Empowering Efficiency: A Deep Dive into Workforce Management Tools

Managing a team can often feel like a juggling act: time tracking, scheduling, and predicting labor needs, all while aiming for maximum productivity. With the right workforce management tools, we can take teams from burnt out and struggling with productivity to optimized and engaged.  

Workforce management (WFM) is the strategic coordination of a company’s employees, schedules, and resources to optimize productivity and efficiency. Using a workforce management tool streamlines operations, enhances productivity, and ensures optimal resource utilization for businesses.

In this article, we’ll explore the fundamental principles, strategies, and (perhaps most importantly) workforce management solutions that can help you master workforce management. 

What is a workforce management tool?

A workforce management tool is a software solution designed to help businesses streamline and optimize various aspects of workforce management like:

• Scheduling
• Time tracking
• Attendance
• Task management
• Performance monitoring
• Resource allocation.  

What features do workforce management tools provide?

As you’re looking over our suggested workforce management tools below, keep these key features in mind:

• Employee scheduling
• Time and attendance tracking
• Labor forecasting
• Reporting and analytics
• Productivity management
• Integrations

By automating manual processes and providing real-time insights into workforce data, workforce management tools enable businesses to better manage their workforce to achieve organizational goals. That means improved operational efficiency, enhanced productivity, and reduced costs.

Gartner’s take on workforce management software

Workforce management is made possible by analyzing workforce analytics or workstyle analytics. 

Gartner, a workforce management thought leader and pioneer, defines workforce analytics as “an advanced set of data analysis tools and metrics for comprehensive workforce performance measurement and improvement.”

According to Gartner, WSA provides insights into how employee workstyles, digital tools, processes, and skills affect business effectiveness. This is essential to driving technology utilization and adoption while also identifying productivity inhibitors. 

Now that we’re on the same page about what workforce management can do for your team, let’s take a look at the tools that can help us get there.   

Comprehensive list of workforce management tools

From scheduling and time tracking to performance monitoring and resource optimization, this section will provide an overview of the industry-leading tools that can streamline your workforce management processes and drive success in your organization. 

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, finding the right workforce management platform is essential for maximizing productivity and achieving your business objectives. 

We’re confident you can find a tool on this list that works for your team. 

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a workforce management tool that revolutionizes productivity tracking, time management, and remote team coordination. It empowers businesses by helping them streamline operations and maximize efficiency.  

Key features

• Time tracking: Save administrative hours each week using our user-friendly time tracking. Hubstaff converts this time tracking data into automated timesheets you can tweak with manual time entries.
   
• Shift scheduling and time off management: Easily create and manage employee schedules, hours, attendance, and PTO from one central location. You can also set automated alerts and reports for late, missed, and abandoned shifts.
  
• Productivity insights: Measure your workforce productivity with performance management features. You can uncover bottlenecks, eliminate time-wasting activities, and compare your team to industry leaders with benchmarks.
  
• Detailed reporting: Improve employee experience by adding context to workforce data. You can review detailed reports and gain valuable insights to improve profitability or see real-time data right from the dashboard. 
  
• Workforce optimization: Create workflows, assign employees to jobs, and track progress in real time. Integrate your favorite project management system and assign tasks to your team so they can track time to them. Or, use Hubstaff’s own built-in tool, Hubstaff Tasks. 
  
• Payroll automation: Generate accurate timesheets with Hubstaff’s automated time tracking. Review and approve timesheets and pay team members with Hubstaff or through integrations with PayPal, Payoneer, Wise, and Bitwage.

Pricing

• Free plan
• Starter: $7 per user/month
• Grow: $9 per user/month
• Team: $12 per user/month
• Enterprise: $25 per user/month (annual pricing only)

Need more advanced features? Hubstaff also offers extra add-ons that boost its primary team management features:

• Tasks ($3 per user/month)
• Insights ($2 per user/month)
• More screenshots ($3 per user/month)
• Corporate add-on ($3 per user/month)

User reviews

• Gartner: 4.7/5 stars
• G2: 4.3/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.6/5 stars
  

Zoho People

Zoho People simplifies workforce management by offering a comprehensive suite of tools, empowering businesses to efficiently handle tasks ranging from attendance tracking to performance evaluation.

Key features

• Attendance tracking: Whether in-office, remote, or on-the-go, easy and accurate employee attendance tracking helps businesses efficiently manage work hours and absence patterns.
  
