Factory time and attendance system extracts payroll information in correct format

It is common knowledge the likes of doctors and lawyers are paid well – but where are the best-paying places in the UK? Hours and Earnings figures from the Office of National Statistics demonstrate that the cities with the biggest salaries are in this order: London, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Derby, Stirling, Oxford and Cambridge. The performances of ‘Oxbridge’ are based on their wealth of knowledge-based industries. Similarly, Stirling’s earning power is stimulated in part by its university. Payroll and Time and Attendance expertise is provided by Tensor. A major requirement of any factory or office Time & Attendance system is the ability to export information to the payroll system. Tensor is the leader in this field and has worked with all of the major payroll packages. Our software has many configuration options to extract payroll information in exactly the correct format. It can share or receive information from third party applications by using readily available interface modules. Data transfers can occur either on demand or more usually as an automated process.  

Building entry point combines smart card electronics with fingerprint scanning

A cathedral has been forced to install security equipment after it was targeted three times in a year by metal thieves. The Roman Catholic cathedral in Norwich has put up a camera monitoring system because it has had lead valued at £20,000 stolen from the building. Recently piping has been stolen as well as lead from the roof of the cathedral’s Narthex centre. A spokesman for the spiritual centre said the thefts had caused complications with insurance. Come to Tensor for the ultimate in Access Control security. The Smart Card scanner settings for building access points determine the locked status of doors, minute-by-minute, 24 hours a day throughout the year. The T34xx Smart Card scanner with fingerprint reader combines the latest generation of Tensor’s Smart Card electronics with a fingerprint reader. Automatic fault reporting via the Internet is just one feature. The unit can be directly connected via a peer to peer cable connection, or be part of a network using your existing Ethernet IT backbone.  

Shedding light on how to alter clocks to Daylight Saving Time at work

The nights are drawing out and Daylight Saving Time starts at 1am on Sunday, March 25, 2012. Therefore it is time to change the BST or GMT times on all clocks – don’t forget to do this at work as well before the weekend starts! Tensor customers are reminded to please check your WinTA Lite, WinTA Enterprise, WinTA Access Enterprise, WinTA 16, WinTA CS or Tensor.NET systems to make sure that this information is correctly entered, as this will affect the time shown on your Smart Card Clocking Stations. It is pretty simple to alter the BST/GMT times although there is a slightly different method on Tensor.NET systems. Remember, the Tensor Helpdesk is available for those who require personal advice. Please phone on 01480 211594, fax on 01480 213734 or email at helpdesk@tensor.co.uk. Helpdesk support is free to customers with current maintenance contracts or those whose systems are still under warranty. Our WinTAnet multi lingual system is linked to the regional settings of your PC. In this way ‘local’ formats are used when displaying currency, dates and times.  

Energy efficiency experts HeatingSave exhibit at Ecobuild 2012

  HeatingSave joined more than 1,500 exhibitors at Ecobuild 2012; the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment. This was held at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London’s Docklands from Tuesday 20th March 2012 to Thursday 22nd March 2012. Ecobuild, the UK’s largest construction event of any kind, hosted a free conference that discussed issues such as how to keep the building industry profitable and remain committed to a low carbon built environment. There were also dozens of attractions and live demonstrations; more than 130 free seminars by renowned speakers on matters such as recycling energy, improving the energy efficiency of buildings and solar panels; and new products on display. HeatingSave were demonstrating their latest internet based software solution, new wireless HeatingSave Controller and a new touch-screen energy monitor. HeatingSave’s Managing Director, Nigel Smith said: “HeatingSave is at the forefront of building energy efficiency technology as it uses occupancy detection, heat loss profiling and advanced PC and web-based control. HeatingSave is proud to be exhibiting at Ecobuild.” HeatingSave’s revolutionary, low-cost Building Energy Management System typically saves 20% to 30%-plus off the energy used to heat or cool your premises. Our controller – which replaces the central heating time-clock – houses a heat loss algorithm that learns and constantly refines the heat loss profile of your property, so that it uses the least amount of energy. More information on the event can be found at www.ecobuild.co.uk HeatingSave – Low-cost Building Energy Management System

