WFM Software: 10 Genius Hacks and Surprising Collateral Benefits

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Liz Strikwerda

Content strategist and corporate blogger (2000+ posts). Her work has been featured on G2's Learning Hub, Human Resources Today, Better Buys and over 500 business websites. She plays bluegrass mandolin and enjoys sailing her catamaran and hiking in the red rock wilderness of southern Utah. Connect with me on LinkedIn

Workforce management is all about optimization. It helps optimize your human capital. It helps optimize your workflows. It helps optimize your labor budget.

What about optimizing your time and labor software? Many business owners don’t take advantage of all the features of their systems. From nifty business hacks to collateral benefits, here are 10 things workforce management software can do.

1. Remember Everything For You

If you use apps on your cell phone, you know how handy alerts can be. Alerts or push notifications remind you to take immediate action. You may not have time to answer the thirty emails in your inbox today, but your alerts remind you of the priorities.

Many companies set overtime alerts in their wfm software. This is important, but don’t stop there. Have your wfm software alert you when an employee doesn’t show up for work. Set an alert for a timecard discrepancy, trade license expiration, or double-booking an employee at two locations.

2. Cut Payroll Processing Time by 70%

The best workforce management software reduces payroll processing time by 70% over manual systems. It saves time for employees, supervisors, and HR staff. Employees save time by not having to log shift times on paper timesheets. Schedule adherence blocks out-of-schedule punches, improving timecard accuracy. Similarly, managers save time by approving digital timecards from a mobile app and not having to correct mistakes. HR saves time by not having to manually enter employee hours into the payroll system. WFM software calculates PTO and overtime, which saves more hours. You also save time on reports and compliance.

3. Track Field Service Workers

If you manage mobile workers, you always hope your employees are where they should be at the right time. To retain clients, it’s essential that your reps stay on their schedule. A mobile wfm app is your eyes and ears in the field. GPS tracking verifies each employee’s location in real time. You can see when someone gets behind schedule. That allows you to give the next customer a heads up inside of doing damage control after the fact. Mobile wfm apps eliminate the need for field agents to call dispatch throughout the day. The improvement in efficiency benefits everyone—especially your customers.

4. Save a Forest

The environmental benefits of wfm are not emphasized enough. Experts estimate that a four-drawer filing cabinet costs $25,000 to fill. Plus $2,000 yearly to maintain. Moreover, there are expenses associated with shredding documents when they are unneeded. Workforce management software stores business documents in electronic form.

In addition, an office copier has a carbon footprint. They consume energy and toner contains environmental toxins. And it gets worse: a third of copies end up in the circular file anyway.

Cloud-based wfm systems enable people to work at home. Less commuting is better for the planet because it reduces pollution and traffic congestion. Telecommuters eat out less than onsite employees. This reduces the consumption of single-use food packaging that is clogging our landfills and oceans.

Adopting a unified HR system like WorkforceHub will boost your company’s green cred immediately.

5. Improve Employee Engagement

WFM employee performance dashboards are changing the way people work. Real-time feedback motivates workers to perform better and it helps them stay on task. In addition, it provides managers with expanded oversight.

Furthermore, it helps companies create better training programs. When employees are better trained, they are more confident and effective. Indeed, competence and engagement go hand in hand.

6. Provide A Highly-Valued Employee Perk

Flexible scheduling is as valuable as a pay raise to many employees. But spreadsheet scheduling is limited when it comes to accommodating employee shift preferences. WFM software enables flexible schedules in several ways. It guides best-fit shift assignments. Employee self-service (ESS) is a genius way for employees to handle their own shift trading. It allows managers to juggle short shifts of varying lengths to accommodate everyone on the team.

Another key advantage is the ability to finalize the schedule in advance. Labor forecasting tools guide staffing needs many months out. This gives employees plenty of advanced notice. This allows them to fulfill their non-work responsibilities. Modern life is a balancing act. Supportive scheduling policies result in extremely loyal employees.

7. Decrease Manager Favoritism

Nothing sows seeds of discontent like manager favoritism. WFM software presents an objective view of employee attendance and productivity. By eliminating emotion, it measures employee performance better than a busy manager can. Supervisors have accurate data on which to base rewards and recognition.

With scheduling software, managers can distribute favorable shifts equitably among all employees. When well-trained supervisors treat employees fairly, it boosted employee satisfaction. Happy employees also provide better customer service.

8. Reduce Wage Theft

There are several ways employees exploit manual timekeeping systems. They pad their timecard. They buddy punch for a co-worker. They clock in a few minutes early or clock out a few minutes late. They “forget” to punch out for unpaid meals. WFM software has a remedy for each of these expensive practices. Schedule enforcement prevents unauthorized punches. Biometric time clocks make buddy punching impossible. WFM systems automatically tally work hours. Mobile apps with GPS tracking verify the time and attendance of mobile employees.

9. Manage Employee Vacations

Employee vacations can take a toll on productivity. WFM software tracks employee vacations. Managers enter vacation requests when they are approved. The scheduling tool prevents managers from scheduling an employee during their leave.

10. Identify Staffing Needs For Next Year

Human capitalization software is not just for HR mechanics: time tracking, scheduling, and payroll.  Labor forecasting tools track your profit-per-labor dollar. When the analytics show that the potential of your workforce is maxed out, it’s time to hire.  Forecasting analytics can help business owners plan staffing needs far in advance.

WorkforceHub helps businesses extract the maximum value from workforce management software. Talk to a WorkforceHub business consultant today.

Simplify HR management today.

Simplify HR management today.

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