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Par Esther Dominguez | 24 August 2022

Eight Tips for Successful Change Management: The Key to Your Transition Is Communication

Eight Tips for Successful Change Management: The Key to Your Transition Is Communication

More and more organizations are taking a digital turn to conduct their daily management activities. This new way of operating brings about a fundamental change in organizational culture. That is why a proper strategy must be adopted to ease this transition.

With the right tools and approach, you will lessen possible resistance and increase your chances of success. You will find in this article eight tips for the effective management of change, including actions that will contribute to the process for your organization and your employees, and some that will help you to effectively manage your transition to digital technologies.

1. Be Prepared!

Before implementing a change, it is essential to develop an action plan and to be well prepared (read the news, set benchmarks, read various strategic plans, etc.). This preparation will allow you to ensure an effective digital transition, which will subsequently lead to optimized productivity and, in the same vein, bring improvements in profitability.

2. Ask Yourself the Right Questions

What positive impact does this change have on my organization and my employees? What goal do I want to achieve through this change? What is the concrete result, or what results, do I want to observe followingthis change? It is important to ask yourself these questions because they will allow you to better communicate your ideas. It is also through the direction you wish to bring with this change that you will be able to create a common vision.

3. Think About the Sources of Potential Resistance and Prepare Accordingly

All change runs into obstacles. Rarely does organizational change take place in a perfectly fluid manner without facing some resistance from the members of the organization. Anticipate this resistance and find solutions. The content of communication and the meaning you give to change will be the key to yoursuccess.

4. Focus on Positive Thinking and on the Benefits of Change

Focus on the desired results that this change will achieve: better communication, happy employees, increased competitiveness, improved resource management and increased productivity… Be positive and convincing!

5. Demonstrate Transparency and Present an Inclusive Vision!

The most important aspect for the effective management of change is to include and support your employees throughout the process by being as transparent as possible. Indeed, by spreading out the process of change over a long period of time and by regularly communicating with your employees, you will face less resistance from them. In addition, by having your employees involved in decisions, they will more likely embrace change, because they won’t feel that it has been imposed.

6. Know How Your Employees Feel and Understand Their Emotions

A survey may seem trivial, but it can be very indicative of the current environment. By having your employees sharing their opinions and emotions, they will feel that someone is listening to them. A survey makes for a proactive action by providing some reassurance regarding their lingering doubts and concerns.

7. Develop a Training Plan

To facilitate the process of adaptation to change and a strengthen employee motivation, a training plan is avaluable asset for ensuring a smooth transition process towards digital technologies. Your plan should include all the useful information that will help employees prepare for the upcoming change and continue to be functional during the transition.

8. Feedback: An Essential Part to Ensuring Successful Change Management!

Success is often downplayed, but mistakes are, of course, always possible and they also serve as a source one can learn from! To seek feedback on the process of implementing your digital systems is therefore a necessary (dreadful) measure in order to adjust your course of action and to prompt a reaction, when needed. It is therefore important to take into account the satisfaction of your employees during the transition, from start to finish, and to not exclude them from the process. Remember, your employees are the pillars of your organization!

Par Alice T. | 2 August 2022

Managing Schedules During the Holiday Season

Managing Schedules During the Holiday Season

How do you manage your employees’ schedules when the holiday season begins? That long‑awaited time of the year is finally here and the only thing you have in mind is spending your days basking in the sun by the lake or taking off and going on that camping trip that you’ve been planning for months. Fortunately, Timesphere makes it easier for employees to ask for some time off to go on vacation and frees employers from the anxiety felt every year of having to completely reorganize their operations.

Because, yes, we know that managing time-off requests from employees is just as important as managing their schedules!

Here are a few key ingredients to create that perfect cocktail, to savour the taste of a stress-free holiday:

• Get seasonal input availability from your regular and temporary employees via their Web portal.
• Auction off shifts of employees going on vacation; this process makes it possible to manage replacements in a simplified and controlled way.
• Achieve compliance with all collective agreements and other rules in place within your organization: the success of this recipe lies in this essential step. Without it, automated scheduling would simply have no flavour.
• That’s it! You can now sit back and enjoy your vacation.