Compact digital CCTV cameras can safeguard vulnerable sites from crime

Police have a beef with thieves after a herd of 14 cows were stolen from a farm near Reading. The criminals broke into the premises in west Berkshire then loaded the cows into a vehicle before driving off with them, officers have reported. The cattle theft took place at some period between March 4 and March 8. Rural spots are often very vulnerable to crime, so the best way to safeguard an out of the way site or premises is to install a Tensor security system. Digital CCTV is an option, and one that is increasingly affordable to all sizes of business. Bullet cameras are cameras mounted in a cylindrical or ‘bullet’ casing. This makes them easy to install when pointing them in the right direction, and keeps the case compact. The cameras’ compact size and inbuilt lens make them ideal for situations where space and price are key factors. Tensor uses a range of top manufacturers’ cameras to customise your CCTV security system to your requirements.  

Automated HR system handles workers paid on an annual contract basis

The national minimum wage will go up to £6.19 an hour in October, the government has announced. Business Secretary Vince Cable said that the decision to put the rate up by 11p an hour and freeze the rate for younger workers marked the “right balance between pay and jobs”. This increase is 1.8% from the current level, which is lower than inflation but in line with the average increase in earnings, which rose by 1.4% over the year to January. Time and attendance and HR systems from Tensor make calculating wages and hours at your factory or office a formality and our software works with the vast majority of payroll systems. From simple determination of overtime by the number of daily hours worked to the more complex payment of overtime hours adjusted when periodic targets are not met, WinTAnet – one of our most advanced systems – can supply working rules to calculate the correct result. Workers paid on an annual contract basis can be handled by the annualised hours procedures.

Schools can use best product for small scale time and attendance monitoring

National Union of Teachers general secretary Christine Blower commented after new figures revealed 2.5 per cent of school pupils are given fixed term exclusions annually. She said: "It makes far more sense to invest in keeping young people in school rather than having to get them back on track once they have been excluded, or in the worst cases lost to the system.” She said schools need support and extra resources to manage effectively the behavioural problems of pupils. Tensor can help improve the behaviour of pupils as our time and attendance systems can get them to school on time. Attendance and lateness reporting is our forte. PC Clock is a simple computer based booking system ideal for schools where each pupil has access to a PC. The input screen simply books them ‘in’ and ‘out’. PC Clock is a scaled-down version of Tensor’s acclaimed WinTA Lite time and attendance software. It is the best product on the market for small-scale time and attendance monitoring.  

Employee clocking station boasts failsafe storage for power communications loss

Leading politicians were in Scotland to discuss youth unemployment in the UK. Young people particularly have borne the brunt of the economic downturn, with the latest jobless figures showing half of 16 to 24-year-olds are out of work. The National Convention on Youth Employment in Dundee was attended by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith. Companies and organisations like John Lewis and Jobcentre Plus were invited to take part. Tensor supplies fast, accurate and easy-to-use products to record employees’ hours of working at organisations employing just a few people, right up to large multinational businesses. The large colour display on Tensor's T32xx Time & Security Station makes it simple for employees to confirm their clockings. The clocking station, which measures 240x170x55mm, has an illuminated keypad for ease of text input. It features digital outputs to control door locks, fire alarms, wall clocks, etc; plus digital inputs for door monitoring and alarms. Battery backup and local fail-safe storage for power communications loss is another feature.  

Gate can be used to monitor throughput of a business access point

A robber has terrorised middle England businesses as diverse as petrol stations, bookmakers and shops. In almost all of the robberies the suspect wielded a weapon of some sort. Northamptonshire Police have described him as a “dangerous offender”. They warn that although he has not yet hurt any member of staff, they have been left badly shaken each time. Bookmakers Coral say one of their outlets has been robbed four times in just over four months by the suspect. Tensor can quickly install security and access control products to shops or other businesses affected by robbery. For outdoor areas Tensor’s range of high quality, durable gates offer reliable performance in the most demanding environments. Ideal for controlling vehicle access to and from your site, Tensor’s gates are quick to respond to the user’s instructions. Working alongside Tensor’s smart card and access control products, your gate can be used to monitor the throughput of an access control point as well as reporting on staff’s time and attendance.