SUCCESS STORY: WICOMICO COUNTY, MARYLAND

December 10, 2022

An Ever-Evolving Relationship: From Cloud Migration to COVID-19 Response

It all started with a need for automation…

TCP’s engagement with Wicomico County demonstrates how we strive for continuous improvement with our customers. During our 10+ year relationship, both teams have focused on doing what it takes to ensure the County’s workforce management solutions take advantage of the latest technology offered.

The relationship began with the county’s switch from manual, spreadsheet-based workforce management processes—which relied on manual coordination between department heads—to TCP’s modern, automated platform. This change presented challenges for many reasons; in particular:

  • Wicomico County has a population of over 100,000; with that comes a large employee base to service the County. Manual processes proved far too cumbersome and, in many cases, led to inaccuracies when managing 16 different departments, all covering various government functions that come with unique needs
  • Many County employees are hourly. Keeping track of where employees were and their clock-in/clock-out time was done via Excel spreadsheets, so when it came time for payroll, a significant amount of time was spent on rechecking time data
  • The County’s current ERP system had a workforce management module for which the value did not justify the cost

Related Content: Four Ways Local Governments Can Streamline Their Payroll

The initial implementation

TCP’s relationship with Wicomico County began around 2010, when the County was ready to change its manual methods, leading the Department of IT to seek out a solution that was flexible enough to handle the unique complexities of government agencies, including budgetary restrictions, a vastly distributed workforce and slow adoption of technology. The solution also needed to integrate with current systems, such as payroll, and be user friendly to easily convert employees from old processes and systems.

This led to the implementation of TCP’s TimeClock Plus software to automate all time and attendance processes for the County. TCP’s software integrated better than the County’s current ERP module did with its systems and the import of current data was an easier lift than it previously had been.

One of the biggest benefits was being able to access information outside of our network.

TCP relationship evolves with cloud migration

TCP and Wicomico County’s relationship has evolved over the last decade, as TCP focuses on continuous improvement for its customers’ workflows.

For example, while all departments have been able to save time and cut down on inaccuracies, the Corrections/Detention Center has seen the biggest impact. Prior to implementing TCP, the Center used an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of employees’ shifts and time. Considering the vast shift differentials and compliance issues this department needed to factor in, this was not an efficient process and used to take a whole pay week to ensure payroll accuracies and compliance. Upon implementing TCP’s solution, the Detention Center was able to drastically cut down the time spent on this tedious process and more effectively manage its scheduling and payroll process.

In early 2020, Lewis led the County’s IT department through a digital transformation initiative, bringing all systems, including ERP, payroll and workforce management, to the cloud. The cloud migration enabled the IT department to save time since they no longer had to allocate server-based support, worry about the server going down or manage general server upkeep.

“The cloud migration process with TimeClock Plus was seamless, even for those who were reluctant to change,” said Lewis. “One of the biggest benefits was being able to access information outside of our network.”

COVID-19 precautions call for new time clocks

Migrating to the cloud became instrumental in allowing the County to manage its workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the pandemic in spring 2020, employees were able to work remotely, and managers had very minimal time clock issues because everyone had access to the same information and systems. Because our TimeClock Plus software integrated seamlessly with the County’s payroll system, Lewis and his team were able to set up specific codes to ensure employees were paid on time. This resulted in no delayed or missed paychecks.

While many of the County’s employees could transition to working remotely, the Detention Center still needed its employees to work their shifts in person. As such, the Center needed a way for employees to safely clock-in/clock-out that would minimize physical contact or shared devices. This led to the County adopting Proximity Time Clocks, which allow for contactless clock-in/clock-out; the employees simply waved their badges in front of the clock.

“The Proximity Time Clocks are perfect for what we need to keep the Detention Center’s workers safe and ensure we were complying with COVID-19 regulations, and they integrated easily with the existing key cards,” said Lewis.

TCP has allowed Wicomico County to automate its time and attendance and scheduling processes for its vast pool of employees, across various offices. This means the County allocates less time and resources on redundant tasks and can better control costs. Overall, TCP continues to enable Wicomico County to be flexible and nimble—through events like cloud migration and weathering a global pandemic—and adopt efficient workflows using the most up-to-date standards of technology.

For more information on TCP’s State, Local and Federal Government workforce management solution, schedule a free consultation.

The Proximity Time Clocks are perfect for what we need to keep the Detention Center’s workers safe…

Get ready to get time right.