Gist succeed in managing the workforce

Gist, logistics providers and supply chain experts, has successfully implemented a new web-based eHuman Logistics (eHL) solution to track and manage the work-time for their 4,800 employees. The roll out of the system from Smart Human Logistics was achieved across 8 sites in just 3 months and has bought immediate benefits to Gistís business and their staff.



There were several motivations for Gist looking for a new solution to manage their workforce; one was that their current time and attendance solution was no longer going to be supported by its suppliers, and another was that Gist needed to ensure organisation-wide compliance with changing working time legislation and Health and Safety regulations, a demand which their existing system could not meet.

Streamlined administrative processes were also key drivers for senior management who were keen to find new efficiencies. A further aim was to improve payroll accuracy.

Tony Hammond Operations General Manager, Management Services at Gist comments ìFrom an operational perspective, the introduction of the eHL solution was about more than just implementing a system; we wanted to improve our working practices, ensure fairness and consistency in terms of our rulesî.

Smart has aided Gist at every turn to ensure a smooth implementation, gain employee buy-in and achieve consistency across Gistís workforce. After detailed negotiations with employees and their unions to define working time rules and align them across the organisation, Gist has now put a national agreement in place regarding working time rules across 6 of the Marks and Spencer sites. This works in conjunction with several localised agreements. Today, Gist staff work different shift patterns at each site to suit their own needs, with one in Northampton following a complex Annualised Hours scheme.

Trevor Kenney, Lead Project Manager, IT Solution at Gist saidìIt is critical that we create functionality which reflects our working terms and conditions and adheres to Working Time Directive and Health and Safety implications in a simple, easy to use solution. eHL is that solution.î

Before installing eHL, clocking-in data from each of Gistís sites was collated independently onto spreadsheets, which created a nightmare for payroll staff, with much time wasted on manual checking to eliminate exceptions and compile an accurate record.

The new Smart eHL system now alerts shop-floor and shift managers as soon as exceptions like these occur, meaning that they are cleared on a daily basis. Hours of work, overtime, absence, sickness and other exceptions are all captured automatically, without manual intervention.

Smart has also built a bespoke interface for Gist so that the eHL solution can interface directly with their Unipay BOC Group payroll system.

Staff at the Gist Marks and Spencer Food sites clock in using swipe cards ó and at the Carlsberg site, they use the latest biometric handreaders. Smartís eTouchKioskís are also installed at all sites, mainly in canteens, making self-service functionality available to all staff. By using eTouchKiosks, staff can view their clockings and overtime balances and gain visibility over their working time data, reducing enquiries to supervisors and demand of administration resource time.

Gist gets even more out of the system by using it to control absenteeism and reduce sickness, by means of advanced features such as return to work functionality.

The system also provides a raft of reliable, up-to-date management information so that line-manages and senior executives can respond to the changing needs of the business on both a day-to-day and long-term strategic basis.

Cobus Oelofse, Head of HR (M&S) at Gist explains: The visibility of workforce data from our eHL solution gives us a new level of management information, which not only helps us to manage absenteeism, comply with regulations and pay people accurately, but will also enable us to plan the deployment for our workforce more strategically.