Turn to Analytics to Get More Out of Workforce Management

Getting the most out of the investment that is a workforce is vital to just about any company, and so better workforce management is usually on the slate of overall goals. A new study from the Brandon Hall Group for Kronos (News - Alert) Incorporated reveals that workforce management can deliver some impressive results for its users, and just what to watch out for when doing so.

The Brandon Hall Group report, “Four Keys to Realizing a Total Return on your Workforce Technology Investment,” had a lot more than four things to say about workforce management. As described by Kronos' senior director for big data practice, Gregg Gordon, several points came together to produce the best in workforce management. Tops among these were bringing together multiple data streams to produce “a single truth,” or what some might call instead “actionable insights”, along with breaking down the silos of information to produce “greater access to information for transparency.” Also on the list was more routinely bringing in machine learning, which gave better compliance when referring to policy, all of which were driving better returns on the investment in workforce management.

Brandon Hall Group's own chief strategy officer and principal analyst Michael Rochelle offered up similar comment, noting that the proper use of workforce management technology could offer up cost savings, but also bring in better transparency and trust along with better performance and productivity.

There's no shortage of things to consider when it comes to workforce management. The use of social media, how to make employees feel more valued yet keep same on track to the best productivity and performance, and a host of other issues all add up to an environment that's difficult to make sense out of and get the most value from. But the Brandon Hall Group report goes a long way toward providing clarity, focusing on the means to get more value out of what's already being done.

Some haven't considered how much value is involved in connecting sales to accounting for smoother management of accounts payable and receivable, let alone the value of connecting sales to marketing. The value of connection is tough to underestimate, as it can produce some great results once every part of the organization has an idea of what everyone else is doing. It allows for better contribution and understanding of current conditions, keeping everyone moving toward the same goal.

While providing this kind of connection isn't always easy, in terms of both execution and overcoming cultural objections, the potential rewards of such connection can be enormous. That alone makes the Brandon Hall Group report worth looking into to see how to reap those rewards directly.

Edited by Stefania Viscusi