ETL-HR came out of her office and told me she had to give me something, which turned out to be a little card with my name and a barcode on it.
So she told me that our store is one of like 15 stores in the company that is testing a new way of clocking in/out. Instead of using the time clock, we have to scan the card on the little scanner.
I thought at first "ok, no big deal. Seems kind of like a waste of money though"
Then I found out what the real huge change was. We can now clock in/out from damn near anywhere in the store! Corporate pushed a software update to our store, and we can now clock in/out from the registers. They added a menu on one of the K keys that says "clock in/out", you then pick what you want to do and scan your card at the register.
The coolest part of all? You can clock in out from the freaking price scanners on the sales floor! You just have to scan your card on them.
They even added an option to do it on the PDAs, but it doesn't work yet. You just get an error message if you try it.
I asked our ETL-HR why we are doing this and she kept saying "think of all the time that is being wasted having everyone walk up front to clock in out. It wastes your time and the companies time". That is what she kept saying "wastes your time and the companies time", so I am pretty sure that most be some corporate talking point they sent her.
I guess it is true if you think about it. I know backroom TMs, for example, move so damn slow and come across so many "distractions" (talking, roaming the floor, etc) on their way up front to clock in/out or go to lunch they probably each burn 5-10 minutes on every trip. I suppose if you add that up across 2000 stores that is a lot of wasted payroll.
The only downside to this is that there are now rules about how we clock in/out. Apparently cashiers are not even allowed to be in clerical on the clock anymore pretty much. They have to clock in/out from their register, and if they do it from any place else it is a coaching.
We on sales floor have to clock in/out "from the nearest available price scanner/register" or if we are closest to the LCD screen scanner on the wall in clerical at the time we need to clock in/out. If we don't, it is a coaching. So in other words, if I am working electronics, I have to use the register back there to clock in/out. If I walk up front to do it I'm in trouble.
Also, we always have to use the card - no exceptions. The registers will let us key in our number, but I was warned by our ETL-HR that if we do it the LOD gets some kind of alert and they have to have AP investigate it as a possible "theft of time" issue. Basically, they are paranoid another TM is clock in/out for you if you don't use the card. Also if we lose the card more than one time it is a write up because the card is considered "equipment".
Overall though, I really like this. I personally hated having to go across the damn store to clock in/out and then walk all the way back to the back of the store to the break room. Then have to walk all the way back up front again to clock in and all the way back again to my department.
Also the little card they gave us works for our TM discount, so that is pretty cool too.