Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park gets to grips with time and attendance : New system improves monitoring, transparency and forecasting

Purpose – Reviews the advantages that luxury hotel Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has gained by moving from a system of manual timesheets to an automated system. Design/methodology/approach – Reports on the weaknesses of the old system, which meant that the hotel often did not have entirely accurate information on the number of hours each employee worked, and the way in which practice has improved using the new system. Findings – Shows that the new system has brought about greater transparency on work practices, improved forecasting and a reduction in paperwork. It has also helped to improve employee morale and has enabled HR staff to become more strategic. Practical implications – Highlights a surprising benefit of the new system – that it has helped to improve employees' work‐life balance. Originality/value – Contains plenty to interest human‐resource specialists considering whether to automate their payroll function.