Kronos introduces employee contact-tracing capability to support COVID-19 response in the workplace

Taking action to help organisations and their essential employees during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic while providing new functionality for businesses to consider when creating plans and implementing protective measures for reopening in the future, Kronos Incorporated today introduced an automated reporting capability for employee contact tracing that will be available for Workforce Dimensions, Kronos Workforce Central, Kronos Workforce Ready, and Kronos iSeries Central customers globally at no additional charge.

News facts

• To aid global contact-tracing efforts and support the many essential business operations and public sector services provided by its customers, Kronos has introduced an automated reporting capability to help streamline the employee contact-tracing process, if needed, for tens of thousands of organisations worldwide.

o    Leveraging data science to analyse labour records and time and attendance data collected by a Kronos solution, the new capability can generate a simple report, organisations can use to quickly identify and communicate to employees who may have come in contact with a co-worker who has tested positive or is presumed positive for COVID-19.

o    An employer can generate a contact-tracing report using only the afflicted employee’s ID number to identify potential contacts – i.e. employees clocked in at the same time and same location as someone testing positive or presumed positive for COVID-19 – based on overlapping shifts.

• As national, local, and health officials dedicate an increasing amount of resources to various contact-tracing initiatives, this information can empower organisations to partner with health officials to rapidly notify potentially exposed employees and ensure their people receive appropriate care, treatment, and proper direction – such as self-quarantining instructions and initiating heightened cleaning efforts in exposed work areas – to help reduce the risk of further virus transmission.
• The employee contact-tracing capability is available free of charge with self-service instructions provided for an organisation’s Kronos administrator in the Kronos Customer Community.

o    Kronos customers are also urged to visit the COVID-19 Resource Centre on the Kronos Customer Community for many other tools and resources available to help organisations navigate the pandemic, including specific information on how to clean timekeeping devices, free access to employee badges and 24/7 support, and several knowledge base articles to configure their system to meet changing regulatory requirements, work rules, and specific needs.

• Ultimate Software, which joined forces with Kronos on 1^st April in a monumental merger, has similarly delivered UltiPro product enhancements and resources to help customers, employees, and corresponding communities navigate challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, both Kronos and Ultimate have delivered feature enhancements to their respective solutions to help organisations handle taxes, payments, and leave management related to new legislation, including the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Supporting quotes

• Gregg Gordon, vice president, industry, Kronos

“We have never been more devoted to the success of our customers, who are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of their people while providing essential services that benefit so many of us. Recognising that contact tracing is key to reducing further spread of COVID-19 and ensuring appropriate care for anyone exposed, we have greatly simplified this complex process in the workplace for our customers so they can take rapid action to communicate to essential workers if notified of a presumed-positive case at their facility. Doing so may support critical efforts to minimise future spikes of the virus while helping organisations develop plans and protocols for their reopening.”

• Sumeet Doshi, Country Manager, India, Kronos

As India is gradually coming to terms with the current crisis with organizations starting operations again, it is important for employers to take utmost precautions and relook at health and safety measures at the workplace. Resuming a normal work routine with social distancing and limited staff will not be an easy task for companies globally. Kronos remains ever committed to helping our customers achieve their vision of workforce excellence and this new feature from Kronos is a step in that regard. The Contact-tracing feature is something existing customers can enable themselves.  The tool can simplify the complex task of tracing employees who have come in contact with positive cases on premises and help curb the virus spread. It will enable employers to be armed with the necessary information that will help them balance the needs of the enterprise while creating a safe and healthy environment for their people”