LIVONIA, MI--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - WorkForce Software, the leading provider of workforce management solutions for organizations with complex labor policies and stringent compliance demands, today announced the availability of the 2012 Workforce Management Trend Survey at the HR Technology® Conference & Expo, taking place October 8 - 10, 2012 in Chicago.
WorkForce Software's third annual Workforce Management Trend Survey was conducted in conjunction with Workforce Management, a leading publication and online destination serving HR professionals. The study focused on three core areas of concern to the HR function: employee absence and leave management, workforce management software and services, and employee fatigue management.
Overall, HR professionals from more than 800 organizations, the majority of whom manage HR for large (2500+ employee) organizations, responded to the survey. As workforce management solutions have moved past capturing simplistic "punch-in, punch-out" data for payroll purposes, HR can now use this software to address regulatory pressures and deliver real-time information that drives business strategy and streamlines operations. The results of the study highlight the challenges and opportunities today's HR professionals experience during this transitional age of workforce management software.
Key findings include:
The effective management of employee absence and leave processes is a rapidly emerging area of concern.
- Employee morale (47 percent) and litigation or fines (44 percent) were identified as the greatest negative impact of non-compliance with leave regulations, with the latter doubling from 20-25 percent from last year's survey.
- Respondents identified the biggest challenges regarding leave management as intermittent leave (55 percent), employees "abusing" the system (50 percent) and managers and employees informing HR of leave at the last minute (46 percent).
- Errors in granting leave continue to be a problem, and only 22 percent of respondents indicated that they have a solid understanding of how much leave is issued in error.
Although many core HR functions have become more automated, there is still heavy reliance on manual administration.
- About half (49 percent) of all respondents use a mix of manual, in-house and vendor-developed systems, and 47 percent cite "still too much manual work" as the largest shortcoming of their workforce management software.
- Although 40 percent of organizations report being able to link workforce activities to bottom line results, the majority still lack the ability to connect the dots between labor activities and financial outcomes.
Employee fatigue, which can be driven by company decisions, individual situations and broad social issues, continues to impact performance.
- Most respondents (80 percent) agreed that workers are more fatigued now than in the past, with the same amount believing the impact of fatigue on employee performance is either moderate or major.
- Despite the acknowledged impact of fatigue, 60 percent of respondents do not adjust scheduling practices to mitigate fatigue risk.
"This year's findings underscore the extensive demands placed upon HR professionals and the increasingly strategic role workforce management plays within the day-to-day operations of a business," stated Marc Moschetto, WorkForce Software's VP Marketing. "This mirrors the evolving needs we see within both our client base and in the market in general: HR organizations, and the workforce management systems they select, are on-point for driving regulatory compliance, creating a safer and more positive work environment, and ultimately providing the information and insight necessary to drive better top- and bottom-line performance."
WorkForce Software will be hosting a webcast on October 30th to present the results in greater detail. After the webcast, all attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the report. To register, visit workforcesoftware.com/trends.
Additionally, WorkForce Software will distribute copies of the report from Booth No. 437 at Human Resource Executive's 15th Annual HR Technology® Conference and Expo, held at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
For more information, visit www.workforcesoftware.com or contact us at (877) 493-6723.
About WorkForce Software
WorkForce Software is the leader in workforce management software for organizations with complex policies and compliance concerns. Its EmpCenter® suite enables organizations to fully automate time & attendance processes, effectively manage employee absence and leave, optimize staff scheduling, gain real-time visibility into labor costs and activities through robust analytic and reporting tools, and mitigate the risks associated with employee fatigue across the enterprise. Hundreds of leading organizations, including the University of California, Blizzard Entertainment, AMF Bowling, Duke Energy and BBVA Compass, rely on EmpCenter to streamline compliance, reduce payroll costs, provide more intuitive tools to their employees, and achieve strategic HR on a global basis.