Multiple work schedules, various forms of employment and individual shifts – all these make working time management ponderous and complicated. However, MTVA has realised that a suitable software application enables more efficient support for administration and more transparent operation. We asked Mrs Csilla Zvornik Móricz, formaer Director of HR and Initiatives for a Healthy Workplace (IHW), about the NEXONtime implementation and MTVA’s experience of using the product during the following year.
More than 1600 people work for MTVA. Could you outline the organisational structure with regard to working time management?
We are basically a broadcasting company, so our employees’ activities reflect this fact. They work in varied work and shift patterns, as the people we have to schedule include technical staff as well as hosts, presenters and many other categories. Some employees work fixed shifts, others work flexi-time, often at external sites. Additionally, we have others doing back-office jobs according to various work schedules, whose jobs do not fit within our core activities.
How did you manage such complicated working time accounting before the implementation of the software?
We did not have a uniform IT system to deal with this, making it necessary to keep paper records on an organisational unit basis. Our aim was to transform MTVA operations into a more transparent, more efficient and simpler set of activities. Key to this process was the implementation of a type of working time administration that allows for costs to be defined on a programme / minute basis.
How did you get started? What were the main elements of this process?
We took the first step 18 months ago when we reconsidered our collective agreements, as we wanted to introduce a form of employment where the number of working hours is pre-set for a particular period of time. At the same time we were further developing and testing our existing capacity coordination system, which is used to link all sorts of resources to individual programmes. NEXONtime was also already in the picture, as an application to be set up. It took us nearly six months to clean up our processes and to negotiate contracts. Then NEXON’s developers set up the basic system parameters, following which it was necessary to achieve a certain level of integration between the two systems through interfaces. Next was a fine tuning stage during which we tested, discussed, checked and corrected the work schedules on a daily basis. Following a two-month testing period our assistants were able to keep time records by means of NEXONtime.
MTVA finds it crucial to operate a reliable time and attendance software application that, in addition to administration, holds a mirror up to the organisation.
How did you get on with NEXON’s specialists during the implementation?
Over the course of the last month prior to the go-live we were working very closely together - we were on the same wavelength, so to speak. This was extremely useful for us, especially because NEXON’s staff had an outsider’s view of our system and asked us questions that drew our attention to issues we would otherwise have ignored. Unlike the usual way that such relationships work, we did not tell them what we wanted and ask them to execute everything according to our instructions, rather we developed a method of common thinking that sometimes led to a solution that differed from our original ideas.
What functions of the software would you like to highlight?
The ultimate requirement is that the software is compliant with the labour regulations. For us, however, the reporting function was also of major importance. We need data to enable us to see clearly how MTVA operates and to provide us with the basics required for future planning. We were lucky in a sense that NEXON had already gained lots of experience with regard to this in working with other companies. Furthermore, although we did not initially think that the reminder function would be useful, we subsequently realised that it is really helpful for the administrative staff. For instance, it sends an alert if an employee has not received the mandatory 11 hours’ rest time and therefore cannot be put on to the next shift.
We saved tens of millions of forints, which is the consequence of both the clearer operation and the introduction of employment with periodically set working times.
Your aim was to boost the efficiency of the operation of MTVA. Now, with a years’ experience, how far have you got in achieving your objective?
The system has become clearer as the various employees’ time data is much more accurate. Since data entry and administration have become significantly simpler, the time we have saved there can now be spent on checking. The work of the Economic Directorate has also become easier, as they are now provided with working time data directly from NEXONtime, whereas earlier they worked from paper based documents that had to be processed manually.
Have you saved money in addition to time?
Yes, we are talking about tens of millions of forints, which is the consequence of both the clearer operation and the introduction of employment with periodically set working times.
What sort of companies would you recommend working time management software?
Obviously, the company needs to be of an appropriate size in order to receive the required return on this investment. I believe that the system will work well for organisations with a flexible work schedule, but it also supports project based operations because the system records working time linked to a particular project. Even production companies that apply several work schedules could benefit from use of this system, since paper based record keeping must be really difficult for them. MTVA finds it crucial to operate a reliable time and attendance software application that, in addition to administration, holds a mirror up to the organisation.