The conditions and general layout of a mine usually makes it quite difficult to be able to manage all employees at once. Whether the workers are in a different section of the mine or there is no direct access to them, it is important to keep an open line of communication between all the teams. One of the factors that determines how safe a mine is, is the ability to immediately inform other workers of a potential hazard that may have arisen. This prevents any accidents from occurring and worst of all, someone getting seriously injured.

However, these hazards can be drastically reduced if routine inspections of the mine’s layout and integrity are scheduled. Frequent inspections of the surrounding environment and detailed reporting are the key to identifying any weaknesses within the mine so that any potential dangers can be immediately dealt with and avoided altogether.

This is where the use of a management and tracking system becomes essential. Since there is limited access to some areas and communication can be rather difficult, it would be particularly useful to be able to see all workers in the mine in real time. If an incident should occur, management would know exactly where each employee is and be able to give the appropriate instructions to lead them all to a safer environment.

Scheduled inspections within the mining area would also be able to be remotely assigned, as well as ensuring their completion. Individual reports could be assigned to specific high-risk areas and different sections of the mine, ensuring a regular and detailed log of conditions and potential hazards. These reports would automatically be updated to the server for future review if needed.

Performance monitoring of employees would be made easier as reporting could be done on the go through the application itself. Monitoring performance is crucial in such an industry. Not only will management ensure employee compliance and that all daily tasks are being completed, but by making sure that all workers are doing their job, the safety of other employees would not be jeopardised.

Heavy machinery and equipment are also important to be logged and monitored. Tracking equipment and being able to easily locate it through a simple search on a phone would be especially useful for employees to gain access to it quicker and more efficiently. A GPS tracker on a piece of machinery would result in less time wasted looking for it in harsh conditions and an increased organisational standard within the mine.

The implementation of such a system in these conditions would drastically improve the safety of the environment for the employees while increasing the efficiency of reporting and open communication between different teams, making it easier for operations managers to assign tasks and routine checks. It improves the standard of organisation when it comes to archiving previous reports and handling equipment and machinery.

At UniGuard we pride ourselves in being able to provide customised solutions for such industries, assessing every detail and what is needed to address it. Our goal is to provide the safest possible environment for all workers within an industry, as well as ensuring that the workplace is performing optimally and up to standard.

Interested in finding out more about how UniGuard can work in your workplace? Contact us today.

The post Increasing Mine Safety Through Management and Tracking Software appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

The security industry has had its fair share of technological advancement over the past few years. In order to keep up with the demand of this ever-growing industry, certain technologies had to be applied to aid security companies execute their operations more effectively. Staff management software has revolutionised the way security companies operate, providing all the necessary features to be able to execute any appointed task in time and on the fly.

Rotations

Before any of these technologies were introduced to the industry, all planning, mapping and time scheduling had to be done manually. This created many variables which could negatively affect the execution of the job at hand. With staff management software, the rotations and their intervals could be digitally mapped out, providing visual aid to the patrol officers through their phone, as well as their rotation intervals. This not only helps the patrol officer keep up with routine checks but also gives peace of mind to management that all locations are being monitored and are safe.

Reporting

The days of manually reporting incidents or routine checks on pen and paper are way behind us. Software which caters for the security industries allows reporting to be done efficiently through the application itself. These reports can be customised to provide any required detail of a routine check or an accident. The best reporting systems also have photo capturing features as well as digital signatures to ensure the accountability of the patrol officer or security guard. Rotations are also converted into a report which allows the overseer to ensure that the patrols have been done correctly and on time. These reports are automatically uploaded to the server, eliminating the possibility of alterations or getting lost.

Compliance

One of the issues that many companies were facing in the past, is being able to prove if their employees were being compliant with tasks at hand. The features within today’s software allow management to be able to see where their employees are live, as well as their rotational compliance. This is done through a series of checkpoints which have to be scanned by the patrol officer or guard at a specific time in order to prove that the area was checked. These checkpoint scans are then compiled into a report which provides information such as the time the checkpoint was scanned, as well as any missed checkpoints. This level of reporting assures management that their employees are executing their tasks correctly, on time and not deviating from their work which may cause a potential safety hazard.

