Jul 29, 2025 Joanna Rosskamp
ShareIn an increasingly dynamic world of work, flexibility, efficiency, and employee-centricity are key drivers of business success. Especially in environments where shifts need to be coordinated, staffing levels adjusted, and last-minute changes managed, one thing becomes clear: Even well-organized teams reach their limits without a well-structured workforce management approach.
What is Workforce Management?
Workforce management (WFM) is no longer just about filling shifts. It is about making every working hour count – productive, compliant, fair. In industries like logistics, healthcare, and aviation, the balance is critical: understaffing leads to delays and burnout, and overstaffing drains budgets.
Modern workforce management connects staffing needs with real-time data, employee preferences, labor laws, and business goals. The result: the right people, in the right place, at the right time.
Workforce Management vs. HR: What is the Difference?
Workforce management and HR systems serve different purposes but complement each other.
HR manages people: recruiting, onboarding, payroll.
Workforce management organizes the work: schedules, shifts, locations, qualifications.
Put simply: HR brings employees on board. Workforce management ensures they are deployed efficiently and in compliance with regulations.
Workforce Management: The Backbone of Modern Work
Good workforce management balances three factors: legal requirements, operational needs, and employee’s preferences. The aim is to create efficient schedules that also keep employees motivated and customers happy.
State-of-the-art solutions like WorkforcePlus offer much more than basic scheduling. They provide data-driven insights, ensure compliance, and empower employees to manage their availability and shift swaps themselves. This drives operational efficiency, fairness, and transparency.
How to Nail Workforce Management: 9 Strategies That Actually Work
Great workforce management does not happen by accident. Here is what matters:
PLAN BASED ON DEMAND
Accurate workforce management starts with a solid understanding of demand drivers: order volume, customer frequencies, peak times. With smart forecasting tools you can predict precisely and avoid costly overstaffing or chaotic understaffing.
MANAGE STAFF DEPLOYMENT
Whether you run fixed schedules or flexible shifts, your plans need to align with laws, collective agreements, business goals, and employee preferences. AI-powered tools automate rule checks, match qualifications, and help build optimal rosters.
EMPOWER YOUR EMPLOYEES
Flexibility only works with participation. Tools like StaffConnect allow employees to set their availability, swap shifts, give feedback, and communicate with teams easily. The benefits: higher acceptance, better planning reliability, and more motivated staff.
LEVERAGE DIGITALIZATION
If you are still managing your workforce in spreadsheets, you are falling behind. Digital systems streamline processes, enable forecasting, track compliance, and bring transparency to teams of any size.
KEEP EMPLOYEES INFORMED
Shift changes, vacation requests, last-minute requests must be communicated quickly and clearly. With self-service platforms and mobile apps, workforce management becomes interactive, and employees stay informed, engaged, and connected.
STAY IN CONTROL WITH REPORTING
Effective workforce management is data-driven. Automated reports provide real-time visibility for managers. Spot problems early, act quickly, and tailor insights for different roles.
INTEGRATE PROCESSES
Workforce management cannot work in isolation. It requires integration with HR systems, payroll, ERP, and operational tools to ensure that data flows consistently and decisions are based on a complete picture.
ANALYZE BEFORE YOU DIGITALIZE
Before implementing a workforce management software, map your current processes. An analysis of what works (and what does not) reduces risk and ensures you get full value from digital tools.
CAPTURE AND PROCESS WORKING HOURS CORRECTLY
Scheduling is just one part. Absences, overtime, and worked hours must be captured and processed correctly – as the basis for payroll, analysis, and future planning.
How Software Supports Modern Workforce Management
Workforce management software helps you systematize, digitize, and automate scheduling and staffing processes. This makes it easier to manage complex demand patterns, working time models, and contractual agreements. One of the key benefits: greater transparency. Planners gain real-time visibility into staffing needs, available resources, and potential deviations – enhancing decision-making and improving operational control.
Digital workforce planning also streamlines day-to-day operations. This leads to increased quality and productivity by enabling more efficient use of working hours.
Employees benefit as well – for example, by avoiding overload situations or by gaining more control over their schedules through shift swapping and other options. Digital workforce planning can also contribute to improved work-life balance, and self-service tools can be an integral part of a modern digital employee experience.
Today’s systems go a step further by offering ongoing optimization through actual-vs-plan comparisons and forecasting.
In this way, workforce management becomes a learning platform – one that continuously adapts to changing conditions and evolving staffing requirements.
What is New Workforce Management?
The principles of the "New Work" movement are also shaping the way companies approach workforce management. "New Workforce Management" takes traditional shift planning a step further by aligning it more closely with the individual needs of employees – for example, those based on different life stages or personal circumstances.
The goal is to systematically balance individual preferences with business requirements. In line with New Work thinking, New Workforce Management fosters greater opportunities for personal fulfillment by actively involving employees in planning processes – creating a sense of appreciation and higher job satisfaction.
It serves as a bridge between operational efficiency and individual life realities and necessities. Classic planning goals are expanded to include aspects like purpose, autonomy, and sustainability.
In this way, shift planning evolves into a component of modern employer branding and employee engagement.
Ready to transform your approach to workforce management?
Download our free guide: “New Work: Shaping the Future of Office and Shift Work”. Practical insights you can use now.
About our Expert
Joanna Rosskamp
Marketing Manager
Joanna Rosskamp has been working as Marketing Manager in the Workforce Management division at INFORM since January 2025. Her focus is on enhancing the website, implementing SEO strategies, and driving LinkedIn content with a strategic approach. She also manages webinars and internal trainings with technical precision and clear structure. With a deep understanding of industry dynamics and workforce management challenges, she develops impactful concepts and ensures their successful implementation.