As retailers continue to focus on the customer experience, it’s easy to forget that a strong CX starts internally, with workforce optimization. Creating a working environment that reflects the best of the company is important, and a step in the right direction includes a streamlined management solution for the entire team.
McLendon Hardware, a family-owned retailer based in Seattle that operates seven, large-format stores, recently upgraded to the Kronos human capital management suite, which includes time and attendance, HR, payroll and absence management applications. By replacing multiple applications from another vendor and consolidating HR and payroll functions with the Kronos solution, McLendon Hardware was able to:
- Save approximately 33% on workforce management expenses;
- Move away from an external payroll solution, reducing service fees;
- Provide team members with visibility into their schedules, payroll updates and vacation times; and
- Stay up-to-date and secure with the latest software upgrades through the Kronos Cloud.
McLendon Hardware already had a partnership with Kronos for time and attendance, but the retailer was using the time clocks only to send time data to its existing payroll solution provider.
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“We wanted to take stock in what we were doing in workforce management and looked for where we wanted to be in the next five to 10 years,” said Nathaniel Polky, Director of IT at McLendon Hardware in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “That led us to look for a single solution, and automate it as much as possible.”
One Solution, Multiple Users
“We wanted to bring in systems that could be leveraged by our corporate team and our management team, and ultimately our team members,” he continued. “That led us to look at Kronos. We brought on all of the Kronos HCM solutions, including HR, payroll and attendance, all in the attempt to leverage more internal customer-facing tools.”
McLendon Hardware employees now are enabled to be more directly involved in their own work-related and HR processes. Employees are now encouraged to:
- Access their payroll on their computers or mobile devices;
- Check schedules and the balance of their vacation time;
- Request time off and get approved by a manager in real time; and
- Receive digital versions of pay stubs and W2 forms.
“We were able to add some additional value services to team members right away, so they had access to a self-service portal where they could see some basic team member data, address info, benefits and emergency contacts,” said Polky. “It was a solid balance between the needs of the business and the need to ensure our team members are engaged and feel like they are part of the process. That all came from the core of the decision to bring everything into Kronos.”
