Preparing for the future of work means remaining agile during times of unexpected change, while controlling costs at the same time. However, recent research from UKG has found that 44% of U.K. workers believe their company’s pandemic response would have been smoother if they had implemented modern technologies as part of their standard strategy instead of waiting for the crisis to occur.

As the world of work continues to rapidly change and businesses try to stay one step ahead of the innovation curve, HR leaders should look for new ways to streamline their approaches and secure their position as a strategic partner to the business. In fact, there has never been a better time for the HR industry to be innovative and drive greater organisational impact.

According to research from Gartner, modern HR architecture requires four pillars to be successful: Core HR, Talent, WFM, and HRSD. Business leaders should therefore listen to the needs of their employees and invest in new digital technologies to bolster their HR framework. This reliance on technology is exemplified by research* which reveals 87% of U.K. employees are being propelled into the future of work by accelerating their digital transformation projects. In addition, the research found that 86% of these workers are enjoying the benefits of these new innovations, calling for organisations to recognise this adjustment and respond accordingly.

This is where a unified approach to workforce management and HR service delivery (HRSD) comes into its own, offering enhanced compliance strategy, communication, and employee engagement, all of which enable leaders to drive better business outcomes. In fact, this unified approach will not only have a large organisational impact in terms of more efficient processes, but can also work to drive greater cultural change, especially moving out of a period of uncertainty and back into ‘business as usual’. As part of this, utilising the right tools and technologies is key to maintaining employee wellbeing and safety on a large scale.

Aligning the needs of both the employee and the employer
Now more than ever, employees both require and expect flexibility, and with that comes a need for greater trust and job security. Maintaining relationships with staff through consideration of these needs is vital for future planning. It’s also important to remain connected, despite distance becoming a normality in the new way of work. HR leaders should make it a priority to maintain positive relationships with their employees through efficient and improved delivery of the HR function.

Contrary to popular belief, digitalisation does not dehumanise the HR function. Instead, UKG research has shown that improving employee access to information and HR services in fact empowers employees. One of the ways this is made possible is through resources such as digitalised knowledgebases, which allow employees to access information and forms whenever they need. Put simply, digitalising HR document journeys serves to boost productivity. Increased automation is also necessary in the new world of work, as it puts power in the people providing the enhanced flexibility that employees both want and need.

In addition, handing mobile access to employees provides HR assistance at the point of need, and works to reduce admin burden on HR teams. As always, being able to adapt is integral to progress – not just in the pandemic, but in the growing gig economy and changing world of work.

From an employer perspective, HR software makes it possible to see which documents are requested most often. This is critical when trying to assess the needs and concerns of the workforce, as well as making key decisions that impact the wider business. A joint workforce management and HRSD business unit can also deliver value to its customers by eliminating manual and repetitive tasks, streamlining processes, mitigating security risks, and reducing compliance headaches — all on a single platform.

Utilising tools in new ways
Balancing costs, services, and safety through workforce management labour scheduling is only one part of the equation. During the height of the pandemic, employers were forced to include social distancing needs into scheduling. Prior to the pandemic employees would have previously been entrusted with the freedoms of shift swaps. Fast forward to the COVID-19 crisis, shift swaps only became possible to change and cover within allocated bubbles dependent on employee attestation.

Attestation is an existing tool that has been used in new ways since the start of the pandemic. Whereas before, employees would use this tool to attest to their schedules and worked hours, in the world of COVID-19, it has been used to attest to health and employees’ ability to come to work. For example, a workforce management function such as attestation can be used to produce contract tracing reports. These reports can then be used by the HRSD part of the platform in numerous ways; if a person is not feeling well it can inform their colleagues that they need to go and get tested. In this case, the software will automatically book off, and replace an employee using the software.

If an employee were to test positive for COVID, the technology would then create a report of who they have been working with based on their schedule, as well as who has clocked in at the same time. Once this report is produced – HRSD follows up and manages the overall documentation process. Making the most of HR technology allows employers to react quickly to any potential staffing crises, and looking to the future, this tool could be used in a number of impactful ways.

So, what is the solution?
Connecting HRSD and workforce management means improving the effectiveness of HR to deliver an enhanced employee experience and boost productivity. This is one of the key tools and decision levers needed for HR to become a strategic business partner.

 Multinational retail group Auchan recently added new workforce management technology to its existing HRSD technology to further enhance its operational efficiency. Through implementing technology in both areas, HR leaders at Auchan will become increasingly agile and be able to access the necessary data to implement schedules up to 12 months in advance. Previously, schedule changes and leave requests were processed manually, but now the software utilises all available data to digitalise these processes, saving valuable time, and resources.

*From The Workforce Institute at UKG