What is Workforce Management?
Effective Workforce Management:
Leading Teams for Success
Putting Theory into Practice
Processes are significant in leading teams, but workforce management is more than that
In 1922, James R. Angell, President of Yale and Carnegie Corp., led a joint initiative between the Engineering Foundation and the National Research Council. The goal was to take workforce science to new heights through unifying modern engineering, labor, management, and educational bodies. It has given birth to what we know today as workforce management and workforce.com.
For 98 years, the team behind Workforce delved deep into the science behind workforce management -- from productivity, labor regulations, workforce challenges to the evolution of work.
All of these insights have been put into practice with a full-featured workforce management platform that is being used by companies across the world.
The Anatomy of Effective Workforce Management
So what is workforce management, really?Based on almost a century’s worth of research and study, we identified three main components that are crucial at effectively leading teams. Each of them requires a unique approach, but as a whole, these areas should function seamlessly. Let’s look at each of them.
Operations
When talking about workforce management, the first thing that comes to mind is operations management. It is all about making sure that quality labor output is created, within the given timeframe and resources in an organization. This involves planning and organizing. Some of the processes are creating employee schedules, timekeeping, output management, and budget forecasting.
Labor Compliance
Labor regulations govern workforces around the world. These laws are set to protect workers and regulate certain businesses practices concerning the welfare of employees such as wages, work conditions, and employment relationships.
Labor regulations can differ by country or region, and these are taken into account in company employment rules and policies. Whilst increasingly difficult to remain compliant, failure to do so can mean costly penalties that can greatly damage not just a business’ bottomline, but also reputation.
Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is an area of workforce management that focuses on enabling employees to perform their best in alignment with their individual purpose and the objectives of the organization as whole.
Employee engagement is typically correlated with happiness with work. But it’s important to note that they are not one and the same. Happiness at work is just one of the byproducts of good employee engagement.
To achieve good employee engagement, there has to be a clear communication in the workforce--from onboarding to getting the job done.
Debunking Common Workforce Management Myths
Workforce management can spell success or failure for an organization. Let’s look at some of the common beliefs that can hinder success for an organization.
It’s just scheduling
While creating schedules is an important part of workforce management, it’s not just all there is. It has a lot of moving parts that are tightly integrated with each other. This includes timekeeping, budget forecasting, and engaging employees.
It can be done manually or using spreadsheets
Technically, it can be done manually, but this route can be prone to mistakes. One wrong value input can mess up the entire sheet and can end up being counterproductive. It can result in a needle in a haystack situation when you take up extra time finding where the hiccup came from.
It’s a one-time deal
Setting a set of processes for operations, labor compliance, and employee engagement is a good start. But workforce management continuously evolves. There are always changes that will influence the needs of an organization and leaders need to be quick to adapt to those changes. Optimizing is constant in workforce management, and it’s something that leaders need to pay more attention to.
Culture doesn’t have an impact on business performance or bottomline
Culture is one of the vital components that sets the tone for employee engagement. A company may have a strong set of policies but it will all be for nothing when the culture doesn’t sit well with the employees. It can lead to high turnover rates, lower productivity, and just overall low workforce morale -- which can all impact the bottomline.
It is easier for smaller organizations
There are many factors at play in workforce management, and one of them is company size. But that doesn’t mean that a smaller organization has it easier than a big corporation.
Each organization, regardless of size, has its own unique sets of goals, objectives, and needs. And all of these come into play when managing the workforce. What makes it easier or harder is not just how many employees they have but also with alignment of roles, resources, and objectives.
Culture doesn’t have an impact on business performance or bottomline
Nurturing the potential of staff is vital in workforce management, but developing their skills and training them to gain new ones doesn’t necessarily mean a lesser need for staff.
There needs to be a balance in mentoring staff to be able to do more and making sure that they still have the space to master their newly acquired skills. Leaders need to be careful not to unnecessarily catapult staff from task to task or they can risk driving them to burnout.
Setting the Workforce for Success
Workforce management involves a myriad of processes that can be daunting and time-consuming for managers or team leaders. Here are some best practices that can make workforce management more efficient:
Use a workforce management platform
Leverage technology for the admin tasks involved in workforce management. Use a workforce management platform to accurately keep track of attendance, automate timesheet to payroll processing, scheduling, time-off management, and to make sure that labor laws are accounted for in computing for pay.
An effective workforce management platform goes beyond borders and allows for teams to work together no matter where they are. Go for a solution that can be accessible anytime, anywhere and on any device.
Before going for a workforce management solution, it’s imperative to look at your needs as an organization. According to the Workforce Management Trends for Hourly Workers, 46% of respondents say that poor integration with other systems is a shortcoming of their current workforce management platform. Avoid this type of challenge by understanding your requirements and considering ease of use for staff.
Monitor and optimize
Workforce management is all about maintaining efficiency and employee well-being. One advantage of automation is having data and analytics that can be a source of insights as to how you can optimize your operations and what areas you can improve on. Analyze your data and make informed decisions about how you can improve productivity and employee engagement in your organization.
Listen to your employees
As mentioned, communication is key to a successful workforce. Always keep channels open to your employees. Since staff are always on the frontlines, it pays to listen to them to gain better insight on customer service, identify operational gaps, and improve working conditions for staff.
Effective workforce management is all about employing smart solutions to spend less time on repetitive tasks and paperwork and more time on improving the business and empowering staff for success.
A Platform Created for the Workforce, with the Workforce
It’s all about doing more with less. Workforce management is all about creating value -- for customers and employees alike. And you can do that with a powerful platform.
With years of studying the workforce and working with different players in the industry, we were able to create exactly that. Understanding the gaps, pain points, and aspirations of today’s leaders and managers, we translated that information to a technology that will allow managers to do more without so much fuss.
Set up seamless operations within clicks
From clocking in, timesheets, scheduling, to labor forecasting, you can do it all within clicks.
Learn more about the Workforce.com platformStay compliant with labor regulations
Take out the complexity in paying your people and adhering to local labor regulations.
Learn more about seamless payroll integrationsEngage your team and stay connected
Keep the feedback loop open. Address gaps quickly through constant communication and feedback from staff.
Learn more about shift rating and feedbackRelated Resources
Get the latest news and information about workforce trends, industry insights, and HR advice.
Read our blogGain deeper understanding about the different areas of workforce management.
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