Farnek rolls out Google time and attendance solution

DUBAI / Emirates Business

Leading UAE-based total Facilities Management (FM) company Farnek, signed an agreement with Google to roll out their cloud based solution (Google Apps) among more than 3,500 employees. As a part of the contract, Farnek will be the first FM company in the UAE to utilise the technology.
The online facility will benefit Farnek and its customers, by optimising its operational efficiency, introducing online learning, improving health and safety, managing risk better and delivering a higher quality of service. Farnek will also be making its mark on the IoT (Internet of Things) sector through this system and latest technology by Google.
“In today’s complex and expensive built environment, modern buildings are highly technical, operating with next generation property management systems (PMS). To deliver optimal performance, seconds literally count, in terms of the damage an electrical fault or a water leak can do to a $250 million building. Our business strategy is to become early adopters of all technological innovation, relevant to our sector,” said Markus Oberlin, CEO, Farnek.
Putting that into an FM context, Farnek will now roll out smart watches and smartphones loaded with the Time and Attendance software which tracks employee geo location based on google map. Through a combination of Google apps for work, Google Map, Android apps and the use of a private cloud, the system will allow access to information on the road with real time reports, where each authorised Farnek technician has access to a wealth of learning data, but without having to travel back and forth from the site to the office, saving valuable time.
Management will now be able to schedule work rotas more efficiently, integrated with specific contracts and Geofenced on Google Map. Technicians can be identified by location using GPS with automated check-ins and check outs. Movement can also be tracked and supervisors alerted for late or non-arrivals. The reports generated can not only be sent to Farnek’s HRD for its own payroll, it can also be used as supporting documentation to the client, either in real time or for a specific report period, indicating accurately the number of man hours spent on a particular contract.
Highlighting the scale of the issue in the US, Kessler International, a global leader in corporate investigation carried out an anonymous survey of over 500 employees in the US retail and service sectors in 2013. The study revealed that over 30% of employees surveyed admitted to falsifying job time sheets and 80% of respondents conceded to engaging in some form of personal activity, during working hours.
Online training videos will be created, as well as case studies and pushed onto the handsets, for the technicians to watch and learn on the road. Management can then monitor the uptake and issue training certificates, when complete.
For more immediate situations, technicians can make use of text and video chat as well as document and photo exchange. Dashboards and reports can easily be shared between the technician at the site, Farnek management at HQ and the customer.
Oberlin commented: “Senior managers can now identify, communicate, manage, train and direct our field-based technicians on the go. At the same time, we offer our customers a real time attendance system, online incident reports, automated supervisor alerts as well as online dashboards and real time reports, in addition to our existing remote monitoring.
“It is a win-win situation with our staff as well – time and attendance software is very easy to use, avoiding the laborious task of completing time sheets and maintenance reports back at the office.