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Following the downturn in the economy, the workplace has undergone immense and rapid changes in recent years. The pressure to compete effectively has compelled many companies to make drastic cuts in their operational costs in order to remain viable. Nowhere has this been more strongly felt than in the management of human resources, as companies strive to reduce labour costs that in most cases account for their greatest expenditure. This has placed huge demands on operations managers, particularly with regards to workforce management, as they struggle to get more work done with fewer staff. Fortunately, a solution is available to hard-pressed operations managers responsible for employee scheduling in the form of the latest workforce management software. Advantages of workforce management software Today’s employee scheduling software has been specifically designed to meet the needs of all kinds of organisations, both large and small. Making the decision to invest in such cloud-based workforce management systems can be of immense benefit to operations managers as it enables them to: • Eliminate the time-consuming hassle of manual employee scheduling and the problems associated with it, leaving managers free to engage in value-added activities. Instead of being tied down in the day-to-day processes of scheduling, amending or cancelling shifts, planning holiday cover etc., managers can focus on strategic planning that increases productivity and puts money back into the business. • Reduce labour costs and control expenditure on overtime by providing real-time visibility on staffing cost variables such as overtime hours, plant utilisation rates, etc. Managers will have real insight into the cost implications of any proposed work schedule prior to those hours being expended. • Turn workforce management into a competitive differentiator that enables jobs to be allocated quicker. This will give any organisation the edge over competitors who do not make full use of workforce management software systems. • Improve customer service and satisfaction by keeping track of staff in real time and ensuring that employees assigned to a particular task always have the right skills and qualifications. • Make predictive human resources forecasts by utilising real time reports and metrics about staffing levels, labour costs and attendance across any time range. This will improve accuracy in budgeting. • Improve staff recruitment and retention by enhancing communication with employees and giving them more flexibility and control over their schedules, including annual leave requests. • Integrate time tracking and attendance data to make payroll calculations and client billing easier.
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employee scheduling, workforce management,
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