August 22, 2022
You can have access to all of the necessary tools but they’re almost useless if you don’t have methodologies for effective workforce management.
From creating schedules and managing staffing levels to forecasting workplace needs, and reducing labor costs, you want to get everything right. This way, you have satisfied customers and employees, along with a profit margin that will make stakeholders happy.
So, what are some effective workforce management strategies? To help better guide and inform you, here’s a look at some planning methodologies that can benefit everyone.
You can always try managing your workforce without assistance, and this means creating schedules by hand and hoping you get it right. You can even spend countless hours pouring over accumulated data. If you’re lucky, you can glean some insights before a market trend passes.
If this option sounds daunting, you can always invest in several systems, each one designed to perform a separate task. While this is an improvement in managing your workforce by hand, you’re still going to run into some difficulties. A primary issue is sharing information across the various platforms, which is why many companies turn to top-rated MSP staffing services to streamline their operations.
A better option is to use an optimisation tool that automates tasks like scheduling. The workforce management tool uses forecasts to help predict when and where you need your talent. The tool can even warn you when you’re getting close to going over employee-budgeted hours.
Most businesses have a shared goal: to continuously strive to deliver the best customer service, which means having the right people in place at the opportune time, and this goes back to scheduling.
Effective workplace management tools will create schedules that ensure you have the right personnel where they’re most needed.
Chances are, your business can’t survive on a fully remote workforce. You need some staff to physically show up, at least a few times a week. An effective solution is implementing a hybrid work environment. How you create this environment depends on both staff and business needs.
You can allow employees to take turns working on-site and from home. You can also have a dedicated team of in-house employees, and some working full or part-time from home.
Your employees and business model will play a role in how you set up a hybrid work environment, but for it to be successful you also need to use workforce management tools. The tools help ensure your hybrid staff has the technical support they need to accomplish their tasks.
If you’re wondering why you may want to adopt a hybrid work environment, there are a few reasons. Being able to work remotely and in the office can help boost employee morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. Your business can also reduce some operating costs when it’s not supporting a full team.
An effective workforce management strategy usually isn’t the creation of one individual. Most are collaborative efforts with everyone affected having a say in the planning process, which means opening up lines of communication with employees.
This can be especially important if you’re planning on switching to a hybrid work environment. You need to know who prefers working in-house and which employees will jump at the chance to stay home.
Communication is also key when you’re creating a schedule, and even automating the process doesn’t mean the software doesn’t require some set parameters. The tool needs to know whose skill set is best suited for specific tasks.
Remember, an effective workforce management program strives to have the right people at the right place at the right time. To do so requires input from your staff.
Your workforce management strategy isn’t going to be very effective if you’re not measuring the right analytics. Even though every organisation is different, even when they’re in the same industry, there are some common metrics to follow:
These metrics affect almost every area of your business from inventory levels to scheduling needs. While all of the above metrics are vital, one stands out from the rest. You always want to pay attention to metrics relating to customer satisfaction. When your customers are satisfied with their experience, they’re more likely to return to your business.
Unfortunately, gauging a customer’s level of satisfaction isn’t always easy. You can position an employee at the door to ask questions as customers leave but this isn’t effective. Not only are you paying the employee to stand by the door, but you’re also risking annoying customers.
Most people don’t appreciate being hit with a barrage of questions when they’re simply trying to exit a business. This type of tactic can cause loyal customers to take their business to a competitor.
A better and more effective solution is to create an email campaign. Nothing too fancy, just a simple email asking customers to rate their last experience with your business. You can use a number scale or simplify it even further by using sad, happy, and neutral buttons.
When you place customer satisfaction as a primary metric, it’s a little easier to create an effective workforce management strategy.
You may be exceedingly proud of your schedule. With help from workforce management tools, you have a schedule optimising employee time and talents. The schedule addresses every business need, including ensuring your customers will have a great experience. However, regardless of how proud you are of the schedule, you still need to be willing to be flexible.
Listen to what your employees say about their schedules. Is it giving them a healthy work-life balance? Are the employees who love working remotely able to work from home? Don’t forget, even with effective digital tools and accurate forecasts, surprises can still pop up requiring you to make sudden changes.
With the right tools and thorough planning, you can create effective workforce management strategies that benefit everyone, from your staff to your customers. It's important for you to listen to your employees' input and remain flexible.
Most importantly, select tools that align with your business needs. By doing so, you can foster a productive and harmonious work environment that enhances overall performance and satisfaction.
