Workday Time Off consultants should prepare themselves for an influx of work. Late 2022, UKG announced the end of life for several legacy Kronos products including Kronos Workforce Central and Legacy Kronos 4500 Clocks. As a result, UKG will be encouraging their existing customers to move to Kronos Dimensions, their new cloud platform. Current Kronos users will have to go through additional implementation and an increased subscription fee.
But wait, what and who are we even talking about?
In 2020, Ultimate Software and Kronos announced that they would be merging to form UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), a global HCM technology company that combines the strengths of both companies to offer a comprehensive suite of HCM solutions. Ultimate Software was founded in 1990 and initially offered on-site HR and payroll software. Kronos Incorporated was founded in 1977 and has been a leading provider of workforce management solutions for over 40 years.
Let’s highlight a specific UKG product, Kronos Workforce Central which is a cloud-based workforce management software that helps businesses to manage their employees more effectively. It typically includes features such as:
- Time and attendance tracking: Kronos Workforce Central allows employees to enter the time they have worked and request time off, and managers to approve or reject time off requests, track attendance and approve time sheets.
- Scheduling: The scheduling feature allows managers to create and manage employee schedules, set labor standards and track schedule adherence.
- Absence management: Kronos Workforce Central helps businesses manage employee absences, including sick time, vacation time, and personal time.
- Payroll integration: Kronos Workforce Central integrates with payroll systems, which helps to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.
- Compliance with labor laws and regulations: Kronos Workforce Central helps businesses to comply with labor laws and regulations, including overtime, sick time, and vacation time.
- Reporting and analytics: Kronos Workforce Central provides reporting and analytics tools that allow businesses to monitor compliance, analyze labor costs, and schedule adherence.
- Mobile access: Kronos Workforce Central is available on mobile devices, which allows employees to access the system from anywhere and enter their time worked, request time off, and view their schedules and time off balances.
The goal of Kronos Workforce Central was to simplify the process of managing employees and improve the efficiency of human resources departments. By automating time and attendance tracking, scheduling, and absence management, Kronos Workforce Central helped businesses make informed decisions about their workforce and reduced manual effort. As part of the merger and with the push for a more comprehensive timekeeping tool, they are instead sunsetting this product and pushing Kronos Dimensions.
What is Kronos Dimensions?
Kronos Dimensions, a part of the Kronos Workforce Suite, is an across-the-board human capital management solution that can be used to manage employee data, scheduling, time and attendance tracking, and labor analytics. Although it can be used to replace a variety of different systems, depending on the specific needs of a business, we can see that the focus is solely on timekeeping. Some examples of systems that it could potentially replace include: manual timekeeping methods, such as paper time sheets or spreadsheets; standalone scheduling or time and attendance software; separate HR, payroll, and compliance management systems and; systems from different vendors that don’t integrate well with each other.
It does offer a one-stop-shop for scheduling, time and attendance, compliance and analytics. It could also replace other similar solutions in the market that are less comprehensive, less flexible and less adaptable to the specific needs of a business.
It provides real-time visibility into employee data, including skills, availability, and labor costs, and helps managers make more informed decisions about their workforce. It also includes features such as time and attendance tracking, scheduling, and compliance management. It is typically used by businesses of all sizes to automate timekeeping, reduce errors, and improve compliance with labor laws.
Where does Workday come in and how does this impact Workday Time Off Consultants?
While we don’t have knowledge of the specific cut-off date when the EOL (end of life) will be for Kronos Workforce Central and Legacy Kronos 4500 Clocks, it is important to note that end-of-life dates are generally announced well in advance, so that businesses have time to plan for and make the transition to a new product. This would be the perfect opportunity for companies to explore time tracking outside of the recommended tool Kronos Dimensions by instead reviewing companies like Workday that can provide more holistically.
Workday Time Tracking is an application within the Workday ecosystem that allows companies to manage and track employee time and attendance. It provides real-time visibility into employee hours worked, time off requests, and other time-related data. It allows employees to log their time, request time off, and view their schedules and time off balances. Managers can approve time off requests, manage schedules, and track employee time and attendance. The feature integrates with payroll, ensuring accurate and efficient payroll processing. Overall, Workday Time Tracking provides a centralized and streamlined approach to managing employee time and attendance, improving accuracy and efficiency. The goal of Workday Time Tracking is to simplify the process of tracking employee time and attendance and reduce the time and effort required to manage the process. By automating time tracking and integrating with other systems, Workday Time Tracking helps businesses to make informed decisions about their workforce and improve overall efficiency. These features, combined with Workday’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction, have helped make Workday HCM one of the leading solutions in the market.
Workday is a popular HRIS solution due to its ability to streamline HR operations and provide a comprehensive, user-friendly solution. Its key features include integration of HR processes, a user-friendly interface, customization options, real-time analytics, and a cloud-based platform. These features provide companies with efficient data management and analysis, allowing for informed decision-making and improved HR operations. Additionally, Workday covers a wide range of HR processes, including talent management, payroll, and time tracking, making it a one-stop solution for HR needs. These factors contribute to Workday’s popularity among companies looking to improve their HR operations and drive business success.
Encouraging potential clients to migrate to Workday Time Tracking can be done by pushing the Workday HCM functionality that provides real-time data and analytics, which allows managers to make informed decisions about their workforce. While UKG is newly venturing into the SaaS cloud-based arena, Workday is already a big hitter in the HRIS world. Workday integrates HR, payroll, and time tracking into a single system, reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency by streamlining HR processes. Overall, there are several reasons companies should implement Workday, which include; improved data management: Workday provides a unified platform for data storage and analysis, making it easier to track and manage employee information; user-friendly interface: Workday’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for HR teams to manage employee information and perform key tasks; customizable solution: Workday is highly customizable, allowing companies to configure it to meet their specific business needs and requirements, real-time analytics. Workday also provides real-time analytics and reporting capabilities, and makes it easier to make informed decisions; cloud-based platform: Workday is a cloud-based platform, providing accessibility from any device with internet access and reducing the need for on-premise hardware and maintenance. Overall, Workday offers a comprehensive HR solution that helps companies improve HR processes, manage data more effectively, and drive business success.