Improved mobile workforce management is one way that businesses whether small, medium or large, can balance their needs and investments in supply and demand of human capital. It also allows them to mold and strategize their current workforce into the workforce of the future as the company grows according to its stated vision and aspirations. These aspects should be analyzed so that they form a repeatable and firm basis for dealing with the workforce both present and future.
Ideally, workforce management includes three crucial aspects: Infrastructure, Processes and Strategy. Understanding and defining the talent required in the workforce, the infrastructure required to ensure that they function at optimum level and ensuring that they deliver is the first task. Secondly, the processes involved in their work have to be codified, with a complete understanding of each person's entire key work area, life-cycle of their job, strengths, gaps and risks. Strategy involves planning for the future based on present trends, development, training, new hires, investment aspects, software and communication requirements, research and development aspects etc.
Some of the challenges faced by workforce managers are:
Talent: Identifying the right kind of talent for the job at affordable prices can be a huge obstacle faced by planners. If the business begins to grow exponentially and suddenly, it could be difficult to hire and train new recruits quickly enough to keep pace. Similarly, when downturns happen, workforce management it becomes a challenge to lay-off employees since the trends can reverse at any time and the company finds itself short-staffed during a period of new growth.
Planning: Workforce management is not just a matter of head-counts. Getting the right kind of talent, grooming for leadership, assessment of specific skills and risks, understanding the competition, pay-scales and aspirations of employees and matching them to your business plan and broad-basing this to include rewards, retention and contingency plans should be factors in workforce planning.
Co-ordination: An important aspect is staying in sync with the overall business plan of the company. Long-term plans both local and global have to be integrated.
Automation: Putting good workforce planning and management software in place can ease the burden on managers so that they can concentrate on the job at hand. However, this calls for deep-level analysis, a good fit and should be in co-ordination with the company's overall business strategies.
Reviews: Periodic, detailed and regular reviews of strategies, business plans and employee aspirations along with a good understanding of changing customer feedback, dynamic technologies, nature of the workforce and market needs is vital in ensuring that your workforce planning parameters are adequate and effective.
Keeping these aspects in mind, it can be a challenge and an opportunity to use a good workforce management system that will promote your business and earn the maximum revenue and goodwill.