How to Turn Time Management into a Strategic Lever?

Executive Summary

At a Swiss luxury house employing 800 people, time and attendance management had become a major pain point: inconsistent rules, uneven communication, an outdated system, and a heavy administrative workload for HR. The result? A lack of trust and confidence among employees and managers, and HR teams overwhelmed by low-value administrative tasks.

The company partnered with Sharpmania to design a clear, harmonized time management policy and implement a modern, intuitive Time & Attendance solution. Beyond operational efficiency, the project strengthened internal trust and repositioned HR as a true strategic partner.

About Our Client 

• Headcount: Around 800 employees, including 200 without digital access
• Structure: 3 legal entities across 5 Swiss cantons
• Activity: Watchmaking, jewelry, and other luxury goods - spanning design, production, sales, and retail
• Key Challenge: High organizational complexity and diverse employee profiles

The Challenge

Before the project, several issues limited efficiency and engagement across the organization:

• Unclear and inconsistent application of rules, leading to frustration and misunderstanding.
• An outdated tool requiring manual input and constant HR corrections, offering little reporting and minimal data insights.
• Limited visibility and control: Managers lacked access to team data, and employees had little autonomy over their schedules or absences.
• Heavy administrative workload: HR teams spent excessive time on repetitive tasks instead of value-added or strategic initiatives.
• Credibility at risk: Inaccurate or unclear data undermined trust and engagement.

The Work

In collaboration with Sharpmania, the client undertook a comprehensive transformation project — combining methodological rigor with pragmatic execution.

• Design of the Time and Attendance Policy
  • Analysis of existing practices, legal requirements, and organizational constraints 
  • Co-development of clear, consistent, and tailored rules adapted to diverse business needs
  • Consideration of financial impact to ensure cost control related to T&A management 
• Tool Selection and Implementation
  • Benchmarking solutions based on simplicity, user experience, accessibility, and compliance
  • Active involvement throughout integration, acting as a bridge between the system integrator and HR to ensure smooth communication and methodological alignment.
  • Supervision of critical phases: timeline adherence, testing quality, and data migration accuracy
• Training and Change Management
  • Active engagement with all stakeholders throughout the project 
  • Clear and consistent communication to employees and managers
  • Intensive post–go-live hypercare to ensure smooth adoption

What Changed

The project delivered tangible benefits across the organization:

For Employees

• Clear and fair rules, understood and shared by all
• Easy access to schedules and absence management, fostering autonomy and trust
• A seamless experience for all employees, including employees without digital access

For Managers

• Real-time visibility on team attendance and activity
• Simplified management through reliable, data-driven insights
• Strengthened leadership focus on organization and employee support

For HR and the Organization

• Reliable, consolidated data ensuring accuracy and credibility
• Reduced administrative workload, freeing time for strategic initiatives and generating operational cost savings.
• An HR function repositioned as a genuine strategic business partner 

What We learned

• Clarify before you digitalize: Define simple, transparent rules before deploying tools. A clear policy is the foundation of effective T&A management.
• T&A is more than operational: When well-managed, it fosters trust, fairness, and engagement.
• Time is money: Like payroll data, T&A data is sensitive and essential to HR’s credibility.
• Facilitate HR–vendor collaboration: Expert guidance streamlines communication and secures project timelines.
• Support the change: Broad stakeholder involvement and transparent communication drive successful adoption.

What’s Next?

With a clear policy and a robust tool in place, the client now has a solid foundation to support both growth and organizational diversity. Next steps may include payroll integration and deeper use of T&A data as a lever for analysis, strategic workforce planning, and performance insights.

Ready to Optimize Time and Attendance in Your Organization?

If time management in your company feels complex, time-consuming, or a source of internal tension, you’re not alone. Too often perceived as purely administrative, Time & Attendance is in fact a powerful lever for trust, fairness, and credibility. 

Sharpmania helps organizations transform time and absence management into a clear, reliable, and modern system that supports both people and performance. Contact us, we would be delighted to support you.