Top Workforce Planning Software — July 2020

Another topic to discuss in your demos is cost. Typically, workforce management systems charge on a per employee per month basis. And, some might offer tiered pricing depending on what features you actually need. For example, entry-level pricing starts at less than $5 per employee per month for some providers.

Depending on your workforce management needs, you can find a standalone solution that focuses solely on workforce-related needs or opt for one that integrates with a larger HR management tool you’re already using. Whatever the case may be for you, you can expect to see some or all of the following WFM features: 

• Mobile app: Most workforce management solutions have a portal where employees can log in to track time worked, request days off, and see when they’re scheduled to work. Typically, these portals are web-based while some are accessible via a mobile app so they can manage their own schedules directly from their smartphones. Mobile access is also available for managers, so they can make real-time decisions on the go.
• Time Tracking: Forego traditional timesheets and allow your employees to keep track of their hours with built-in time tracking tools. Employees can even clock in and out via their portal or mobile app so you get the most accurate, real-time readings of their hours.
• Scheduler: Use WFM software to set schedules for your hourly employees, track their days off to avoid scheduling mistakes, and allow employees to check the schedule so they don’t miss days and/or can request time off. Employees could even swap shifts without requiring manager approval.
• Payroll & Benefits: Keep track of how many hours your employees have worked so you can streamline payroll processing and other earned benefits. Depending on the workforce management software you use, payroll can be processed directly in the program or you can integrate with an existing payroll software you already have.
• Analytics & Reporting: Get reports of your employees’ hours to find out who is on time, who has missed shifts, who is late, etc. From there, you can better understand what promotes employee productivity and then create benchmarks and evaluate your workforce against them. What's more, you can use insights to improve your own decision-making for things like employee management and workforce optimization. 
• People & Performance Management: Make note of each employee’s skills and qualifications so you always schedule the “right” person for a given job/task — and so you can better identify who is ready for a promotion. With increased talent management tools like these, you can more effectively onboard new employees — and keep existing employees engaged and happy.
• Communication: Managers and employees can easily communicate using a workforce management system, allowing for better management of things like time-off requests, scheduling changes, etc.
• Compliance: Depending on your industry, location, and/or the types of employees you hire, you’ll need to remain compliant with certain federal, state, and local laws. You might also need to keep track of required certifications, trainings, missed breaks or unmet leave/PTO requirements, labor standards, and union agreements. Some WFM solutions help you keep track of these requirements so you stay compliant and avoid fees and other penalties. ‍
• Artificial Intelligence & Automation: Some workforce management systems have artificial intelligence features that essentially learn your business rules and will automatically approve or deny time-off requests, forecast labor needs, etc. To do this, the AI can look at how much time off a given employee has accrued, check the team schedule to see who is already going to be out of the office, etc. That way, it can “see” if an employee has earned a day off and confirm that there will still be coverage at the office if they are out.

To help you decide which workforce management solution is right for your company’s HR processes, you need to see a few in action. That’s where demos come in. 

Prepare for each demo with a list of questions and make sure to drive the discussion as much as possible. You’ll want to understand which features work best for your unique needs, what integrations you might need, etc. Here are a few questions to get you started:

• Is this suited to a particular industry or type of worker?
• Do I need to use the rest of your hr software suite to use this?
• How will this solution fit into the rest of my tech stack and therefore what integrations do I need?
• How will others in the organization use this solution?
• What are the key features I want to ask about?
• What are the things that would make me nervous about buying this sort of solution?

In some cases, you’ll need to integrate your workforce management software with your HRIS and/or payroll systems. In others, this will all be the same system. It depends on the provider you choose. 

When you have your demos, make sure to discuss implementation to figure out exactly what is required on your company’s end. In other words, how long will it take to get up and running? Will you need to get IT or other internal stakeholders involved? Refer to our list of demo questions above to help drive the conversation around implementation.

In addition to figuring out the back-end side of your implementation, you’ll also need to create a roll-out strategy for your team. Managers will need to be trained on the scheduling functionality, how to approve or deny time-off requests, how to track and/or submit compliance-related information, etc. And employees will have to learn how to check schedules, submit time-off requests, and clock in/out. Some WFM solutions offer training materials and videos that you can share directly with your team.