Efficiency

Staff management software has dramatically improved the efficiency of security guard operations, allowing reporting, task assignment, rotations and general employee compliance to be monitored or set remotely from a centralised computer system. This not only saves the company time and resources, but also enables the management of multiple operations to be handled with ease. This not only benefits the company, saving them both time and money, but also improves customer satisfaction by delivering the best possible service to their clients.

Contact one of our UniGuard specialists on (02) 9671 7777 or email us for a tailored walkthrough of the UniGuard solution based around your challenges and business needs.

The post Security Guard Tour Tracking Software appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

These tasks range from managing payroll and arranging schedules through to submitting leave requests, collecting and analysing data, providing customer service, and staying compliant with your legal responsibilities.

These days, a key benefit of workforce management software is that it’s compatible with virtually all mobile devices and platforms, giving businesses the flexibility to manage their team anytime, anywhere.

By streamlining and automating these tasks, which were once carried out by dedicated professionals, this enables businesses to be more productive, efficient, secure and compliant with industry regulations. It also frees up a business’s time to focus on core duties to help them gain a competitive advantage, foster a better workplace culture, retain key staff for longer, and attract higher quality candidates too.

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of workforce management software, and how it can help accelerate your business growth.

1. Boost employee satisfaction

Companies with happy and satisfied employees have a strong chance of success. By giving your employees greater control and flexibility with workforce management software, they have the freedom to manage their daily activities with ease. With the right tools, they can submit leave requests, view and edit schedules, confirm shifts, clock in/clock out, respond to individual tasks and heaps more.

Not only does this reward employees with a higher level of responsibility, it also frees up time for management and employers, as they can communicate with workers more efficiently.

2. Increase company compliance

All companies are required to collect and store various types of data. These include employee records, incident reports, payroll, terms and conditions, company policies and more.

By condensing this information into a unified, cloud-based platform, businesses can quickly confirm that they are meeting their specific requirements, and that all of the information they need to submit to the necessary authorities is ready and waiting. For instance, workforce management software can greatly speed up the process of reporting and submitting to the Australian Tax Office (ATO), as your payroll and employee data will already be there.

Most importantly, businesses will also have the correct evidence when it comes to reporting incidents, which can assist with submitting workers compensation claims.

3. Improved data analysing

Regardless of your industry type, data is essential to gaining a competitive advantage. With the ability to review past and current data in real-time, it can help you make informed decisions that make a positive, long-term impact on how you do business.

From customer purchase trends and travel route optimisation through to employee performance and profitability. With hard data, you can analyse every aspect of your business under a microscope, and then compare and contrast the data to reach logical conclusions and ‘see the big picture’ of your business overall.

4. Save time and hassle

Prior to the advent of workforce management software, the tasks we’ve mentioned so far were left to a few dedicated experts, including HR, payroll and management, to name a few. As a result, this meant certain tasks took longer to complete than usual, and it required different departments to communicate with each other manually, without the convenience of a unified platform.

Fast forward to today, and the benefits of workforce management software has made those issues a problem of the past. These days employees, management and departments can now communicate with each other on a streamlined, unified platform, enabling them to check in on each other at virtually any time.

By bridging the gap between departments, this greatly improves response times, leads to better customer service, and overall makes businesses more efficient than ever.

5. Improved mobile workforce management

With the rise of remote work around the world, businesses need custom solutions that enable them to keep in touch with employees who are offsite.

This need also applies to businesses in the transport and logistics industry, where remote workers – who are sometimes classified as lone workers too – need to be regularly monitored to ensure their safety and wellbeing.

Workforce management software is the answer to these problems. By connecting your entire remote workforce to the same workforce platform, this makes it easier for you to monitor performance, submit job requests, send and receive messages, record payroll information, and much more.

