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Autonomous attendance

A key challenge faced in a distributed service delivery environment is the management of productivity of staff through time and attendance (T&A). It generally requires a physical user interface such as biometric readers to confirm attendance. In some applications it makes business sense, but cost generally remains the main driver in these environments.

Active and passive radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies have been around for many years. The SACO RF attendance solution was developed with the focus on driving down costs without compromising functionality and ease of use.

In most service delivery environments, staff are required to carry physical identification on their person. The SACO RF solution allows for each individual to carry an identification card fitted with an active RFID transmitter. Each attendance point at the client facility is fitted with a small active RFID device enabled with GSM communication. The solution operates by detecting the active RFID person tags worn by staff when entering the RF zone. The average area for an attendance zone is 10 metres.

Once an Active Tag is identified, the receiver unit acquires the unique ID of the tag associated with the employee list along with the date and time it was detected. This information is then transmitted over the GSM network to a centrally hosted server where the attendance clock is processed through the SACO Workforce Management (GEN-5) solution.

Real-time attendance data is made available through a web interface to stakeholders to manage client expectations and contractual obligations in terms of staff placement. The web interface allows access to current sites with its attendance for the day. Operations managers, control room operators and supervisors are able to provide comments on late or non-clockers which can be escalated to stakeholders at scheduled times.

For more information, contact SACO, 086 123 SACO (7226), [email protected]

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