What is a WFM system?
A workforce management system (WFM) is a system that automates and simplifies workforce planning. In addition to ensuring that the right people with the right skills are scheduled at the right times, this type of system often focuses heavily on optimizing scheduling.
Workforce planning quickly grows in complexity when many individuals need to be scheduled, these individuals have different types of skills that need to be matched to various tasks, and a certain number of roles need to be filled to a certain extent during the organization's operating hours.
If we add to this legal requirements regarding, for example, training and licenses to handle specific equipment, along with legal requirements regarding working hours, daily rest, and other compliance requirements, the need for system support quickly becomes apparent.
5 common features of a WFM system
WFM systems are mostly based on workforce scheduling but can vary greatly depending on the type of business being planned. There is a big difference between staffing a production process and a restaurant operation, for example.
1. Scheduling
Creating, updating, and staffing schedules is the core of most WFM systems. In many cases, this part can become very complex as advanced systems can forecast how large the staffing needs will be based on information from history and other systems, can suggest staffing plans based on employees' previous preferences, and much more.
2. Time and attendance tracking
Linked to scheduling, a WFM system also allows employees to register their actual working hours, report sick leave, or declare availability, for example. This often occurs in a simpler interface available even on mobile phones.
3. Compliance
With all planning, history, and activity logged, WFM systems become an excellent tool for monitoring and creating logs of compliance in various forms. Fundamentally, there are rules that apply to all employers, but specific industries may also be covered by specific requirements regarding, for example, daily rest, different types of authorizations, or minimum staffing of a specific unit.
4. Capacity planning
With full history along with upcoming schedule planning, it is possible in a WFM system to also plan future staffing. This may involve acting early when the pace of recruitment needs to be increased or planning with the staff for, for example, holidays and festive seasons.
5. Reporting and analysis
With staffing and planning along with data from other systems, it is possible to produce key figures and comparison data over periods to assess how optimal the organization's staffing is over time. Combining, for example, a restaurant's staffing with revenues or how staffing of different roles affects profitability can reveal important connections that can influence future planning.