Better still, with the likes of Uniguard, you can track your remote workers’ location via Maps, which lets you review and optimise their travel routes, respond to potential emergency situations, and also protect your fleet from damage and theft.

6. Improved customer service

It’s a fact. The happier your customers are, the more likely they’ll return. One great way to improve your customer service is with workforce management software.

How so? Well, by implementing all the benefits of workforce management software into your business – improved performance and productivity, reduced staff turnover, greater safety measures, and a more streamlined approach to assigning jobs – the end result is that your customers will receive the care, attention and service they truly deserve.

You’ll be better equipped to respond to customer queries, keep them updated on progress, and either complete projects or deliveries on time – if not, faster – than you could before. This way, your business will be able to work smarter and faster, and your customers will thank you for it as well.

UniGuard is a leading provider of workforce management solutions including Fleet Tracking Software, Real-Time Recorders, GPS Trackers and much more.

To learn more about the benefits of workforce management software, and request a FREE demo of UniGuard, get in touch today.

The post Top 6 Benefits of Using Workforce Management Software appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

With so many different employee tracking systems in the marketplace today it can be difficult to really know which one is best for your business as there is a confusing array of choices. Products range from cheap but very basic options to systems that offer more functionality at a higher price.

It is common for business owners to be drawn in by flashy marketing and promises of a cheap and easy solution to later become frustrated by a system that constantly has problems and doesn’t work as they thought it would.

With the range of employee tracking software offering a variety of features it can be hard to determine which ones are good value for money, and which ones to completely avoid altogether. With this in mind let’s go through what you are likely to find at different price points in the market.

Cheap and Cheerful

In difficult economic times, budgets are tight, so many business managers see the cheapest employee tracking apps on the market as the obvious choice. The problem with this is that cheap doesn’t always mean good value, and you may not even be getting what you think you’re paying for.

Apart from price the other big selling point of software at the lower end of the market is that it’s simple to use with minimal features. As most managers have little time to learn how to use a new software package, and likely can’t really afford their staff to do the same, this can also be attractive.

Unfortunately, minimal features doesn’t always equate to easy to use, as usability is as much a result of good software design as it is the level of complexity in the tracking software. The best way to assess usability is to take the time to examine the software package through a trial or demo. As time consuming as this might seem, in the long run it is better than wasting time and effort with the wrong software.

Trying out the employee tracking software is also a way of assessing whether or not it is really right for your business. It’s easy to assume that you will only need the features found in the most basic applications, but it’s not until you use the tracking software that you will really know. The few features that come with the software package may not be the ones you need or work in the way you want. Even the cheapest tracking app is a waste of money if it doesn’t actually do what you need it to do.

The truth is, the reason a lot of the lower end employee tracking applications are cheaper is because less effort has been put into building a robust and well-functioning system. Additionally, running costs for the software provider are also lower due to less money being spent on secure data handling and storage, software upgrades that meet continual changes in the technological and security landscape, and ongoing service and support to their customers.

All the Bells and Whistles

Generally, more expensive employee management software comes with a greater list of features, some you may not really need. This will make many business managers question whether it is worth paying more, but it’s important to understand what features make higher end software worth the extra money.

One thing to consider are the features that are not obvious at first glance and you may not even realise that you might need such as reliability, cross-platform compatibility and a high level of data security. Having an employee tracking app that will work on a variety of different phones, particularly both Android and iPhone is important to a lot of businesses. This is because the app can then be downloaded directly to the personal phones of their workforce without the need to buy company phones to go with the tracking app. This is a significant cost saving.

These features are more likely to be built into a well-designed software package than a cheaper, quickly produced product. As good software design takes time and cost more money to build, this tracking software naturally comes to the consumer at a higher price.

The other significant difference with more expensive software systems is the better quality, ongoing service and support. Not only do manufactures and sellers of these systems take the time to make sure the systems that their customers have installed work well, but they also continually update and improve the software so that it stays aligned with current technological advances and industry expectations.

