WorkForce MisManagement

A study from the University of California found that employers are increasing high turnover and absenteeism -- and resultant costs -- among hourly retail workers by adhering too closely to workforce management software. The last-minute shuffling of worker hours to stay under a defined percent of store sales budget creates havoc for low-wage employees who often work two or more jobs and deal with child or elder care constraints. While flexible staffing is a boon to managers, the more this practice persists, the less the employee can deal -- or want to deal -- with such shift adjustments. That leaves managers scrambling to find replacement workers at equally short notice and dealing with unhappy workers with all the implied impact on customer service.

On the bright side, WFM software can be used proactively to allow employees to indicate their preferred hours and hours when they are unavailable. Managers still decide the schedule, but fewer problems result when employees add input -- and the report noted happier employees with as little as 3 hours' difference across a 200-hour work week. When emergencies crop up, WFM software can send an automated text message, phone call, or email to available employees (as determined by tracking their self-reported availability), with a first-come, first-served response -- the first one to claim the shift gets it.