We understand that every business is different, which is why what you need in a WFM system will be unique to you.
Businesses also scale up and down, so making sure you have a system that works with your needs is vital.
In this article, we’ll discuss the key needs for Workforce Management systems, based on the opinions of our WFM experts.
The must-haves:
Monitoring and Reporting Tools
Any WFM software should allow you to calculate key metrics in real-time. The number of employees in or out. Those absent. Labour costs for departments and much more.
The system dashboard should also allow you to monitor these key metrics in a simple to understand way.
WFM by Chronologic not only includes time and attendance but a suite of reporting tools as part of the system, so you know your data can be used to help optimise your workforce.
Scheduling Work Rotas
Whether you have predictable or variable work patterns, Work Rota functionality is a must-have for a WFM system.
Why? Because scheduling enables you to dump spreadsheets and plan your workforce in advance.
Scheduling workers in advance not only minimises last-minute schedule clashes for employees but enables managers to ensure employees with the correct skill levels are present on every shift.
This is especially important if you have health and safety compliance needs or machinery that need licensed operators.
Some business may need to simply set-up their workers once, (think a 9-5 or set shift staff).
Others will need to create flexible work rotas for their changing workforce.
Easy Integration
Arguably the biggest benefit of purchasing a WFM system is streamlining your software. You now only need to log into one piece of software to access all your workforce functionality.
WFM systems should include HR, Time and Attendance, Holiday and more to truly streamline your business.
Having the ability to easily adapt to your current working rules, such as overtime and more, is also a must.
The nice to haves:
Simplified data
For businesses with an analyst on the team, having access to ALL the data is great. But for the majority of businesses, you want to see the data you need in an easy-to-understand format.
Your managers need to be able to pick out the important numbers instantly and ignore others to avoid being swamped with information.
You also want to know that you have the ability to change the system to your needs. Customising schedules, reports and more, so that they clearly make sense to your team.
Back-Office time saving
Many businesses tend to think of employees in production as the sole focus of the workforce optimisation journey. But that isn’t how it should be!
A good WFM system will optimise all employees time, from your part-time intern to your receptionist and Manager.
WFM systems have the ability to streamline timely office tasks and automate reminders for a host of employee needs.
For example, you should be able to set reminders for employee certification expiry dates, for overtime or absence rules. You should, at a minimum, be able to automate payroll data with employee clocking information, meaning your payroll export is smoother and more accurate than ever before.
The cherry on top:
Self-Service
Enabling your employees to act for themselves is the ultimate time-saver for managers.
Most WFM systems should allow you to let selected employees access a host of information and processes themselves.
Tasks that employees should be able to undertake include:
- Planning and requesting holiday
- Seeing timesheets
- Clocking in and out on the go
- And more.
To find out about the functionality of our system – WFM by Chronologic – click here.
