Workforce Management and the Top 6 Mistakes to Avoid

Workforce Management is more critical than one thinks. It includes efficient scheduling, staffing, and forecasting necessary for your organisation to create effective results. It is a blend of science and art. The goal of workforce management is to ensure that the right number of resources with the right skills are there at the right place, doing the right tasks at the right time.

Today’s fast-moving world demands robust organisations that are built on trust and transparency. The employees become the face of the company. With the right workforce management, these employees can break barriers of all kinds and create a dynamic outcome in all forms.

It is important to manage a diverse workforce across borders. It can be truly challenging. There are two parts to it. One is to identify and retain the best-fit employees for the right task. The other is to optimise the day-to-day activities with respect to the resource. This includes keeping track of attendance, scheduling, labour cost and payroll, and most importantly, productivity tracking. All these functions have an element of compliance in it without which everything goes for a toss. In order to stay relevant and competitive, and to ensure that all formalities are followed to the T, organisations tend to outsource workforce management and rightly so.

There is no room for error. And there is no small error in this domain. Take a look at some of the workforce management errors that could topple the table against you.

Outdated systems and nonprogressive processes for compliance
With technology advancing faster than ever and globalisation bring the world closer than ever before, an obsolete system with nonprogressive processes can take your organisation ten steps backwards. Compliance involves staying updated with the laws of the various lands and ensuring that every rule is followed. The consequences for non-compliance are more than just paying a fine. It involves jail time for employers.

If your organisation does not keep up with the changes in the labour laws and new legislation, the consequences will be steep.

Inconsistent monitoring – attendance and performance
Resources can be billed by the hour or day. They would request leave and time off, and punch in and out depending on their personal and official schedules. Consistent monitoring of attendance is critical to effective project management. Performance analysis also requires updated tools.

Bring optimal workforce management to your organisation.

Manual and semi-automated systems
Manual and semi-automated processes, while might be economical in the shorter run, can be very expensive in the bigger picture. Managing the various intricate functions of workforce management requires constant vigilance and undivided attention. A substandard process will not only prevent desired results, but will bring errors that can jeopardise the entire transaction irrevocably. Bring convenience to the table.

An automated workforce solution can enable you to ensure a seamless configuration.

Pennywise pound foolish
Organisations try to apply strategies and tools that are economic in nature. That might not always be the best option in the long run. Minimising labour costs do not serve the purpose either. It could lead to various adverse effects such as low-quality resources, reduced employee morale, and inaccurate results.

Costs should not be the deciding factor if you require high-quality workforce management.

Data-driven results work. Without these numbers, an organisation can only make educated guesses. Metrics derived from accurate forecasting systems removes the guesswork from the equation and enables productive actionable insights based on historical data. Managers predict the trend ahead of time and take actions accordingly. Meeting the demand and supply of resources and fine-tuning scheduling practices produce successful results.

Data does not lie. Be prepared for the future by taking account of the past.

An organisation that drives high engagement ensures a high retention rate. The expectations of the employees are met at every step, when the workforce management uses proactive and interactive functions. Gain insights into the workings and expectations of the employees with regular surveys and polls. Nurture them to enhance the workplace environment and create positive morale.

Employees are the backbone of your organisation. Treat them well and you will reap benefits.

A diverse workforce is a complicated undertaking. Be it a large multinational corporation or a growing startup, there are bound to be roadblocks. Data-driven results with real-time monitoring are vital to monitoring resources, controlling labour costs, minimising compliance risks and enhancing productivity. Understand the signs of errors in workforce management and avoid them at all costs. Give us a call and let’s talk more about how we, as your external global employment partner, can bring value to add to your organisation.

Bring a competitive edge to your strategy now.