• HR management: Enables organizations to streamline various HR processes such as employee onboarding, document management, time-off management, and employee self-service to improve employee efficiency, satisfaction, and retention.
  
• Performance appraisal: Customizable appraisal forms, goal setting, performance reviews, and feedback mechanisms enable managers to assess employee performance effectively and foster continuous improvement.
  
• Leave and absence management: Automated leave tracking, approval workflows, and real-time visibility into employee leave balances. This ensures compliance with company policies and regulations while minimizing administrative burdens.
  
• Analytics and reporting: Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools offering insights into various workforce metrics like attendance patterns, employee performance, turnover rates, and HR analytics. These features empower businesses to make data-driven decisions and optimize workforce management strategies.

Pricing

• Essential HR: $1.50 per user/month
• Professional: $2.50 per user/month
• Premium: $3.50 per user/month
• Enterprise: $5 per user/month
• People Plus: $10 per user/month

User reviews

• Gartner: 4.4/5 stars
• G2: 4.4/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.4/5 stars

ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now provides businesses with a versatile platform for workforce management. You can integrate payroll, HR, and time tracking functionalities to streamline operations and optimize employee productivity.

Key features

• Payroll: ADP offers Robust payroll management capabilities like payroll processing, tax compliance, direct deposit, and wage garnishment administration. This ensures accurate and timely payroll execution while minimizing compliance risks.
  
• HR management: By facilitating various HR tasks like employee onboarding, benefits administration, performance management, and compliance tracking, ADP provides a centralized platform for efficient HR operations.
  
• Time and attendance tracking: Simplify time and attendance tracking with advanced features like time clock integration, scheduling tools, overtime management, and absence tracking. These features enable businesses to monitor employee work hours accurately and optimize workforce productivity.
  
• Benefits administration: Businesses can manage employee benefits enrollment, eligibility tracking, COBRA administration, and compliance reporting with benefit features that reduce admin work.
  
• Talent management: Streamline talent management functionalities like recruitment and applicant tracking, performance appraisal, learning management, and succession planning. ADP empowers businesses to attract, develop, and retain top talent to drive organizational success. 

Pricing

Contact ADP Workforce Now for custom pricing. 

User reviews

• Gartner: 4.1/5 stars
• G2: 4.1/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.4/5 stars

UKG Pro Workforce Management

UKG Pro Workforce Management revolutionizes workforce operations with a powerful suite of tools, enabling seamless integration of HR, payroll, time tracking, and talent management for enhanced efficiency and productivity.

Key features

• Workforce scheduling: Advanced scheduling capabilities allow businesses to create optimized schedules, manage shift rotations, handle time-off requests, and ensure proper coverage for more efficient workforce planning and staffing.
  
• Time and attendance tracking: With robust time and attendance tracking functionalities, UKG Pro enables businesses to accurately capture employee work hours, monitor attendance patterns, enforce labor laws, and calculate pay accurately, helping to minimize compliance risks and payroll errors.
  
• Talent management: Comprehensive talent management tools, including performance management, goal setting, succession planning, and career development, empower organizations to nurture talent, drive employee engagement, and foster career growth.
  
• Labor cost management: Labor cost management features help businesses manage labor costs effectively by providing real-time insights into labor expenses, budget tracking, forecasting, and cost analysis. This enables organizations to optimize workforce budgets and improve financial performance.
  
• Compliance and regulations: Ensures compliance with labor laws and regulations by offering automated compliance checks, audit trails, regulatory reporting, and labor law updates. This then helps businesses mitigate compliance risks and maintain legal compliance in workforce management practices.

Pricing

Contact UKG Pro Workforce Management for custom pricing. 

User reviews

• Gartner: 4.1/5 stars
• G2: 4.2/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.3/5 stars
  

Rippling

Rippling offers a modern solution for workforce management, seamlessly integrating HR, payroll, benefits, and IT administration. With Rippling, teams can simplify tasks and empower businesses to focus on growth.

Key features

• Unified HR and payroll: Rippling integrates HR and payroll processes, enabling streamlined employee data management, onboarding, benefits administration, and payroll processing for more accurate, efficient workforce management. 
  
• Employee self-service: Employee self-service features help employees manage their HR-related tasks like updating personal information, submitting time-off requests, accessing pay stubs, and enrolling in benefits online. These features put your team in control and can enhance employee satisfaction and engagement.
  
