A time management system has cut absenteeism at GlaxoSmithKline’s Horlicks
site.
The system registers the times employees arrive and leave work.
Originally it worked alongside the payroll function, deducting money if an
employee left early.
But Martin Swain, HR manager for the site at Slough, said that was
demoralising for staff and the company adjusted the system which uses
electronic tags to let employees in and out of the building.
He said, "We’ve seen a decline in the number of ad hoc one-day
absences. At 4.25pm it was not unusual to see a queue of people waiting in
reception for permission to go home."
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The system was changed after Deloitte and Touche carried out a study to
improve flexible working at the company using a £30,000 loan from the DTI
Challenge Fund.
Other work-life balance initiatives are being developed at the site. A
consolidated week has been introduced to allow staff to vary the hours they
work over five days. Annualised hours are being considered in addition to plans
to open a cyber lounge.
