Workforce Management Featured Article
Michael's Gets a Leg Up on Workforce Management
Some retailers have a particular ability to stand out against online counterparts by bringing expertise to the table, and for crafts-based retailer Michael's, it's managed to hold its stance as one of the United States' largest specialty retailers in arts and crafts. It's set to keep doing so with a little help from Infor and its Human Capital Management (HCM) suite of tools which helps Michael's get the most out of its over 40,000 employees throughout the United States.
The suite is geared toward providing a simple way to conduct a variety of workforce management (WFM) functions, including payroll practices, monitoring labor costs, and keeping systems compliant with applicable laws, to help make it easier to manage larger numbers. Conversely, it also helps much smaller human resources (HR) staffs manage only comparatively larger numbers of workers.
Thanks to the WFM system, employees can actually contribute directly to their own management, with employees able to set shift preferences, check schedules, and even monitor vacation balances. Managers, meanwhile, can use the tools to create and alter time sheets, handle employee requests for time off, and respond to other issues in real time, using analytics the system also includes as the fodder for handling these points.
Corey Tollefson, who serves as Infor Retail's senior vice president and general manager, commented “Infor is able to provide the specialized tools that retailers can use to help better align labor management with corporate strategy. The continued momentum within Infor Retail is a testament to Infor's commitment to build strong, innovative solutions, utilizing deep industry knowledge and a continued effort to understand the changing needs of the retail industry workforce.”
Considering, these days, how many laws there are around the use of employees, it must be a welcome development to have a tool specifically geared toward managing such a workforce. If the tool can help winnow down the HR department, meanwhile, that's a cost savings directly to the company. Being able to schedule help better as well improves the likelihood of a positive customer experience and thus improves the likelihood of return business.
Edited by Stefania Viscusi
