A Healthy Workforce Management Solution Controls Labor Costs, Improves Workforce Productivity

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Pikes Peak Hospice & Palliative Care (PPHPC) is a community-based nonprofit hospice provider in the Colorado Springs, Colorado area. More than 240 full- and part-time employees and more than 500 volunteers deliver care in patient homes, long-term care and assisted living facilities, and at the Pikes Peak Hospice Inpatient Unit. The hospice interdisciplinary teams are made up of specialty-trained physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, nurse assistants, counselors, chaplains, and volunteers. Together they provide specialized hospice and palliative care and a wide array of complementary therapies.

As a community-based, not-for-profit organization, PPHPC is acutely aware of the need to manage its finances wisely. But for several years, PPHPC used a paper-based system to track employee time and attendance. This meant frequent errors and the inconsistent application of policies and procedures. Human resource information was kept in a separate database, and sharing information between departments was difficult.

In order to improve its operational efficiency, PPHPC selected the Kronos^® Workforce Central^® suite. As a result, the organization has reduced errors. Saved time and money. And gained a better understanding of its labor costs and workforce productivity measurements.

Automation helps control overtime, lower costs

Before Kronos, PPHPC employees used paper timesheets, and this data was later entered by hand into an accounting system. Employees often waited until their timesheets were due to fill them out, making it nearly impossible to ensure the information was accurate. PPHPC pay policies and procedures were also inconsistent: Some workers clocked in when they left their homes, others waited until they’d arrived at their first patient visit.

Now PPHPC manages employee time using Workforce Timekeeper^™. Inpatient Unit employees enter their time using the Kronos 4500 Touch ID biometric terminals, which verify employee identities using fingerscan technology. And remote employees enter their time by logging in on the Web. As a result, the number of manual checks has been reduced to almost zero. PPHPC was also able to eliminate one full-time accounting position, redeploying the employee to another area of the organization.

Another plus: With its new visibility into workforce productivity, PPHPC is now able to get an accurate picture of nursing and administrative hours per patient, something that was impossible before Kronos. “Now employees are actually clocking in, and not trying to remember their time two weeks later. We’re getting a lot more accurate productivity information and actual hours worked per FTE,” says PPHPC’s Vice President of Business Operations Valerie Herl.

Overtime is also more easily controlled, with managers accessing the system daily to identify overages. And PPHPC is able to report payroll statistics to its leadership two weeks earlier. “Kronos is very helpful in showing us where we are financially,” says Herl. “Payroll represents 75 to 80 percent of our expenses. With Kronos, we can be proactive and manage these costs more effectively.”

Self-service increases employee and HR productivity

To maximize the time and cost-saving capabilities of the Workforce Central suite, PPHPC implemented Workforce HR^™ and Workforce Payroll^™. The addition of these key modules stopped the duplication of multiple data entry points. Brought crucial employee information into one centralized database. And made welcome improvements in human resources. Says Strategic Projects Analyst Daniel Schroeder, “We’re really excited about the applicant tracking, position controls, and FTE management. Our previous system just wasn’t functional enough for us.”

PPHPC also rolled out Workforce Employee^™, the self-service component of the Workforce Central suite. Now employees are more involved in managing their own information. “We’re trying to encourage employees to take more responsibility for their piece of the pie,” Schroeder explains.

Self-service has been well-received by employees. Because half of PPHPC’s staff is field-based, employees save time by being able to access information remotely and not having to make an extra stop in the office. Workforce Employee also allows for online performance management, where employees are able to complete their self appraisals via the web. “Self-service empowers employees to get into the system and make necessary requests and changes. And it helps our human resources staff better manage their time,” comments Schroeder.

Additionally, employees have easy access to their flexible time off (FTO) and paid time off (PTO) balances through Workforce Employee. Employees can request time off and get messages back when the request is approved by PPHPC’s staffing office and employee managers. Herl notes, “Another positive aspect for managers is a calendar which shows when their staff members are going to be away from work.”

And there’s more: By linking with Workforce Timekeeper, PPHPC employees now accrue FTO by hours worked as opposed to longevity. “If an employee picks up a shift, then they get accrual for that, which has also been a plus. I don’t think we could do that manually,” says Schroeder.

PPHPC has plans to incorporate self-service in its next open enrollment period. Work is also underway to link the Kronos system directly to dental, vision, and life insurance, the PPHPC 403(b) information, and HSA vendors, further reducing the HR team’s manual processes and allowing them to focus on higher-value activities.

Next goal: Minimize FMLA compliance risk

PPHPC will also implement Kronos absence management to help manage all types of employee leave and improve the organization’s compliance with FMLA and other regulations. “Right now we track FMLA by hand,” says Schroeder. “We need to ensure that we’re administering FMLA consistently for all of our employees. Kronos will help us reduce our potential liability, along with any perceptions of favoritism. And, we think we’re going to find some savings.”

PPHPC achieves better fiscal responsibility

PPHPC is pleased with the improvements it’s made to its operations and is happy with the decision to select Kronos. “We’ve received great support from Kronos. Whenever we have an issue, the support staff is excellent. They’re very responsive,” says Herl. PPHPC’s upgrade to Workforce Central 6 was smooth and seamless. “It’s an easy system to use,” says Schroeder. “I think over the last year, we’ve become more and more proficient at tailoring it to our needs.”

Herl concludes, “We’ve come a long, long way. We’ve become more consistent and accurate and we’ve improved our processes across the organization. Kronos helps us be more fiscally responsible for the money we spend on patient care and staff. We know we’re paying people correctly and consistently, and we’ve reduced our potential liability.”