Q&A
Coming back stronger I
n our Q&A this month, we’re
delighted to catch up with JOHN DUNHAM, Business Manager at Frontier Software plc. John discusses the company’s current position and casts his eye over the education and wider landscape as the country moves towards a post-pandemic future.
• Generally speaking, one of the lessons the pandemic has taught us is that remote working is a viable means of keeping certain businesses open. While school staff cannot work remotely while schools are open, many of the functions that schools rely on to keep open can be successfully run remotely – how can Frontier’s solutions help with this? Although the trend for flexible working was already growing, the pandemic forced the situation and working from home quickly became the norm for 50% of the UK’s workforce. Whilst this is not an option for school staff during term time, Frontier Software’s solutions can help support both school and staff to operate more flexibly. As a specialist Payroll and HR solution provider,
we offer choice on how and where the payroll is processed, how and when the staff member records absence, views their payslip or completes a performance review. 24/7 access to information is possible through the use of browser based software and self service portals. Software modules are available to support many elements of HR from recruitment and onboarding, training and performance management, all utilising self service interfaces
for access anytime, anywhere on a range of devices. Remote working may not be an option for all school staff, but administrative tasks can be supported in a flexible way. We’ve had a lot of interest in payroll services
from schools looking to outsource payroll to save time and money. It’s an option that delivers the same accessibility, flexibility and control of running in-house, without having to allocate staff, equipment, time etc. Plus, the school doesn’t have the worry of keeping up to date with technology and the constant changes to pay legislation. Remote access for data entry, enquiry and reporting is an option or the entire process can be handed to Frontier Software and valuable time can be spent supporting staff and not on processing pay.
• The pandemic has taken its toll on many people’s wellbeing, teachers and students included. How can technology support and enhance wellbeing in this area? Deploying technologies that support the work experience are now seen as a priority. Use of business software to minimise or automate routine tasks that are often considered “boring”, help staff to pursue activities that are more engaging, which in turn can enhance their wellbeing. Administrative work is a necessary part of many jobs, but too much and staff can forget what they love about their job. From an HR perspective, workflow and self
service technology in particular help to automate processes and support staff. For example, absence recording and reporting doesn’t have to be time consuming. With the right software in place, it is quick and easy process with statistics emailed to the leadership team on a pre-defined schedule. No one is motivated by a week that starts with a mountain of forms for data input
4
www.education-today.co.uk
and ends with a confusing or misleading absence report that has taken hours to produce. Again, employee self service offers benefits in
this area. Autonomy for entering all types of leave with workflow approvals and emails generated at every step. Self service is a practical, effective tool that puts the staff member in control of their data, eliminates paperwork and cuts routine admin.
• The pandemic has changed the relationship between schools and students when it comes to keeping learning happening via remote study technology and more. On the wider point, what impact does Frontier see technology making in the future as we adjust to a post-Covid work landscape? Technology and digitalisation were at the forefront of efforts to limit the impact of the pandemic. The UK and the education sector in particular, took to the internet to ensure some degree of continuity. What felt alien to us before the pandemic is
now our normal and the use of applications such as Zoom and Teams is here to stay. Frontier Software has been able to implement new systems and train users remotely with considerable success. The acceptance of on-line interactions was forced by the pandemic, but it has opened our eyes to inefficient and unproductive ways of working, pre-pandemic. The ability to positively apply digital
October 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
