Infor SyteLine4 min readNetray Engineering TeamUpdated March 4, 2025

How to Configure Labor Tracking in Infor SyteLine

Labor tracking in Infor SyteLine captures direct manufacturing labor time against production jobs, enabling accurate job costing and workforce efficiency analysis. SyteLine supports multiple labor entry methods from manual time posting to real-time clock-in/clock-out with barcode integration. Proper labor tracking configuration provides visibility into setup versus run time allocation, operator efficiency, and labor cost variances. This guide covers employee setup, rate configuration, and reporting essentials for effective labor management.

Setting Up Employees and Labor Rate Structures

Configure production employees in the Employees form (SLEmployees) under Human Resources or Production > Setup. Assign each employee a department, shift, and default work center. Set the employee's labor rate on the Pay Rate tab, which can be an hourly rate, daily rate, or linked to a pay grade scale. The employee table stores the pay_rate and rate_source fields used during labor cost calculations. SyteLine supports two labor rate sources configured in Production Parameters: Employee Rate uses individual pay rates, while Work Center Rate applies the standard rate defined on each work center regardless of who performs the work. Most make-to-order shops use employee rates for accurate job costing, while high-volume repetitive manufacturers prefer work center rates for simplified cost accounting.

Create employee records in SLEmployees form with department, shift, and default work center assignments
Set individual pay rates on the Pay Rate tab or link to pay grade scales for group rate management
Choose Labor Rate Source in Production Parameters: Employee Rate or Work Center Rate
Configure overtime multipliers (typically 1.5x) for labor posted outside standard shift hours

Configuring Labor Time Entry Methods

SyteLine provides three primary labor time entry methods. The Job Transactions form (SLJobTrans) allows manual entry of start/stop times or total hours per operation. The Shop Floor Clock feature enables real-time clock-in and clock-out against specific jobs and operations using the Clock In/Out form (SLClockInOut). For automated data collection, configure the Barcode Data Collection interface under Admin > Data Collection to accept scanned job and employee badges. The jobtran table records all labor postings with timestamps, quantities, and cost allocations. Configure the Time Entry Rounding parameter to round entries to the nearest 6-minute (0.1 hour) or 15-minute (0.25 hour) increment to standardize labor reporting across shifts.

Manual entry: Use Job Transactions form (SLJobTrans) for after-the-fact time posting
Real-time tracking: Use Clock In/Out form (SLClockInOut) for live start/stop time capture
Automated collection: Configure Barcode Data Collection for scanned badge and job tracking
Set Time Entry Rounding in Production Parameters to standardize partial-hour reporting

Analyzing Labor Efficiency and Cost Variances

Monitor labor performance using the Labor Efficiency Report under Production > Reports. This report compares actual labor hours to standard hours from the routing, calculating efficiency percentages by employee, work center, and operation. The standard hours are derived from the routing table's setup_time and run_time_per_piece columns multiplied by quantity produced. Review the Labor Variance Report to identify cost variances between actual labor costs and standard costs, broken down into rate variance and efficiency variance components. Configure dashboard KPIs in the SyteLine portal to display real-time labor utilization percentages. Most manufacturers target 85-90% labor efficiency and investigate any operation consistently below 75% efficiency for root cause analysis.

Run Labor Efficiency Report to compare actual versus standard hours by employee and work center
Review Labor Variance Report for rate variance and efficiency variance breakdown by job
Configure portal dashboard KPIs for real-time labor utilization monitoring across shifts
Investigate operations below 75% efficiency for routing standard accuracy or training issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use employee rates or work center rates for labor costing in SyteLine?

The choice depends on your manufacturing model. Employee rates provide more accurate job costing for make-to-order environments where operator skill levels significantly affect labor costs. Work center rates simplify cost accounting for high-volume repetitive manufacturing where standard rates per machine are more relevant. Approximately 55% of SyteLine implementations use work center rates, while 45% use employee rates. Some organizations use a hybrid approach with work center rates for standard costing and employee rates for actual cost reporting.

How does SyteLine handle overtime labor in job costing?

SyteLine applies overtime multipliers to labor costs when hours are posted outside the employee's standard shift schedule. Configure overtime rules in the Shift Definitions form with multiplier factors, typically 1.5x for overtime and 2.0x for double-time. The system calculates overtime premium by comparing the posted transaction timestamp against the shift calendar. Overtime premiums add approximately 8-15% to total labor costs for most manufacturers, and the premium is posted to a separate overtime variance account for cost visibility.

Can multiple employees post labor to the same job operation simultaneously in SyteLine?

Yes, SyteLine supports multiple concurrent labor postings on the same job operation. Each employee clocks in individually against the operation, and the system tracks hours separately in the jobtran table. The total labor hours for the operation are the sum of all employee postings. This is common for assembly operations requiring 2-5 workers simultaneously. Configure the operation's crew size field on the routing to set the expected labor count for accurate efficiency calculations.

Key Takeaways

1Setting Up Employees and Labor Rate Structures: Configure production employees in the Employees form (SLEmployees) under Human Resources or Production > Setup. Assign each employee a department, shift, and default work center.
2Configuring Labor Time Entry Methods: SyteLine provides three primary labor time entry methods. The Job Transactions form (SLJobTrans) allows manual entry of start/stop times or total hours per operation.
3Analyzing Labor Efficiency and Cost Variances: Monitor labor performance using the Labor Efficiency Report under Production > Reports. This report compares actual labor hours to standard hours from the routing, calculating efficiency percentages by employee, work center, and operation.

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