Want to look at the full range of employee tracking software, click here to see a demo of UniGuard in action.

The post Choosing an Employee Tracking App appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

Those who support using mobile phones will tell you that doing so is cheaper and easier, but they often do this just to push their own mobile app forward in the marketplace. Of course, people who sell dedicated hardware say that purpose-built hardware is the better solution.

With all the information going around it can be difficult for managers to know which is the best solution for their business. UniGuard offers both options to the consumer in an integrated system, so we have no incentive to push one solution ahead of the other. This allows for an unbiased opinion on the situation.

Mobile Apps, the Ideal Solution or Is It All Smoke and Mirrors?

On the surface a staff tracking system using mobile apps installed on your workforces’ own phones seems the perfect solution, or at least the simplest and cheapest. This is particularly attractive for businesses who have never used staff tracking before and are looking for an entry level solution. The other positive is that people are more likely to look after their own phone than company equipment.

There are a few unforeseen problems with this approach. Firstly, your workforce needs to have a compatible phone. Older phones and even some newer phones will not work with many tracking applications. Most staff management apps also focus on either Android or iPhone because it is cheaper, easier and faster to develop and maintain software on one platform only.

Even if the staff tracking app is successfully downloaded and working, it may clash with other apps on the phone. This may mean that the tracking app will not work properly, or your workforce will be frustrated with the staff tracking app stopping other apps on their phone from working. This may encourage them to uninstall the tracking app, which may cost you from the loss of attendance data or other reasons. Personnel may also be concerned about their privacy.

Other issues include members making excuses to not use the phone, such as they lost the phone or forgot to charge it. Even when they are willing to use the tracking app, some staff members may use it as an excuse to look at their phones during their shift for non-work reasons.

A lot of these problems can be solved by choosing a well-made staff management software system with good after-market support, and consulting properly with you team about the importance of using the app, explaining the benefits to them and alleviating their concerns about privacy.

How About Using the Staff Tracking App on a Company Phone?

Another potential way of minimising many of the problems associated with staff tracking apps is for the business to supply the phones. This will guarantee that the phone is compatible and that there are no other apps that will clash with the tracking app.

Team members will have less excuses too, as it takes away concerns about privacy, and if the phones are kept at the company premises it ensures they are available and charged at the start of a shift.

Unfortunately, the workforce will have less incentive to care for the phones. Some disgruntled team members may even actively remove the covers and cases, damage or even lose the phones, as this will allow them to avoid working. That said, more durable, and expensive, rugged phones are available.

Is Dedicated Hardware Really the Ugly Duckling?

A bespoke staff management system built around dedicated hardware is initially more expensive to install and not considered fashionable by some people, but it has many advantages over simple phone apps. For businesses who already use one of these systems, it is generally cheaper and easier to keep building on the system in place, than install something new.

One of the biggest advantages is that recorders have been purpose built with the situations that they will be used in mind. This means that the devices are stronger and more durable without software compatibility problems. The functionality of the devices are also limited to the purpose for which they are built, meaning less distraction for team members who may otherwise play with a phone.

Although cost is seen as a disadvantage, the price of the recorders is still comparable to many phones on the market. In the long run, the bespoke staff tracking system may actually be more cost effective as the recorders are more resistant to damage and last longer.

Bespoke staff management systems are also seen as more complicated to set up, but recorders from reputable sellers are supplied with the software preinstalled at no extra cost to the consumer.  Support is also provided. A good staff tracking system is also guaranteed by the manufacturer, who will service and repair the product.

So Ultimately, Which Is the Best?

The truth is that no solution is 100% perfect because for any one system to work in a particular way compromises have to be made in other ways. However, having some knowledge of the difference in staff management systems on the market will help you make the best decision for your business, and help you minimise any problems you may potentially face when using whatever system you chose.

Want to find out more about the most flexible staff tracking system, click here to see a demo of UniGuard in action.

