Empowering employees with workforce management

The Covid-19 pandemic will have impacted your employees’ wellbeing and attitude to the workplace – this is inevitable. Younger employees in particular have been hardest hit, with 44% of employees under 35 years old saying that a lack of motivation has been hindering their performance at work since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

Mind, the mental health charity, found that more than half of adults (60%) and over two-thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health got worse during lockdown. Not forgetting the 1.1m people in the UK that are estimated to have Long-COVID (symptoms that last for longer than 12 weeks), so physically and mentally your teams may be struggling. As a result, it’s time to listen to and nurture your employees.

An employee-centred mindset is now a must-have. Workforce management is an ideal solution for putting employees front and centre of business operations and addressing their changing needs. Showing your company is able to adapt to your employees’ new requirements demonstrates that you’re able to support them during both ‘normal’ and challenging times.

Employees want reliable digital and mobile support options, and working styles that enable wellbeing and a healthy work-life balance. In fact, in a recent study carried out by the IoD, 94%3 of interviewees said they planned to make changes to their work-life balance post pandemic. And in a McKinsey & Company report, more than 25%4 said they would consider switching employers if their organization returns to fully on-site work.

The way we all work has clearly changed dramatically so companies must change too, and workforce management is a shining example of a tool that helps you deal with change and changing attitudes in the workplace.

Greater transparency, confidence and control

Workforce management software gives your employees greater transparency. This includes access to insights into the work they have performed, alongside confidence they can see accurate data, rather than using information recorded using manual or paper-based records. Employees also benefit from fewer workload imbalances; workforce management software allows managers to identify where workloads are too heavy or too light, enabling them to quickly adjust who works on a task and when.

Staff become more autonomous, more in control of their daily work lives and gain deeper insights into their achievements against their career goals. They spend less time asking HR and payroll questions, freeing up these teams to get on with their day jobs. Fewer emails are sent and fewer phone calls are made trying to get the answers employees need. It’s less work, less admin, and less frustration all round, with the data that’s required at everyone’s fingertips, in an instant. Tasks get completed faster, so teams are more able and motivated to maximise productivity in the time they have available.

Supporting competitive advantage

At a time when employees are seeking change in the way they work, driven by the impact of the pandemic, companies must listen and adapt. Understanding and responding to what your teams require in the ‘new normal’ supports employee satisfaction, staff welfare, resilience and wellbeing. These are all important factors when it comes to staff planning, and attracting and recruiting talent, particularly when so many employers are facing skills gaps and a shortage of high-quality candidates for key roles. The way you respond during these challenging times and how you react to employees’ changing needs therefore directly impacts your competitive advantage.

Why workforce management and why now?

Workforce management software brings your employees multiple benefits including the all-important work-life balance. Employees are empowered with greater control over their working life, with the ability to manage their requests and goals, anytime, anywhere on any device. HR and payroll managers gain time back through fewer administrative tasks, and are confident in their systems, knowing that the data they are working with is accurate. Companies benefit from increased compliance, productivity and profitability, reduced costs, improved employee engagement and retention, as well as effective talent recruitment.

Workforce management software from SD Worx is intuitive and easy-to-use, for all users. No training is required and employees get instant results. Analytics are simple to extract too, making reporting accurate, trustworthy and efficient.