The "green effect" doesn’t end here. We speak with Controllers and HR professionals that maintain sick and vacation accounts and personnel records for employees in separate folders, use printed forms, or enter info on Xcel spreadsheets. This information is then printed, copied and stored by the originator and multiple recipients and down go more trees!

It doesn’t have to be this way, because technology has provided the solution. There are numerous applications written for time keeping, human resources, schedules, and accrual tracking that can be electronically processed, updated, read, distributed and stored on line. All this data is available on demand at user’s desktop whether through your local network server, or accessed to a remote provider over the internet. Coupling software with biometric time terminals is the natural partnership for the green solution to time and labor tracking. There are many and varied options, including terminals with finger print readers or hand scanners that verify employees, and telephonic options that allow mobile employees to log or clock in and out through their phones or at a PC over the internet.

According to the Resource Conservation Alliance, it takes approximately two to four pounds of wood to create one pound of paper, plus huge inputs of chemicals, energy and water. Think about how many trees and other resources were used to make the time cards, files and reports you use, keep in storage and discard on a regular basis.

In addition to the benefits of reduced consumption of natural resources by switching to a software/biometric system, Clubs can also realize measureable improvements in:

• Employee productivity

• Management reporting

• Information access and distribution

• Accuracy in data capture and transmission

• Reduction in calculation errors

• Regulatory compliance

• Lowering labor costs

Of course one of the biggest challenges for COO’s & Controllers is to convince their Committee and Boards of the long term value of upgrading "back of the house" systems at the expense of member designated amenities! No it is not sexy to talk about time & attendance or other software programs, but ignoring and failing to invest in them can bring many unwanted results in the short and long term. Overcoming the objections to upgrading systems, whether they be cost or change, is critical to improving the operating efficiency of the Club, the productivity of its employees and at the same time actively pursuing a "green initiative" as responsible guests on this planet.