Ventana Research today released its latest benchmark research, The State of Workforce Management. Historically workforce management has been centered on scheduling, tracking time and attendance, absence and leave management. Today, as workforces become younger, more diverse and more globally dispersed, workforce management is being transformed. Employers must adapt how they schedule workers for shifts and manage them to address their demands for the flexibility they want to accommodate today’s lifestyles and personal needs. Workers, too, are experiencing changes – in how they punch in and out of the workplace, for example, and how they access employment-related information including payroll, benefits, time off, company policies and even learning.
Ventana Research undertook this benchmark research to determine the attitudes, requirements and future plans of those who use workforce management systems and to identify the best practices of organizations that perform the best with it. We set out to examine both the commonalities and the qualities specific to major industry sectors and across sizes of organizations. We considered how organizations perform workforce management, issues they encounter in the process and how their use of workforce management and related technology is evolving.
More than one-third (36%) of organizations said their most important priority for workforce management in the next year is to align the workforce to business goals and objectives; participants cited this as the top priority three times as often as any other option. The next two in importance are to improve the efficiency of workforce management processes (ranked first or second by 25%) and to increase the productivity of the workforce (first or second for 24%). Regarding the last, more than two-thirds (69%) of organizations said it is very important to improve workforce productivity.
“Close to two-thirds (63%) of organizations now use a dedicated workforce management systems but only a quarter (28%) of organizations are satisfied with their workforce management systems,” said Mark Smith, CEO and Chief Research Officer at Ventana Research. “The need for higher productivity (cited by 64%) is the issue most often driving organizations to consider further investment in workforce management software and almost half (43%) said they need new worker or manager applications to improve productivity and results from the workforce.
“In addition, one key to increased productivity is enabling workers to improve their skills. In assessing capabilities of worker-related applications, research participants overwhelmingly (86%) identified access to training and learning classes as very important, selecting it nearly 30 percent more than any other choice.”
Those interested in learning more about this benchmark research can download the executive summary at https://www.ventanaresearch.com/benchmark/workforce-management/executive-summary. This research was sponsored by ADP, Ceridian, FinancialForce, Kronos and WorkForce Software. Ventana Research, a leading business technology research and advisory services firm, provides qualified research participants with an incentive and complementary report, which includes both key insights and best practices from the benchmark research. Those interested in learning how to apply this benchmark in their business can see a full listing of services available at www.ventanaresearch.com/services. Ventana Research advisory clients have premium access to insights and education on benchmark research.
About Ventana Research
Ventana Research is the most authoritative and respected benchmark business technology research and advisory services firm. We provide insight and expert guidance on mainstream and disruptive technologies through a unique set of research-based offerings including benchmark research and technology evaluation assessments, education workshops and our research and advisory services, Ventana On-Demand. Our unparalleled understanding of the role of technology in optimizing business processes and performance and our best practices guidance are rooted in our rigorous research-based benchmarking of people, processes, information and technology across business and IT functions in every industry. This benchmark research plus our market coverage and in-depth knowledge of hundreds of technology providers means we can deliver education and expertise to our clients to increase the value they derive from technology investments while reducing time, cost and risk.
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