Come on, relax! We’ve got you covered!

Par Esther Dominguez | 15 July 2022

What is a Human Resources Information System?

What is a Human Resources Information System?

Perhaps you have read or heard that we have recently become an affiliate of SIGMA-RH with whom we now can offer the most complete HRIS solution available on the market. As you know, we have the perfect schedule generator, and they have the best HR suite.

But what is a HRIS exactly?

A HRIS, the most effective solution!

A HRIS is an automated software that supports all human resources processes. By “processes” we mean talent management and recruitment, the administrative management of personnel, time and attendance management and the administration of leaves of absence, compensation claims and payroll. Thistype of computerized system allows human resources managers to free up their time and dedicate it to more complex and strategic tasks. A HRIS significantly simplifies the tasks the HR team needs to perform by managing all core activitiesthrough centralized data.

So, what does this have to do with us? Because we have proven expertise in schedule planning under sets of rules and constraints, our solution becomes an absolute must in the field of human resources management and now adds a key feature making this HRIS suite the most advanced on the market.

Provides you with a collaborative tool!

It’s crazy how tasks, processes and communication become simpler!
Not only does the software automate all HR processes previously mentioned, but it also makes HR tools accessible to employees. Actually, the system allows each employee to use a single online portal to access all functions, which significantly simplifies the daily administrative processes of management while increasing the efficiency of employees and of the HR department. In short, thistool, which is primarily for employees and managers, can be used by all levels of management. It provides a direct collaborative experience, thus improving the working environment of your employees.

Do you have your answer?
Thanks to a HRIS, all members of your organization can proactively and, above all, quickly share information.
And if you are already using our automated scheduling system, add a HRIS. You’ll see, it’s the icing on the cake!

Par Alice T. | 20 June 2022

A Digital Shift for the Health Care System With Timesphere

A Digital Shift for the Health Care System With Timesphere

Recently, the Quebec government announced it was undertaking the restructuring of our health care system. The government’s strategy involves 50 key components. We looked at the details and have some concerns, and thought we could share them with you.

But how can we play a role alongside hospitals to guide them on a healing path?

The Importance of the Application of the Collective Agreement

Obviously, improving work organization is of central importance in this demanding and exhausting sector of activity. Any improvements leading to a better work-life balance will require sound management of work schedules, in full compliance with the business rules of the collective agreement.

Take Sonia, for example, who can’t come to work today because her daughter has caught some type of virus and she has to keep her at home. Leonard, the secretary, has been informed of this and will immediately get to work to try to find a replacement. He will have to spend hours on the phone before finding the right person (equivalent skills) to replace her… What a pain!

So, if the hospital where Sonia and Leonard are employed worked with the assistance of an automated scheduling software, their mental load would be lightened, because a high-performance algorithm would be taking care of all this, while respecting the rules of their collective agreement. This affliction can be simply cured!

A Real Pain Reliever: Timesphere

We said it before, Timesphere is the perfect remedy to no longer live with the “burden” of arranging and managing employee schedules, because it is all automated. In short, our software:

• Optimizes employee schedules in real time and actively avoids scheduling errors in care units;
• Automates the task of scheduling and facilitates managing replacements, while respecting the rules of your collective agreement. No more mistakes!
• Allows auctioning off shifts while respecting all clauses, by permitting those who want to work to take the shift and others to be at home. This makes reconciling their personal life and their professional life possible. Schedules are done automatically following a query (and that, believe us, removes a huge administrative burden while adding to the happiness of employees);
• A perfect employee portal: effective communication between the employer and the staff, instant access to timesheets and schedules, special features including the possibility of submitting requests for vacation time, days off … all bundled in this easy-to-use software!

 
No more scheduling errors, no more stress of not being able to take time off, no more hassles over emergency replacements… To ensure the effective management of health care personnel, there is Timesphere — the schedule generator and automated scheduling software.

