How a Manchester Engineering Company Modernised Time & Attendance with People Inc. Time

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CASESTUDY

From legacy clocking to integrated workforce time tracking:

How a Manchester-based engineering business implemented People Inc. Time & Attendance (plus Employee Self Service) to automate shift rules, overtime, and payroll reporting.

Delivered by PeopleFirstHR — UK HR software implementation specialists

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Results at a glance

Integrated HR + Time in one secure system (People Inc. HR + People Inc. Time)

Accurate clocking in/out against rota and shift patterns (proximity terminal + key fobs)

Automated rules for lateness, early finishes and overtime (including different rates)

Cleaner payroll reporting with reliable hours-worked reports per period

Reduced admin with Employee Self Service for holiday requests and personal details updates

No duplicate input: approved holiday automatically reflected in Time & Attendance records

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BACKGROUND

Client snapshot

Organisation: Engineering company delivering specialist support solutions for high reliability and safety-critical products and systems

Location: Manchester (Greater Manchester)

Existing system: People Inc. HR (upgraded from Vizual Personnel Manager in 2016)

Why now: Their existing Time & Attendance system was dated and they wanted a modern solution that integrated directly with People Inc. HR

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THE CHALLENGE

Time tracking needed to match real shift complexity — without manual processing

By 2021, the team had outgrown their existing Time & Attendance setup. The organisation needed a solution that could handle multiple shift patterns, track hours accurately, and reduce the amount of time spent manually checking exceptions.

They also wanted to cut down avoidable admin by giving employees a simple way to manage common tasks themselves (without increasing workload for HR).

Key requirements included:

• Manage different rotas/shift patterns across employee groups
• Enable employees to clock in and out to capture actual time worked
• Configure processing rules automatically (arriving late, leaving early, overtime, etc.)
• Produce accurate hours worked per pay period for payroll
• Add Employee Self Service so employees can:
  • update personal details
  • request holiday
• Ensure holiday approvals automatically sync into Time & Attendance (no double-entry)

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THE SOLUTION

Implement People Inc. Time & Attendance + Employee Self Service

After a structured consultation, the client chose to implement:

• People Inc. Time (Time & Attendance)
• People Inc. Employee Self Service

This approach provided a single, joined-up solution: HR data, employee records, time tracking, and holiday management working together in one ecosystem.

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IMPLEMENTATION

Phased delivery to reduce risk and ensure adoption

We began with a scoping exercise to capture all shift patterns, rules, and configuration requirements—so the system would reflect how the business actually operates day-to-day.

Phase 1: Employee Self Service (remote installation)

• Installed and configured remotely by a PeopleFirstHR consultant
• Delivered over a few days
• Set up to support holiday workflows and employee data updates

Phase 2: People Inc. Time (onsite installation + hardware)

• Installed by the specialist Time & Attendance team at our partners P&A Software
• Required a 2-day onsite visit to:
  • install and configure hardware + software
  • set up proximity terminals and key fobs
  • deliver end-user training

Pilot then full rollout

A pilot ran with a smaller team first to confirm everything worked smoothly before rolling out organisation-wide.

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IMPACT

A more accurate, automated, and manager-visible Time & Attendance process

With People Inc. Time, employees clock in/out via a proximity terminal using a key fob. The system records time and compares it to the rota, making exceptions easy to spot and act on quickly.

What changed in practice:

Daily Records visibility: entries are colour-coded so HR and managers can quickly see:

• late arrivals
• early departures
• insufficient hours
• excess hours / overtime
• absences
• standard shifts worked

Overtime automation: overtime can be calculated automatically at different rates based on configured rules

Manager notifications: managers and/or HR can be alerted when staff are late, leave early, or don’t meet required hours

Adjustments when needed: administrators can amend individual records where exceptions apply

Payroll reporting: reports show hours worked vs rota to support accurate payroll processing

Employee Self Service reduced admin without losing control

Employees can request holiday and update personal details through a web browser, while managers approve or reject requests.

Crucially: approved holiday automatically feeds into Time & Attendance, and entitlements are calculated automatically—removing duplication and reducing avoidable admin.

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Why PeopleFirstHR for People Inc. Time & Attendance?

PeopleFirstHR has 25+ years’ experience implementing and supporting HR software solutions. We help organisations get measurable improvements quickly—especially where time tracking, shift complexity, and payroll accuracy matter.

If you’re using People Inc. HR and want to modernise Time & Attendance (or introduce Employee Self Service), we can guide the process from scoping through rollout.

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Ready to streamline Time & Attendance and reduce admin?

If you’d like to explore People Inc. Time & Attendance (plus Employee Self Service) for your organisation, speak to PeopleFirstHR.

☎ 0330 223 6180	✉ enquiries@peoplefirsthr.co.uk

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FAQ’s

Does People Inc. Time & Attendance support multiple shift patterns and rotas?

Yes. Rotas/shift patterns can be configured for individuals or groups, making it suitable for organisations with varied shift requirements.

Can overtime be calculated automatically?

Yes. You can configure rules for overtime (including different rates), lateness, early finishes and other time-processing scenarios.

Can holiday requests automatically sync into Time & Attendance?

Yes. With Employee Self Service, approved holiday requests automatically reflect in Time & Attendance records to avoid double-entry.

Do employees need to use a computer to clock in and out?

Not necessarily. People Inc. Time can use proximity terminals where employees clock in/out using key fobs.