We love answering this question, but before we do, let’s take one step backwards and firstly explore exactly what we mean by workforce management.
Simply put, the term Workforce Management is used to refer to the numerous processes that go into making sure that a company is running as efficiently as possible. These include, but are not in any way limited to: staffing, forecasting, budgeting, scheduling, holiday planning and payroll.
The way in which we work has undergone monumental shifts over the past few years, never more so than in this post-pandemic world we find ourselves in. Defining what we could call a ‘normal’ workforce is now almost impossible, with flexible working practices becoming ever more common, hybrid working increasingly standard and so many employees choosing to work on a fully remote basis. Workers are finding themselves with unparalleled autonomy regarding how, when and even where they carry out their professional responsibilities.
All of this is great, and has been proven to be extremely beneficial for companies, leading to both increased productivity and a happier workforce. But let’s spare a thought for the managers, HR team and payroll staff: for them, the logistics of these new work rhythms can be an absolute nightmare to navigate, not to mention the stratospheric increase in admin and paperwork this all equates to. Humans are, well, human. And errors are almost inevitable when there are so many variables to factor in.
How would you even begin to go about keeping tabs on the clocking in, overtime hours, holiday requests, sick leave, department budgeting, physical whereabouts and payroll data for employees who may be in 50 different places at once, working across multiple shifts?
Remote Workers
Employees in industries such as construction, cleaning, agriculture, manufacturing and transport have been remote workers since long before anyone really used the term. Visiting different sites or clients and travelling around different locations has been part and parcel of their job spec forever. Other workers find they need to be based at one specific location to get a job done, but, when once that is finished, they move onto the next.
There are still many offices and places of work that require 100% on-site attendance, and either cannot or simply do not wish to change that.
However, for a large number of companies, especially when faced with rising costs and when looking for ways to cut overheads, maintaining an office, and the resulting bills to run it, can seem like a waste of financial resources, especially when so many workers no longer want to return full time to the workplace. Aside from saving money, keeping a workforce happy is also a very good idea, to maximise your company’s productivity.
So, what is the solution?
We’re glad you asked. It’s Workforce Management Software.
This is where workforce management software comes into play, to save you considerable time, money and stress. As well as carrying out many of the functions you may already be struggling with, it can offer an awful lot more, including:
