Yotel intalls biometric systems to record staff attendance

Yotel's finance director Gemma Gowers said using the system would help the company, which sells 'cabin' style rooms by the hour, run more efficiently. 

"Yotel is the only airport hotel company that sells rooms by the hour, which has helped us to achieve a 200 per cent occupancy at Heathrow. It’s therefore imperative that all our hotels are fully staffed around the clock so we can provide the first class service that our customers demand," she said. 

"With over 70 crew employed on different rotas, it’s difficult to monitor attendance accurately, especially on nights and during peak periods.”

The system, installed by Bodet at Yotels in Heathrow, Gatwick and Schiphol, requires staff or 'crew' as Yotel calls them, to place their hand onto the scanner at the start and end of each shift. 

Digitally-captured palm prints are then fed directly to the software on the central server at Yotel's head office in London which compares the handprint against a stored profile and time stamps the employee's record. 

Gowers said the process would not only give a more accurate record of who was on site at any one time, but would also remove the need for staff to complete time sheets.  

“The software generates tailored management reports so that our general managers can instantly access real-time staff attendance data which can be compared with the daily rotas," she said. "They are then immediately alerted to any discrepancies and can arrange cover where required. The only manual entries we have to make are for holiday or sickness and the system then generates accurate crew attendance reports for payroll.”

The system also produces management reports for each Yotel venue which Gowers said helped with future planning and improving performance management.

"For example, if our crew stay longer than their nominated shift, then we can see if there are issues that need addressing or areas where we need additional crew and plan future manning schedules with greater accuracy. It allows us to manage our workforce more effectively and increase productivity throughout the whole operation," she said.