The post Specialised Hardware or Staff Tracking Phone App? appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

Often the general public looks down on the idea of tracking people which they regard as always being a negative thing. But what if there are actual benefits for the people being tracked? Recently there has been a bit of debate over the Australian Government’s COVIDSafe tracing app, with many people saying it’s a terrible intrusion while other people are happy to download the app as they can see the potential public health benefits.

Could there possibly be other circumstances where the tracking of people may be considered desirable by the people being tracked?

Staff tracking software is widely used in some industries such as security and cleaning as a way of providing undisputable proof of service. There are many other benefits for using this software, particularly if the system allows for some level of flexibility and scope.

Electronic or digital employee tracking systems work by recording every time a device (for example, a mobile phone with the employee tracking app installed), interacts with beacons that have been placed around the employee’s worksite. This information can then be uploaded to a central computer where a manager can monitor their workforce. But it can also provide benefits to the staff.

How can it give cleaners more piece of mind?

One of the biggest issues facing cleaners and cleaning companies are injuries that happen when a slip, trip and fall accident occurs in the area for which they are responsible. Knowing the potential for big payouts of public liability insurance, some people will lodge fraudulent claims in the hope of easy money. This comes at the expense of the cleaner diligently doing their job. Staff tracking software helps protect the cleaner, as the software allows them to prove in a court of law that they did do the cleaning as required.

What about the security industry then?

Recently, the Australian Security Industry Association (ASIAL) has stipulated in its Code of Practice for Mobile Security Patrols; that security operator use some form of Guard Tour Management System (GTMS), in other words a staff tracking system. This was so that security companies can provide digital proof of service for their mobile security patrols.

Additionally, security guards must, as part of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), carry some sort of communication device such as a radio or phone. This is for added safety of the guards who might come under attack while investigating a disturbance. The UniGuard staff tracking software can be used with both Push To Talk (PTT) radios and mobile phones and incorporates request call-back features amongst other things. If a security guard is injured and unable to get help, the tracking software will tell the supervisor exactly where they are.

Can staff tracking systems be of benefit to other industries?

Yes, the Uniguard software can be adapted to other areas when the movement of staff needs to be tracked and managed, and this can be done in a way that benefits the whole workforce. More efficient allocation of staff means less stress. Being able to see when remote or mobile staff are missing encourages managers to check if they are safe and well. Having electronic boundaries on where staff can, and cannot go, warns managers when people might unintentionally stray into an area that is unsafe. There are many more potential benefits.

If you think the UniGuard software can help you, click here to see a demo of UniGuard in action.

The post Staff Tracking Software Benefits appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

So how do you prevent accidents when you can’t rely on the public to do the right thing?

In Australia, the standard for cleaning rotations of publicly used spaces such as shopping centres is 15-20 minutes. This standard was set by the High Court of Australia during the Strong v Woolworths Limited case of 2012. The case is summarised below.

At around 12.30 pm on Friday the 24th of September 2004 Mrs Strong, along with her daughter and a friend, were walking into the Big W store within the Centro Taree Shopping Centre. Outside Big W, Woolworths had exclusive rights to conduct “sidewalk sales” in a roughly square area that extended 11 metres out into the food court area located between the Big W and Woolworths stores.

As Mr Strong was walking into through this area into Big W, she moved to the right to examine some pot plants on a display stand. The tip of her crutch landed on a chip, or the grease from the chip and slipped from under Mr Strong causing her to fall and badly injured her back.

A cleaning company had been contracted to clean the common area so that the “floors are to be free of any rubbish and or spillages”, at intervals of 15 minutes or less. This common area didn’t include the sidewalk sales area. Despite the contract stipulating a 15 minute cleaning rotation, the cleaners serviced this area every 20 minutes. Centro employed security guards to patrol the area and report spills to the cleaners, while Woolworths employed a “people greeter” who kept an eye out for incidents in the sidewalk sales area. On the day of the incident, the common area had not been cleaned for longer than 20 minutes and the sidewalk sales area hadn’t been cleaned at all.

