Human Resources Issues for Senior Management
Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/747024
W orkforce management can play a critical role in controlling labour costs, increas- ing productivity and improving workforce planning to support strategic goals and promote business growth. But to be effective, labour and business data must be properly integrated and available in real-time, according to a study of Canadian companies by Kronos and HR Horizons. And most companies are struggling to get a better handle on workforce costs and productivity, with the three biggest challenges being: • Having access to real-time costs and productivity data. • Assessing labour performance across product lines and business units. • Assessing the cost of absenteeism. There is plenty of room for improvement — 75 per cent of respondents are in the "tactical phase" of workforce management, automating basic, tactical processes. About 20 per cent are in the "op- erational phase," meaning automation is extended to more complex workforce processes, leaving ve Sponsored by Canada Trends in Workforce Management Successful automation hinges on integration, real-time data and governance, according to study per cent in the "strategic phase," integrating organizationwide workforce insights with critical business data to guide informed decisions that help boost pro- ductivity and pro ts. The most commonly auto- mated activities are electronic or web-based timesheets, time data collection devices, and con gu- rable timekeeping rules. The least popular tools are: • Dashboards to provide real- time insights. • Mobile timesheets. • Labour forecasting software. • Automated call list generation. • Electronic alerts and controls. These processes "represent areas of opportunity to gain ac- tionable insights, boost respon- siveness, and improve real-time decision-making — all of which help drive higher performance and bottom-line results," says Canadian Trends in Workforce Management: Harness the Potential. THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE More than half of the companies surveyed say the governance of workforce management resides with two or more functions (most often human resources and operations). A major goal of governance is ensuring clarity about who is in charge of what, and where ac- countability lies, says the study. But since workforce manage- ment cuts across organizational silos in complicated ways, issues of governance should not be left to chance, say Kronos and HR Horizons. "What matters most is that there are mechanisms in place for setting direction, making decisions, establishing account- ability, and taking into consid- eration an adequate range of viewpoints from across the organization." Download the complete sur- vey report at www.kronos.ca.