Par Timesphere | 3 June 2022

SIGMA-RH Acquires Horasphere

SIGMA–RH Acquires Horasphere

MONTREAL, May 31, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ – SIGMA–RH has just completed the acquisition of Horasphere, a Saguenay–based scheduling optimization and constraint planning management software publisher. SIGMA–HR now offers the most comprehensive HRMS suite on the market, adding in–depth automated scheduling features to its offering.

This strategic acquisition provides strong growth opportunities for SIGMA–HR in the advanced time management field. Horasphere’s 40 experts join those of SIGMA–HR, thereby increasing its capacity for production and innovation. SIGMA–HR now boasts over 120 employees in Quebec and France.

“This addition of very advanced time management capabilities makes us a benchmark for small businesses that usually turn to American suites for lack of a local solution. This acquisition secures our position as a leader in human resources management solutions and further enhances our overall offering. We’re now better able to contribute to major local and international projects. SIGMA–HR will offer this technology to its clients to better serve them.”

– Patrice Poirier, President, SIGMA–HR

About SIGMA–HR

SIGMA–HR, founded in 1992, is an HR management software publisher whose flagship products include an HRMS (Human Resources Management System) and an occupational health and safety module. The company opened a subsidiary in France in 2004. The modular solution it has rolled out in more than 20 countries enables users to manage HR processes such as work accidents, timesheets, talent and labour relations. The SIGMA–HR solution stands out for its flexibility, cross–functionality and innovations, as well as its powerful geopositioning and data analysis tools.

Links:
www.sigma–rh.com/en/ | www.timesphere.com | Twitter: @SIGMA_RH | LinkedIn

Par Esther Dominguez | 20 May 2022

Aiming for a serene and seamless management experience!

Aiming for a serene and seamless management experience!

Close your eyes … take a deep breath and let your conscience be your guide… Imagine a world where your business achieves synergy and where harmony and enthusiasm prevail thanks to an automated, 100% digital management tool… No need to snap out of it! This is not the fruit of your imagination. All this is possible thanks to Timesphere.

Time to Meditate on the Benefits of an Automated Scheduling System

It’s hard to keep both feet on the ground when you know that there is software that can juggle with jobs and arrange every employee’s schedule according to their availability. In addition to being able to compose with any type of industry where requirements often vary, Timesphere allows you to reduce the time spent on employee planning by 50%. And that’s not all, the software also ensures that schedules respect business rules and collective agreements. As a manager, one thing is for sure: with a system that simplifies some of your operations, while optimizing resources and achieving business objectives, the only thing you have left to do, it is to add a yoga session to your workday.

Be Proactive by Staying Pro-Relaxed

Timesphere offers a wide range of possibilities, all packaged within a unique employee portal. Think about Agatha who always feels anxiety when she needs to ask for some time off, or Fred who forgets (too often) that his shift has changed, or Sophie who is afraid that management will not take note quickly enough of important information on the status of an order. All these issues are solved thanks to Timesphere.

We can now enjoy some peace of mind and be conscious of our environment thanks to a collective effort and a portal that brings together the elements that are essential to cultivating happiness at work. So, Agatha can now send her requests for time off and advertise her availability without stress; Fred has always on hand access to his schedule and his timesheets and Sophie can communicate in real time with members of the staff. All this through a 100% personalized and seamless mobile access.

Timesphere ensures that employee requirements are met and fosters a serene and strong spirit of collaboration between all members of an organization. So, will you embark on this journey that begins with an innovative management system that elevates your professional development and your full potential?

Take your chance with Timesphere!

Par Alice T. | 7 April 2022

When technology is as effective as two years of therapy

When technology is as effective as two years of therapy

Stress… What an unpleasant feeling. It’s a bit like winter. We live with it, but we could all do without it, at least some of it, like when we’re subjected to the inconvenience that comes with cold weather! A stress-free work environment can only make employees happy, and consequently equate to a higher retention rate. But how? Sonia Lupien, a doctor in neuroscience and Director of the Centre of Studies on Human Stress (CSHS), which is affiliated with the University of Montréal, says that she has found several types of stress-related triggers that organizations can eliminate or at least reduce to a minimum.

Here are some of them.

