Kronos Solution Improves Washington County Schools' Workforce Productivity and Payroll Accuracy
Washington County Public Schools, based in southwest Virginia, educate approximately 7,200 students in grades K-12 at elementary, middle, and high schools in 15 locations, as well as at two career and technical centers. The school system’s 1,350 employees, all non-union, include a range of exempt, non-exempt and temporary staff, including teachers, administrators, support staff, bus drivers and food service workers. With a mission of fostering a dynamic community of learners, Washington County Schools challenge students to achieve their maximum potential.
A paper-based timekeeping, leave accrual, and payroll system fostered inaccuracies and challenged staff in keeping payroll on schedule. Employees submitted paper timesheets, which were approved by an administrator and sent to the central office. Payroll staff then manually keyed in time and attendance information, hoping they were accurately interpreting handwritten data, and calculated multiple pay rules, depending on the type of employee. Errors were common and calls to the payroll office for corrections after each monthly pay period were frequent.
Streamlined payroll processing improves productivity
Implementation of Kronos Workforce Timekeeper, first with non-exempt staff and later with exempt staff, including teachers, has significantly reduced payroll processing time and errors. “We went from five days of manual coding, calculating, and data entry for non-exempt staff to having this data pulled into our accounting system at the press of a button,” says Michelle Larson, assistant payroll clerk. “We have decreased payroll errors, and with Kronos self-service, employee morale has increased because employees can check their timecards and verify their pay.”
Each school day, most teachers clock in and out at their classroom computer, bus drivers use the Kronos Teletime solution, and other staff swipes in and out at Kronos 4500 badge terminals. Although some exempt staff has been reluctant to use the automated time and attendance solution, Larson emphasizes that the system provides more accurate leave tracking of personal, professional and sick days, as well as tracking of extra tutoring and other added duties with multiple pay rates.
“I explained that we want to make sure they get paid accurately for their extra duties or extra time,” she says. “We track their in-service, work days, and leave time through Kronos, and as long as they put their time into Kronos correctly, they get paid correctly.”
Accurate pay practices increase employee satisfaction
Before Kronos, paper timesheets sometimes got lost or arrived late at the central office, and often showed rounded hours, not accurately reflecting an employee’s time. Leave time was tracked on one report for full-time teachers and on another for substitute teachers. “Manual paperwork resulted in a lot of mistakes because timesheets weren’t there or were late,” explains Larson.
Manually calculating the district’s 34 pay rules also led to errors and ate up enormous amounts of time. Washington County Schools’ workforce includes everything from full-time employees who work 260 days a year to part-time employees who work three to four hours daily 180 days a year. In addition, teachers work 200 days a year but are paid over 12 months. Handling these variables is far easier with the district’s automated Kronos solution, which has helped ensure compliance through accurate administration of pay policies.
“The number of phone calls that we get after payroll has greatly decreased,” notes Larson. “People are more confident they are getting paid accurately.”
Employee self-services tools have helped boost this confidence and reduced complaints. Larson says she encourages employees to check their timecard to make sure they are getting paid properly. Now, if an employee has a question, she says it’s easy to pinpoint immediately if there was an error. “With Kronos I can show them exactly how they were paid and what they were paid for.”
Automated solution reduces compliance issues
Previously, checking an employee’s pay history required rummaging through boxes of paper files — and maintaining enormous storage capacity to house the paper timesheets. Now, the information is easily accessible in Kronos, greatly simplifying the school district’s audit trail. This elimination of paper timesheets in favor of a more “green” solution has been good for the environment and the school district’s budget.
Accurately tracking leave time is a critical financial issue for many school systems, including Washington County, as many employees are entitled to banked leave time. The county’s teachers, for example, are allowed to accrue up to 160 days of leave time when they retire or leave the district. Once they reach 160 days, they can carry over a maximum of five days a year and are paid for these days each year, returning them to 160 days. Larson says that maintaining accurate leave time accruals and calculating banked leave payments for this complex system is much simpler with Kronos.
Kronos services: timely assistance
Washington County Schools are using Kronos implementation services to remotely upgrade the school district’s Kronos solution. Larson says the remote upgrade has been “wonderful” as it allows them to complete the process a little bit at a time and use a test server that doesn’t interrupt the district’s daily functions.
And without a big IT support staff, she has found Kronos support services extremely valuable in getting questions answered. When she added a new function to the time clock, she says they walked her through the process and waited on the phone while she tested the clock. “It’s very comforting to have this support and I like that they can log into my computer to see exactly what I see and show me step by step,” she explains.
The Kronos customer portal has also given her self-sufficiency, allowing her to download documentation and reference materials, as well as check the schedule of upcoming education courses and updates.
“I’m always trying to learn more and have found Kronos support services very helpful,” adds Larson. “I’m very pleased with the product, and working with it every day, I’ve been amazed at what I’ve learned and what I can do on my own now. It makes life much easier.”
Washington County Public Schools Summary
Employees: 1,350
Products: Workforce Timekeeper™, Kronos Teletime®, Kronos 4500™ badge terminals
PROJECT BENEFITS
• Payroll processing time is cut from five days to just a few hours
• Significantly reduced payroll errors and employee self-service boost satisfaction
• Accurate leave time tracking and easy-access audit trail improve compliance
• Services deliver fast answers, increase knowledge, and help staff work smarter
“We have decreased payroll errors, and with Kronos self-service, employee morale has increased because employees can check their timecards and verify their pay.” Michelle Larson, Assistant Payroll Clerk