Low Expectations
Updated February 28, 2020

Low Expectations

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
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.
It can do the job. I think it could do it better, however, the system is designed to be effectively an open format, and to make a conforming change to Kronos at this point would completely reverse everything the company has been working to do. You cannot have your cake and eat it too, so you cannot have any more than a 7 as the program will never be more the satisfactory.
It can handle the day to day tasks straightforward once the user has an understanding of how the system operates and how modules interact with each other. It is not user-friendly, and one must have a somewhat comprehensive understanding of how modules communicate and how this system works.
Kronos would do better to invest in their staff and stop offloading their 'training' platforms to 3rd parties and their community boards. Unless they are willing to compensate community board members as if they were employees, Kronos must take on their training internally so that all of their staff are on top of what the Kronos engineers are doing.

There is too much of a divide between what the engineer developers are doing vs. what front line staff must put up with to communicate with the customers.

Kronos, stop cheating yourselves. You have a product that is comprehensive, advanced and could be more readily available to the less experienced, however, to bring this product to people you MUST have a more personalized touch.
Kronos Workforce Ready is well suited for people who have a modern understanding of database systems, and have the wherewithal to realize that what they may be seeing on a screen is only 25%-35% of what the function they are trying to utilize is actually comprised of. I have had to explain multiple times how with some of the actions that are taken in a module, that these are "switches with switches behind them" that we may not have access to. If you are aware of these sorts of systems, this system may be for you, but if you are a neonate then this will be a huge headache. Kronos Integration for Workforce Ready was a horrible experience, that alone may be enough to dissuade someone from adopting this system.

UKG Ready Feature Ratings

Employee demographic data
7
Employment history
7
Job profiles and administration
7
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
7
Organizational charting
7
Organization and location management
7
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
7
Pay calculation
7
Support for external payroll vendors
7
Benefit plan administration
7
Direct deposit files
7
Salary revision and increment management
7
Approval workflow
7
Balance details
7
Annual carry-forward and encashment
7
View and generate pay and benefit information
7
Update personal information
6
View job history
6
View company policy documentation
5
Report builder
7
Pre-built reports
5
New hire portal
7
Manager tracking tools
7

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.
Due to the lack of alternatives, it is unlikely that there would be a switch out of Kronos Workforce Ready. The product is sufficient for what it is, and it has enormous possibility considering the freedom to create and build within the auspices of the product, however there is a horrible breakdown between Engineering and Front Line Staff that will make those Users who are impatient or unaware of the deeper issues within Kronos' operations extremely frustrated.

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

ProsCons
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.

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.