 

Unpredictability

Many unforeseen events lead to last-minute schedule changes, and managers are well aware of that. Schedules need to be quickly rearranged and need to take into account the terms and conditions of any collective agreement that is in place. Between you and me, this can drive anyone mad, and let’s not forget the stress it creates. You’ve been hit with a double whammy! A mistake can prove costly, and no one wants to take responsibility for it. Fortunately, using an automated scheduling system, and its shift auction function, eliminates this unnecessary stress regardless of the reason given by the absentee… Whew!

 

Loss of control

We can’t deny that a lack of control over our decisions can be stressful. We all remember our first time skating, right? Well, our software provides employees and managers with powerful tools that give them full control: they can exchange shifts, request time off and the scheduling system ensures compliance with the terms of the collective agreement. If only these types of tools had existed to help us out the first time we stepped onto the ice with our skates, we wouldn’t have made such fools of ourselves!

 

The novelty factor

For employees, novelty often triggers a sense of apprehensiveness and, almost unavoidably, will lead to moments of stress. We are ourselves a part of this novelty, and we know what our scheduling software can do. We also know that support is important and can reduce the stress level associated with new technologies. That’s why we take care of software installation at our clients’ place of business and we can be contacted 24-7. We never leave our client before we know they’ve understood absolutely everything; it’s so important. No more unnecessary stress.

 

No more favouritism!

Some managers may have favourites, which can pose some issues of inequality. This situation can cause conflicts between the employees who are perceived as favourites and those who are not. Whether it’s when the system is drawing up a schedule or when someone has decided to take some time-off, our algorithms treat everyone in the organization fairly; it’s all about skills and availability and all the terms and conditions that apply. Goodbye favourites, hello fairness!

Stress can be reduced in a business environment with the most powerful employee scheduling software. And I name … [drum roll please]… Timesphere.

Par Alice T. | 21 March 2022

Be in Luck!

Be in Luck!

Yes! This month, we go green and chance our luck. We enjoy the company of our friends and family and we get in touch with our willing accomplices and we celebrate! Some Patricks or Patricias of this world may also need an extra day off, just so that they can come back to work well rested from the merrymaking.

And for those special occasions, Timesphere, or “TP” for those in the know, becomes your best friend. TP deals with the planning of employee schedules, because yes, you’re not dreaming, an automated scheduling system that takes into account collective agreements, does exist.

The Employee Portal: The Key to Happiness

Patrick and Patricia are in luck! On this festive day, Timesphere dons its shamrock covered hat and knots its four-leaf clover bow tie and quickly steps in and allows Patrick and Patricia to exchange their shifts with their colleagues Laurent and Laurence, who are not really fond of parades and bar crawling. And if you believe in luck, well, not only does the portal provide access to schedules and timesheets and facilitates communication with management, but employees can also send requests for time off, they can auction shifts or, in Patrick’s and Patricia’s case, exchange shifts with colleagues.

Sounds crazy? Timesphere does it all. All functions are gathered in one place and accessible directly from your mobile phone.

Everyone Wins With Timesphere

Whatever your line of business or the level of complexity of you structure, Timesphere is a 100% tailor-made lucky charm that will stand by your side to help you take up the task of managing your employees’ schedules.   And this, while respecting the provisions of all collective agreements. If that’s not a miracle, what is?! You have plenty of reasons to smile when you find such luck and your employees will be smiling too thanks to automated work schedules and a great work environment.

One last thing…

Timesphere is to be consumed without moderation and comes with a no hangover guarantee! The optimization of activities and the personal and professional growth of your employees is just like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

So let’s toast to that!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Par Alice T. | 14 February 2022

To Fall in Love with Timesphere

To Fall in Love with Timesphere

 

Ah! Love! It’s not a secret. Many variables come into play when one falls in love, but the real challenge lies in the capability of keeping the spark ignited. What must be done to make that happen?

 

I’ve recently fallen in love with Timesphere, an automated scheduling platform. This very “exciting” software literally produces a tremendous effect on me and I believe that we are to be lifetime companions for at least the next sixty years.

