Founded in 1997, Kronos is a Massachusetts based global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud for organizations in more than 100 countries. It is a one-stop solution provider for industry-specific time and attendance, scheduling, absence management, HR and payroll, hiring and labour analytics applications.
Be it managing talent or giving employees the right opportunities, attracting and retaining staff or simply the day-to-day issues of keeping the staff productive and engaged, workforce management is always a key priority for organizations of all sizes. While most business leaders are looking for ways to drive their business forward, traditional solutions of workforce management decelerate this by relying heavily on manual procedures, thus inviting higher process inefficiencies. Until recently, workforce management was solely a time and attendance function which was chaotic and could not help in realizing clear, last mile accountability. Traditional workforce management solutions are inadequate to navigate the challenges of a multi-generational, geographically dispersed, and culturally diverse workforce. On the other hand, the latest generation of workforce management solutions are not only affordable but can also remove the hassles of day-to-day staff management. Since they are easy to set-up, there is little risk for buyers and huge potential for returns on investment.
Taking Your Workforce Management to the Cloud
Unlike on premise solutions, cloud-based workforce management solutions offer the ability to focus on wider issues around regulatory compliance complexity irrespective of the size of the organisation, while offering increased flexibility, scalability and agility. A dedicated, cloud-based workforce management solution not only automates the real-time management of workforce but also empowers the organization with seamless, cross platform data captures and access on the move. These solutions also help in significant cost savings, owing to the ‘pay-per-use’ model that can be scaled according to the requirements with minimal cost variations. Organizations today are rapidly switching to new technology led workforce management solutions to overcome the strains and challenges of workforce management and are achieving deeper visibility into their workforce behaviors, while relying on clear, data-driven insights for decision making.
Over the past few decades, workforce management has evolved from standalone PC/Server installed products that are connected, to now centralized and often cloud based solutions that have much greater depth of functionality and multiple means of data collection and access methods such as web browsers, mobiles, tablets and telephones. New technology paradigms like Big Data Analytics, Mobility and Cloud are redefining the workforce management industry by offering organizations the ability to process large volumes of data from multiple channels. These new breed of technology led solutions are helping businesses deliver real-time, contextual insights using cloud-based platforms and are enabling their workforce to seamlessly access information through mobiles, to aid quicker and better decision making.
For instance, a workforce management solution that registers the employee hours in real time and automatically feeds it into payroll will reduce administrative time, eliminate payroll errors, ensure employees worked the decided hours and control other labor costs such as absentees and overtimes. Such technology will not only simplify management processes, but will also improve employee engagement as they will be paid accurately and given access to self-service options, including viewing work schedules, shift swapping, balance enquiries and leave applications.
By moving workforce management functions such as labor planning, staff scheduling and absence management to the cloud, an organisation’s subject matter experts can enhance focus on delivering their products and services, whilst controlling costs, improving productivity and maintaining margins. Many organisations start as small enterprises, and with growth and expansion, they experience a combination of diverse pressures and growing pains which affect productivity and performance of the workforce. By moving workforce management to the cloud, organisations can manage their employees in line with their growth spikes, ensuring productivity is maximised at all times.
Using Technology as a Strategic Enabler
Wearable technology is another key trend which is making steady inroads and is bound to witness accelerated adoption at the workplace in the coming future. Workforce Automation solutions and wearables are witnessing an increased adoption, offering organizations some new and exciting engagement opportunities to help workers excel. It has empowered organizations with access to more functionality, greater speed and accuracy, through products that are far more intuitive and easy to use. This makes it possible for companies to control labor costs, minimize compliance risks and significantly improve workforce productivity.
In India, enterprises and entrepreneurs are realizing the power of technology as a strategic enabler and are witnessing a steady adoption of technology-led workforce management solutions. As Big Data Analytics and Cloud help organizations to gain deeper actionable insights into workforce behavior and performance, mobility and remote working are already beginning to play a significant role in human resource strategies of many organizations. With this growth, offering the tools to support a more flexible infrastructure will be vital for organisations to effectively manage and motivate their workforce. (As told to Deepshikha Singh)
