Low Expectations
Updated February 28, 2020
Low Expectations
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Kronos Workforce Ready
It is being used by the Payroll and H.R. department primarily, as well as a timekeeping device by our site managers and supervisors for employees. It handles employee profiles, benefit plans, deductions, earnings, salaries, etc. However, KRONOS does not handle payroll payments and is effectively a calculator to that purpose. Payroll data is transferred to ADP to perform the actual payroll payouts/taxes.
- Customized reporting
- Customization columns
- Lacks user-friendly UI.
- Poor communication by developers to staff (Engineering department is working with the actual people who have to explain how the system works to customers, and the customers do not have any ability to declare their needs/issues to engineers).
- Once the issues are handled, the Payroll Process is fairly straightforward.
- Issues arise between H.R. modules interaction with payroll modules.
ADP Workforce Now, when used appropriately, is sufficient to handle payroll related activities. The company had already been dividing work between Workforce Ready and Workforce Now before switching primarily over to Kronos. It was not my decision. Normally, once having attained an understanding of how the module operates, day to day actions are straightforward. However, due to the way in which modules interact, there are times when an issue can occur due to activities in the H.R. module that payroll is not aware of until after the issue occurs.
UKG Ready Feature Ratings
Using Kronos Workforce Ready
15 - Managers, Supervisors, H.R. and Payroll
We do not have anyone in-house that can support Kronos Workforce Ready. All in-house assistance is from self-taught, adaptation to the system and the occurring of 'How does this system work', as well as the development of foresight to determine what will happen depending on what operations are conducted within Workforce Ready and its Modules.
- Employee Profile Management
- Employee Time Keeping
- Employee Payroll Calculations
- Employee Benefit Plans
- Employee Direct Deposit / Tax
- Utilization of Custom Columns in Reports goes a long way to our Fiscal Reporting
- Depending on whether KRONOS Engineers continue to hinder adaptability to the system, it is difficult to determine. The long term delays in correcting core issues and inconveniences, the series of unilateral decisions by KRONOS to make changes that are unnecessary, the 'Pass it along' culture of creating the communications room where Users must talk to other unpaid Users in lieu of seeking the assistance of professional employees (I'm looking at you too ADP); these things do not bode well for long term confidence and ease of use for the User.
Evaluating Kronos Workforce Ready and Competitors
Yes - ADP Workforce Now; this was a decision made by upper management under the guise of receiving a 'Better Deal for a Better Price'. I do not believe it was a very good deal, however the product does have a lot of potential and after having spent 3+ years adapting to it and learning its nuances, there are functions that I currently find to be easier to approach then ADP.
- Price
From what I understand, the choice was entirely price as none of the Fiscal staff were involved with the decision making.
The only way that I would repeat all of this again, would be to have 'Broad Brush' controls over implementation and assistance from Kronos. Their methodology of implementation has been horrible, for such a powerful product it occurs as if their implementation teams have very little understanding of a 'User' experience with the product.
Kronos Workforce Ready Support
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved No escalation required Support cares about my success | Not kept informed Difficult to get immediate help |
Yes - I have had the opportunity to report various bugs to the Front Line staff, which has sparked conversations regarding the breakdown in communication between Front Line staff and the Engineering/Development team.
This is one of the primary issues for Kronos, there does not appear to be adequate testing or open communication between Engineering -> Front Line Staff that can then be used to assist the User and as a result, Front Line are left having to only work with the User to resolve issues that then cannot be resolved due to issues caused by Bugs due to Engineer so therefore Alternative solutions must be developed that are nuanced and specific to the User's database....TL;DR, This is a MASSIVE Breakdown within Kronos and it is not good business practice for the User, nor is it fair for the Front Line staff.
This is one of the primary issues for Kronos, there does not appear to be adequate testing or open communication between Engineering -> Front Line Staff that can then be used to assist the User and as a result, Front Line are left having to only work with the User to resolve issues that then cannot be resolved due to issues caused by Bugs due to Engineer so therefore Alternative solutions must be developed that are nuanced and specific to the User's database....TL;DR, This is a MASSIVE Breakdown within Kronos and it is not good business practice for the User, nor is it fair for the Front Line staff.
I have had Front Line staff review report functions that are standard to the Payroll Module in Workforce Ready when these report became inoperable (See my comments regarding System Bugs). These reports are Core Essential for our Workflow process. With the help of Front Line staff, and the incredible potential of the Reporting system in Workforce Ready, the Customer Service team member was able to completely replicate the report I needed in minimal time.