Mr Strong went to court and after numerous appeals a decision was made by the High Court of Australia to award Mr Strong $580,299.12 as Woolworths had failed “to implement and/or maintain a proper cleaning system”. The cleaning contract didn’t require the floors inside the sidewalk sales area to be cleaned. As an outcome of the case it was also agreed that,

1. the avoidance of negligence did not require “the continuous presence of someone always on the lookout for potential slippery substances”,
2. and a system of inspection and cleaning at 15 to 20 minute intervals, would have sufficed to avoid negligence.

Many cleaning contracts now require cleaning rotations of less than 15 minutes, particularly in high use areas where spills are more common such as food courts. Although this case helped to define exactly what is, and is not acceptable, it doesn’t solve the problem of staff not following instructions such as the cleaners at Centro Taree who hadn’t cleaned the floor for more than the contracted time.

For this reason, it is now common for contracts to require indisputable proof that areas have been cleaned according to the cleaning rotation. In fact, law courts, and many insurance companies also expect this proof of service. The only way to provide indisputable proof of service is through an electronic staff tracking software system, and the most reliable on the market and most frequently chosen for this task is the UniGuard system. UniGuard specifically addresses this area with its rotation features, specifically designed for cleaning at monitored intervals.

If you want to learn more about how UniGuard can improve contract compliance, minimise Public Liability Insurance and the risk of accidents and Personal Injury Claims, then access our white paper “The Solution to Cheaper Public Liability Insurance for Cleaning and Building Services” here.

The post Story Behind the 20 Minute Cleaning Rotation? appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.

But with such little time to prepare this leaves many companies ill-equipped to adapt to the unique challenges that come with leading a remote team.

From setting clear expectations and choosing the right workforce management software through to conducting meetings and retaining employee satisfaction.

Yet, by following these simple steps, running your business from afar can be just as efficient and rewarding as being onsite.

1. Provide cross device communication

Have your team sign up to a workforce management software that lets them stay in touch on a single platform through any device – be it a smartphone, laptop, desktop, tablet, or even two-way radios.

Not only will this make it easier for the team to collaborate, share ideas, resolve disputes and customer complaints, but also help you assign tasks to individual staff and approve them on the fly.

2. Protect your lone workers

You must treat your remote workers the same as you would a lone worker. That being people who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. There are steps you can take to ensure each home is suitable for work purposes.

For instance, undertake a risk assessment of each worker’s home environment. Do they have access to an extinguisher in case of fire? Is their office furniture fit for purpose and ergonomic? Do they have a stable internet connection? And much more.

From there, put in place a remote monitoring system that makes it easy for remote workers to stay in touch, submit incident reports, and alert yourself (plus the team) to potential hazards with minimal effort.

3. Set clear and fair work expectations

Just like being onsite, be sure to set fair, reasonable goals that your remote workers can achieve on a consistent basis. And make sure those goals align with your short and/or long term business objectives. Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture!

However, where possible, be flexible with your deadlines, as some workers may need more time to complete tasks and report in due to unavoidable commitments – i.e. parenting duties.

More importantly, your remote team will appreciate the flexibility, as it enables them to work efficiently in a manner that suits their lifestyle.

4. Reward outstanding work – and swiftly rectify issues

Choosing the right workforce management software is vital to tracking team progress and rectifying issues.

Use the software to give each remote worker a unique profile. This allows you to assign specific tasks, monitor their individual performance goals, and relate it back to your overall strategic goals.

Arrange weekly, fortnightly, or monthly one-on-one meetings with remote workers – either audio or video – to give them a fair, objective overview of their current performance. Be sure to reward outstanding performance, but don’t be afraid to raise any issues and give them steps on how to improve.

As a result, your remote workers will know what they’re doing well, where they can improve, and how their efforts contribute to the overall success of the business.

If you’d like to better manage your remote team and improve the delivery of your services, click here to see a demo of UniGuard in action.

The post How to Manage Your Workforce When Working From Home appeared first on Staff & Asset Tracking with Workforce Management Software by UniGuard.