Photo by Florencia Rosenfeld on Unsplash
Background
A renowned bakery in London, with over 30 locations including stores and collection lockers, offering nationwide delivery.
The company serves over 10,000 cupcakes, cakes, and brownies daily, with a variety of options, including vegan, gluten-free, wedding, and celebratory cakes.
For confidentiality reasons, the company name is not disclosed.
Challenges with the Old System That Made the Company Change
The company, a thriving business in the competitive food industry, faced several issues that highlighted the need for a more modern solution that could better accommodate the unique demands of the food service industry. The key challenges included:
* Inefficient Management of Shift Scheduling:
The old system made it difficult to create and adjust schedules, especially during peak hours or when covering for employee absences. With multiple shifts in the kitchen and front-of-house, the system lacked real-time scheduling updates and shift-swapping capabilities, which caused confusion and inefficiencies. A more dynamic system would allow employees to request shift changes and view updated schedules easily, improving overall scheduling flexibility.
* Difficulty in Managing Overtime and Time Off Requests:
The food service industry has unique requirements around overtime, breaks, and leave requests, and the old system made it challenging to monitor and track such elements. Managers struggled with overtime tracking and ensuring that employees took their required breaks. Tracking leave requests was also becoming burdensome. A new system with leave scheduling, overtime and break tracking features would ensure that the company remained adjusted and the team process was structured.
* Challenges with Catering and Event-Specific Hours:
The company often managed large catering orders and events, which required unique tracking of labor hours for those specific tasks. The old system was not flexible enough to manage different types of hours for special projects, which led to confusion when billing. A modern system that could easily handle event-specific time tracking would allow the company to manage payroll accurately for the time spent on catering or event services.
The Company’s Time Tracking Key Requirements
The company had several critical requirements for a time tracking solution to address the complexities of its operations, ensuring seamless integration and operational efficiency. These key requirements included:
- Shift Scheduling: Ability to schedule shifts for bakery staff with an easy-to-use interface.
- Mobile Time Tracking: Clock-in/out for employees working in different store locations.
- Employee Self-Service: Allow staff to request time off, view schedules, and access timesheet information.
- Overtime Tracking: Automatically flag and track overtime to ensure compliance with labor laws.
- Time-Off Management: Easy system for staff to request time off with integrated approval workflows.
Why the Company Chose Jibble Time Tracking
When it came time to find a solution to track the team’s time, Jibble stood out as the perfect fit. Here’s why the company decided to integrate it into their workflow:
1# Simplified Time Tracking for Staff:
The company needed a straightforward time tracking system for its bakery staff, who may not be tech-savvy. Jibble’s easy-to-use interface allowed employees to log their hours with minimal training, reducing the chance of errors and making time tracking more efficient.
2# Mobile Clocking for Multiple Locations:
With multiple bakery locations, the company needed a flexible system. Jibble’s mobile time tracking enabled employees to clock in and out at different locations using their smartphones, providing convenience for staff and ensuring accurate time records across stores.
3# Leave and Absence Management:
Managing leave and attendance for shift workers was challenging with their previous system. Jibble’s integrated leave management features allowed employees to submit time-off requests, which managers could approve in real-time, ensuring smooth scheduling and reducing gaps in staffing.
4# Transparency:
With Jibble, the company was able to view the activities of all employees, on sites and on deliveries, and have all the data, from across locations, gathered into one integrated system. This translated to clear reports and easier communication with the team.
How Was the Onboarding Process?
The company implemented Jibble’s time tracking system over a 3-week period, with an emphasis on keeping it simple and efficient for their staff. The bakery environment required a quick rollout, as their front-of-house staff and kitchen teams needed an easy-to-use solution.
The first week involved setting up the basic time tracking features for all employees, especially for those working shifts in the bakery. During week two, Jibble’s mobile app was deployed to allow employees to clock in and out from their smartphones while in the bakery or on delivery routes.
Training sessions were brief but focused on ease of use, ensuring employees could quickly adapt to the app. By the third week, Jibble was fully integrated into their payroll system, and the company enjoyed smoother operations with more accurate timekeeping and a reduction in manual payroll adjustments.
The Benefits Immediately Identified Post Onboarding
Following the onboarding process, the company quickly experienced several key benefits that significantly contributed to its sustainable improvement, including:
1. Better Shift Management: Real-time tracking enabled the company to better manage staff shifts, ensuring proper coverage during peak times.
2. Accurate Payroll Processing: Automated time tracking reduced payroll errors, making wage calculations more efficient and reducing time spent on manual adjustments.
3. Enhanced Employee Transparency: Clear and accessible tracking data increased transparency and reduced confusion about hours worked.
Main Method of Jibbling In and Out
The key methods for clocking in for the Company is through:
Mobile App/Kiosk: For shift workers at the company, the Jibble mobile app is used to clock in and out at the start and end of each shift. The simple mobile interface ensures that staff can easily track hours, and managers can monitor attendance in real time. Kiosk mode was set up in certain locations for ease of use. The system also supports clocking in/out during breaks for precise shift management.
Conclusion
The integration of Jibble’s time tracking system has greatly improved the London-based bakery’s operational efficiency, addressing challenges such as inefficient shift scheduling, overtime tracking, and communication issues.
With features like mobile clocking across multiple locations, easy shift management, and integrated leave and absence tracking, the company streamlined its processes, reducing manual errors and improving payroll accuracy.
The system’s seamless integration with payroll systems, coupled with real-time tracking and easy-to-use interfaces, has allowed the bakery to enhance employee transparency, optimize staffing, and ensure compliance with labor laws, ultimately driving smoother operations and better time management.