• Time and attendance tracking: Automated time tracking, attendance monitoring, and scheduling tools help businesses accurately monitor employee work hours and ensure compliance with labor regulations.
  
• Benefits administration: Rippling automates benefits administration processes, including benefits enrollment, plan management, carrier connections, and compliance reporting. This makes it easier for businesses to offer and manage employee benefits while ensuring regulatory compliance.
  
• Custom workflows and automation: Create custom workflows and automate repetitive tasks related to workforce management, such as onboarding processes, performance reviews, and compliance checks.

Pricing

• Rippling starts at $8 per user/month.

Contact Rippling for custom pricing.

User reviews

• Gartner: 4.7/5 stars
• G2: 4.8/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.9/5 stars

SumTotal

SumTotal is a comprehensive workforce management system that empowers organizations with a seamless blend of learning management, talent acquisition, and performance management features for enhanced employee development and organizational success.

Key features 

• Learning management: SumTotal functions as a comprehensive learning management system (LMS) that enables businesses to create, deliver, and track employee training programs for continuous learning and development within the workforce.
  
• Talent acquisition: Streamline talent acquisition with features like applicant tracking, resume parsing, candidate assessments, and interview scheduling to help your business attract and hire top talent efficiently.
  
• Performance management: SumTotal facilitates performance management processes, including goal setting, performance appraisal, feedback collection, and development planning. This enables organizations to align employee goals with business objectives and drive performance improvement.
  
• Succession planning: Succession planning tools allow businesses to identify and develop high-potential employees for future leadership roles. This ensures you always have a pipeline of skilled talent to fill critical positions within the organization.
  
• Analytics and reporting: Robust analytics and reporting capabilities provide insights into workforce metrics like training effectiveness, employee performance, talent gaps, and succession readiness. This enables data-driven decision-making and strategic workforce planning.

Pricing

Contact SumTotal for custom pricing. 

User reviews

• Gartner: 3.8/5 stars
• G2: 3.3/5 stars
• Capterra: 4.3/5 stars

Choosing the right workforce management tool

The first step in your workforce management journey is to find the right workforce management solution for your organization. You can’t (and really shouldn’t) do it alone. Choosing the right workforce management tool is crucial for optimizing productivity and achieving your business goals. 

Here are some key factors to consider:

• Identify your needs: Determine your specific workforce management requirements, such as employee scheduling, time tracking, payroll integration, or performance analytics.
  
• Explore integration capabilities: Ensure the workforce management tool integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, like HR software, payroll, or CRM platforms.
  
• Look for customization options: Choose a tool with customization options to tailor the software to your business needs. This includes customizable workflows, reports, and scheduling rules.
  
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Look for robust features that provide actionable insights into workforce performance, labor costs, and productivity trends. A data-driven approach helps in making informed decisions and optimizing workforce efficiency.
  

• Support and training options: Consider the tool’s level of support and training. Ensure they provide comprehensive onboarding, ongoing support, and resources to help you maximize the tool’s benefits.

By considering these factors and conducting thorough research, you can choose the right workforce management tool that aligns with your business requirements and empowers your organization to thrive.

Final step: Implementing workforce management tools in your business

Once you find the right workforce management software for your organization, it’s time to implement your new tool.

Implementing workforce management tools for your business requires careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition and maximum benefit. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Plan the implementation: Develop a detailed plan outlining key milestones, timelines, and responsibilities. Assign a dedicated project team to oversee the implementation process and ensure clear communication throughout the organization.
   
2. Data migration: If migrating from existing systems, ensure that data is accurately transferred to the new workforce management tool. Cleanse and organize data to avoid errors or inconsistencies.
   
3. Training and onboarding: Provide comprehensive training for employees on how to use the new workforce management tool effectively. Offer hands-on training sessions, tutorials, and documentation to support user adoption.
   
4. Rollout and integration: Once testing is complete, rollout the workforce management tool across the organization. Integrate the tool with existing systems, such as HR, payroll, and scheduling software, to ensure seamless data flow and process alignment.
   
5. Measure success: Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of the workforce management tool on your business, such as increased productivity, reduced labor costs, or improved employee satisfaction. Regularly review KPIs to assess the tool’s effectiveness and ROI. 

By following these steps and investing time and effort into researching workforce management platforms, you can successfully integrate workforce management tools into your business and reap the benefits. 

Improved efficiency, productivity, and workforce optimization await you at the end of this journey. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to find the best workforce management software for your business.