Kronos TeleStaff Staffing Efficiencies to Net Westchester County PD $1.3M in Labor Savings

Kronos TeleStaff Benefits

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“Our methods for managing staff scheduling and tracking overtime have not changed in over 20 years. Department personnel were spending countless hours on tasks that could be automated. We needed a comprehensive system, using the latest in technology, to bring all of the issues into focus, and the Kronos TeleStaff system has done this for us.” — Officer Stuart Smith, Westchester County Police Department

• Automates scheduling
• Speeds scheduling communications
• Supports client-specific configuration
• Improves operational efficiency
• Increases staffing accuracy
• Helps ensure compliance
• Controls labor costs
• Promotes employee satisfaction
• Integrates with the Kronos workforce management suite
• Integrates with third-party systems

Westchester County Police Department at a Glance

Industry: County Police

Location: New York, USA

Residents: 950,000

Sworn Officers: 139

Civilian Employees: 50

CHALLENGES

Considered a suburban county within commuting distance of New York City, Westchester County is home to 950,000 residents as well as numerous corporations and businesses. The Westchester County Police Department (WCPD) provides police services throughout the entire county and was struggling with scheduling officers and managing overtime staffing practices.

The processes used to complete these tasks were paper-based, manual methods that created challenges with time management, accuracy, and quality. The steps taken and methods used to staff officers to meet staffing level requirements were wasteful and time-consuming. Desk officers used paper call sheets and made dozens of phones calls to fill positions. When officers were hired to work overtime, paper overtime slips were used to track this time.

Various supervisor-level personnel had to approve and track all time. Because schedules, adjustments, employee information, and labor data were decentralized, no one could see “the whole picture” at once to make quick and efficient decisions.

SOLUTION

Searching for a way to modernize its staffing and labor management practices, WCPD began a thorough search for a solution that could automate its paper-based, manual processes and accommodate the different levels of personnel that use the system. The department chose the Kronos® TeleStaff™ solution, and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services awarded WCPD a grant to help offset some of the cost of the system.

BENEFITS

Staff scheduling and overtime allocations automatic and fair

With the Kronos TeleStaff solution in place, all WCPD schedules, employee information, and labor data are now automated and combined into one system. When positions require staffing, the solution automatically knows who is available to work. If overtime work is available, the system allocates it in a fair and equitable way.

Desk officers also no longer spend valuable time making call after call to fill positions. The Kronos TeleStaff solution’s notification feature makes outbound phone calls for them. Desk officers are now freed from the consuming administrative tasks that once demanded much of their time and can focus on higher-level activities.

Additionally, all levels of department personnel use the Kronos TeleStaff solution with appropriate security access to perform scheduling-related tasks. Officers can log on and make requests for time off or enter their availability to work overtime.

At the same time, supervisors approve requests online or from a stand-alone computer. This self-serve functionality has eliminated the use of paper overtime slips and reduced the time it takes to process approvals.

Overall, staffing and labor information is much more accurate and up-to-date because it is collected and maintained in one centralized source. Errors caused by the manual scheduling system are no longer a concern.

The Kronos TeleStaff solution is also providing WCPD with relevant reports, charts, and rosters in real time for analysis on workforce operations. For example, all time and leave is now tracked and managed in the solution. At any time, managers can easily obtain overtime, vacation, or sick leave costs, as well as the details as to what activities caused the exceptions.

Moreover, the Kronos TeleStaff solution captures a complete audit trail of all staffing activity throughout the department, minimizing the agency’s exposure to liabilities and errors. Compliance concerns are an issue no more.

Overall, the use of the Kronos TeleStaff system has allowed WCPD to recover hundreds of work hours across multiple divisions and departments. WCPD projects a cost savings of nearly $1.3 million in labor hours over the next three years.

In addition to the cost savings, the department is gaining much more insight into ways of enhancing workforce operations. Furthermore, its personnel are spending more time on high-priority work, which has boosted employee morale.

More information about Kronos customer success stories may be found at www.kronos.com/resources. © 2011, Kronos Incorporated. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. TeleStaff is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. For a full list of Kronos trademarks, please visit the “trademarks” page at www.kronos.com. All other product, company names, or marks mentioned, if any, are used for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change. All rights reserved.