 

Why?

 

Improves Communication 

When it comes to communication, Timesphere has literally slipped into the role of cupid. Employees now have the power to swap shifts with their colleagues, to enter their hours of availability, to seek a replacement, among other possibilities. The only control remaining rests on the manager who needs to authorize the data transfer so that the algorithms of this perfect software take into account all operational parameters to generate, within a few seconds, an errorless schedule. That is what I call effective communication!

 

And should there ever be a problem, Timesphere has an excellent support service. You just need to call them directly and they will do what it takes to solve it.

 

Nourishes Passion 

For a relationship to last, it’s important to nourish the passion. To continue to care is essential. That’s why Timesphere turns to a team of professionals every day who suggest improvements and see how those improvements can be integrated into the software. The users of Timesphere always have access to an efficient, high-performance and up-to-date software. Ah! Let me count the reasons to love.

 

Leads to the Development of New Projects

By automating the employee scheduling process, everyone can see beyond the limits of one’s ability and see the big picture. How can we initiate new projects when all we do is keep reviewing technicalities and rehashing the same issues? In my opinion, this is probably the most interesting aspects of Timesphere: it gives you time. What you do with your time, well that’s between you and Timesphere and you will have plenty of time to grow together to figure it out.

 

Promotes Respect

To be functional, any relationship must be respectful. One absolutely perfect feature of this software, the one that has me over the moon in love, is its capability to respect collective agreement rules. There is no longer any need to think about everyone’s rights and responsibilities. All obligations are automatically respected. I still can’t believe it. You enter all rules once and that’s it. Everything is settled! No more scheduling errors and you will see sparkles in all the lovers’ eyes.

 

On that note, Happy Valentine’s Day. 

I wish you love.

I reassure you, Timesphere is close by.

Resolution

Par efillion@katapub.com | 18 January 2022

Making Good Resolutions for 2022

Making Good Resolutions for 2022

These past months have disrupted the world of work. Our employees, however, have shown a remarkable adaptability to the greatest challenges and many employers went ahead and modernized their equipment to allow teleworking.

Digital tools have played an integral role in facilitating our day-to-day activities and in simplifying our work tasks. Let’s build on this momentum and improve the labour market in 2022.

Health

This year, more than ever, we must treat health as a priority. Now is the time to take measures towards the adoption of preventive practices which focus on the mental and physical health of our employees by giving them some time (even paying them although they are not on the production line).

 

Let’s focus on our employees by accommodating young families or by allowing them to incorporate sporting activities into their routine. In addition to being a great form of recognition, it’s a winning arrangement that fosters organizational culture, boosts productivity and builds a sense of loyalty among employees.

 

Happiness

We now know that happiness has an impact on health and on job performance. As a matter of fact, we talk about it in our article on happy employees. For 2022, let’s find the means to put in place systems to cultivate happiness among employees and improve staff retention:

 

  • Review benefit packages (insurance, RRSPs, etc.);
  • Offer the possibility to work flexible hours;
  • Consent to hybrid work arrangements (telework);
  • Simplify management processes;
  • Automate arduous and repetitive tasks.

 

If happiness lies in simple things, let’s bring our employees some happiness by making their lives easier. Why not look at using a scheduling software? In addition to conduce to the happiness of employees, it will simplify schedule management by automating administrative tasks.

 

Prosperity

The growth of our organization is closely associated with the sense of accomplishment of our employees. Let’s make sure they develop their full potential in a work environment that provides an ideal balance between professional and personal goals. The fulfillment of each employee should be at the heart of our decisions. Let’s:

 

  • Share our vision;
  • Offer challenging career plans that are in tune with the times;
  • Throw challenges that are interesting, exciting and meaningful;
  • Include employees in business development;
  • Modernize the way we do things and upgrade our equipment and our technological tools.

 

If it’s time for some new year resolutions, we must remember that health should be taken care of preventively, that the source of happiness lies in little everyday things, that prosperity rhymes with sustainability and that all these aspects help maintain balance.

 

Let’s look after each other and give ourselves the means to simplify our everyday life.

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