How HR Technology Can Support the Workforce in 2021 and Beyond
By Mike Morini – CEO of WorkForce Software
This year as changed our lives and our workplaces in unprecedented ways. Many of us have settled into new home office arrangements while juggling kids and unpredictable school schedules. Others are continuing to go into work with added pressures of new safety precautions and health concerns. Millions of people are out of work as many businesses have reduced staff or completely shut down during the pandemic. Whatever the case, for everyone, life and work have become unpredictable and we are learning to navigate new terrain. As we move in to 2021, what we see in the workplace will be heavily influenced by the shifts we made in 2020 as companies continue to evolve in the areas that make them strong – their technology and their people.
We Are Not Through This Pandemic Yet
It’s clear that we will be managing our workforces in a pandemic world well into 2021. Companies must be prepared to ride the waves of change ahead, whether that’s shifting from remote work to hybrid to remote again, or frequently changing in-person protocols to adhere to new safety guidelines. Technology can help companies manage these new workforce challenges while taking care of the well-being of their staff. Time and attendance systems, for example, can be used to send pulse checks to employees before they return to work from a furlough, or after a shift to see how they are feeling, or ensure they have the protective equipment they need.
Employee health can also be tracked through contact tracing and pre-shift health screenings to help ensure the workforce is safe. In addition to physical health concerns, many people in law enforcement, as well as first responders, health care workers, and other essential workers, have been experiencing stress and burnout from more intense protocols and day-to-day experiences. Fatigue management systems can monitor how many hours employees have worked, whether they have taken breaks, and if they have time-off scheduled and flag employees that may be at risk and to ensure that organizations are in compliance with fatigue-related union and labor regulations.
Increased Urgency to Upgrade Technology
Remote work and hybrid work models will be the new normal for many, but more than half of the workforce cannot work from home, and managing onsite workers is becoming more challenging. Many of these workers are paid hourly which involves unique pay rules, labor regulations, compliance obligations, and scheduling needs. With the added pandemic requirements of employee safety, unpredictable staff availability, and constantly changing regulations, companies are realizing that they can no longer rely on paper-based processes or outdated on-premise tools that don’t work well together.
Businesses are feeling the urgency to upgrade technology across all areas of business, but the critical functions of ensuring employees are paid correctly and on time, staying compliant with legal changes, and ensuring all shifts are staffed appropriately have never been more important. For many, the pandemic put a strain on workforce management processes that were being held together by hard working managers, HR, and payroll departments that have been spread thin for years. 2021 is the time to relieve those who are overloaded and streamline processes for the benefit of the entire organization.
Agility and Flexibility Are a Must
2020 has shown that agility and flexibility are imperative. Companies that were able to pivot quickly during the pandemic were most successful. As organizations are making technology investments in 2021, they need to ensure their systems are agile and configurable so they can easily grow and change with their evolving needs. For example, some of our manufacturing customers at WorkForce Software had to turn hazard pay on and off at the touch of a button as virus infection levels rise and fall in different geographies. As retail stores shut down and online ordering picked up, companies had to shift operations to support more staff in warehouses and call centers. The more easily technology changes can be made, the more quickly companies can implement strategic business pivots to stay ahead of the competition – or in some cases, to just keep the lights on.
Technology Will Play a Bigger Role in Employee Experience
We will eventually spend more time in person again, but the role of technology in our work lives will continue to grow. We are relying more on tools like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom for remote collaboration, and on-site hourly workers use workforce management systems multiple times a day to log their time, request time off, or view their schedules. These systems can do much more than improve efficiency and reduce manual work. They are key touchpoints that can be leveraged to improve the overall work experience.
Artificial Intelligence can be used to notify managers to check in with employees when they have been working a lot of unplanned overtime or haven’t used their vacation days. Self-service shift swaps allow employees to make their own schedule changes to better manage their day-to-day lives. Technology can also support new employee onboarding in many ways, including supporting development by leveraging scheduling systems that pair top performers with new or less experienced staff for cross training and mentorship. No matter how it’s put into practice, there are many ways that technology can support a more human workplace and enhance employee experiences.
Accelerated Digital Transformation
I talk to a lot of executives who are managing the challenges of this year while trying to make decisions around technology investments. McKinsey recently reported that many companies are accelerating their digital transformation and this is what I am seeing with our customers. There are always competing priorities so businesses will invest where they see the most value, not only in supporting their employees and staying compliant, but also in hard dollar return on investment.
Workforce management systems have been shown to have the highest return on investment of all HR technology solutions, and in some cases, that ROI can fund an entire HR transformation project. McKinsey also found that companies made changes much more quickly than they thought they could during the pandemic and have been able to break down previous barriers to investment like organizational silos, lack of leadership alignment, and resistance to change. I believe the flood gates have been opened and that companies will continue ramp up technology investments that can add proven value to their organizations.
As we move in to 2021, we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but the view isn’t totally clear yet. We know we will be dealing with this pandemic for at least the near term. This year has challenged everyone to re-evaluate what is most important personally and in the workplace. Companies are placing a higher value on taking care of their people and they want technology that will help them do that. They also need to operate efficiently, stay agile, and invest wisely to be prepared for what our uncertain future holds. We don’t know exactly what’s coming next, but investing in technology and people are solid bets for whatever 2021 has in store.
About Mike Morini
Mike Morini is the CEO of WorkForce Software and a 30+ year software veteran experienced in scaling enterprise software companies. Mike has helped shape and guide multiple fast-growth companies in the cloud arena including previous CEO, President and COO positions at SAP, Aria Systems, OutlookSoft, InterWorld, and Verbind. Mike earned a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and splits his time between New York and Marina Del Rey, CA with his wife Constance and their dog Biggie Mo. Mike is passionate about taking care of our veterans and serves as a board member and advocate for Merging Vets and Players.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.