It can be tempting to look back over the last two pandemic-struck years and marvel at how organizations adapted to dramatic and rapid changes. And though credit should be given for the improvements that have been made, the truth is that organizational adaptability might be at an all-time low.
HR and operations teams are being asked to realign their workforce in response to fundamental changes to their business demands and set a strategy for how the organization will respond to the changing workplace while still achieving their business goals
Think of the recent supply chain issues around the world—you can see how this situation might disrupt scheduling employees for anything from loading/unloading products to staffing the sales floor. Likewise, any organization that still deals with in-person customers in the post-COVID world must set schedules around sick, unvaccinated, or nonspecialized staff. The examples go on and on, and you can see why the need to have the right people in the right place at the right time isn’t merely an optimized business strategy but the bare minimum to keep the lights on for nearly every organization.
The challenge is that the level of sophistication and complexity in time management, scheduling, compliance, and payroll means that only the most robust workforce management systems can keep up and manual processes are becoming increasingly useless. Luckily there are systems now that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate these processes while staying in compliance and allowing employees to work in ways that avoid burnout—ultimately leading to better results for employee and employer.
2022 should be the year when organizations not only acknowledge the complications that they face but also see the opportunity to reimagine their approach to workforce management. And to do it in ways that create opportunities for workers to find more employee-centric approaches to their work/life issues and give them the agency and autonomy that employees consistently seek. According to BHG’s research, 58% of organizations believe the biggest positive opportunity that improved workforce management will have on the workplace is in automated scheduling.
The goal for any organization regarding workforce management is to create efficiency and enhance productivity. But the most successful companies will be those that use workforce management to increase efficiency and foster an environment that is truly adaptable — and able to meet the needs of customers, employees, and shifting business conditions alike.
Read more about BHG’s findings and the advantages of automated AI-enabled workforce management technology in this research brief, “Connecting the Dots from Fully Automated Workforce Management Systems to Business Results.” (North America click here, EMEA click here, Australia click here).
– Cliff Stevenson, Principal Analyst, Talent Acquisition & Workforce Management, Brandon Hall Group
