Offer More Work-Life Balance with the Right HR Software

Work-life balance has become one of the most valued benefits an employer can offer. Providing flexibility in order to achieve better work-life balance is a growing trend in the business world as more and more companies are seeking ways to retain and compete for good employees. Technology is also changing how we work and making it possible for employers to offer additional flexibility without the difficulty or cost it once required.

  It may come as no surprise that employees will often forego other benefits, including higher pay, to retain employment with companies who offer flexibility. This is now more possible than ever thanks to Human Capital Management software that integrates timekeeping, scheduling, payroll and HR, and simplifies the tracking and management of employee time management.

 

Are You Struggling to Offer Employees Flexibility?

  As an employer, are you taking advantage of flexibility as a valuable benefit to your staff? Doing so can result in better negotiations with employees, reduced wages, reduced absenteeism, and reduced turnover. The tools used to make this possible are also resulting in more accountability with employees, productivity and job satisfaction. What’s more, it may be far less “costly” or problematic than you think to offer employees some convenience and flexibility.

  Today, employers are discovering that HR software, also known as workforce management or Human Capital Management (HCM) technology, can both simplify and automate the logistics of workforce flexibility… for both employers and employees alike.

 

Better HR Software is the Answer

  If work-life balance is such a valuable chip to offer in terms of negotiating with employees, why do many employers struggle to offer it? Certainly there are numerous reasons at varying degrees of validity. Flexibility may not be feasible for everyone, but after further research, many employers are discovering that it’s the perceived cost or inability to track these variances that is preventing the possibility of updating existing policies. Fortunately, today this challenge has been solved through HR software that includes highly useful features that can simplify how employee variances are managed.

  One such example is advanced online employee scheduling. Today, for example, what once took hours and created great disruption can be accomplishing in minutes. Employees are able to swap shifts in a matter of minutes through an employee shift trade board that uses automatic email and text collaboration to notify eligible employees of available shift swap opportunities once supervisor approval is given. There are many examples like this that explain why more and more employers are able to offer flexibility and autonomy to employees, without the administrative burden and additional cost.

 

Human Capital Management Features for Work-life Balance

  Let’s take a moment to review three simple examples of how to offer your employees more work-life balance through a simple Human Capital Management or workforce scheduling software tool:  

1. Minimize the Cost of Unexpected Absences – Text & Email CollaborationOne of the most disruptive aspects of workforce scheduling is addressing unexpected changes. Life happens, so it’s inevitable that employees will need to make schedule changes on short notice to address illness or other circumstances. This can be very costly to the employer, disruptive to the supervisor, and is a stress to the employee.As was introduced earlier, now these circumstances can be minimized and streamlined through an employee shift trade board that offers automated text and email collaboration that automatically notifies eligible employees to pick up available shifts in a matter of minutes. No more scattering for the employee or supervisor to find replacements, and now willing employees who desire the additional work can conveniently take advantage.
2. The Convenience Mobile Employee Self ServiceEmpowering employees through convenience is a win-win… for employees and the employer. It positions employees to better manage their time (accountability and compliance) while offering the employee more control over their schedule and time off. With a mobile app that offers Employee Self Service, employees can access all the necessary info to make the most of their time on and time off the clock. They can view their schedule, accrued time off, request time off electronically, and better take advantage of schedule swaps.
3. Easily Find Replacements with the Employee Best-fit WizardOne of the more challenging aspects of allowing flexibility in workforce scheduling is finding a suitable replacement. These decisions impact overtime and often require analysis. But with an employee “Best-fit Wizard” that takes into account eligibility, qualifications and other supervisor preferences, identifying the best alternative for shift planning can happen in seconds.
4. Electronic Time Off Requests and ApprovalsRequesting time off for many employees can be stressful. For supervisors, the same can be true. But when both parties have instant access to the data needed to quickly make those decisions, the process is simple and stress-free. Through a self-service portal, employees can conveniently check their time off and choose optimal dates for time off. Supervisors can easily see if employees have available time off and plan around the change. All of this can be done electronically through an app or desktop in seconds. It’s a significant break-through in how employees and supervisors are able to make the most of time off requests.

  HR professionals are in a good position to enhance how employees work. By choosing a HR software technology solution that makes employees work-life balance convenient and streamlined, everyone in the organization wins. It may be a great time to review your existing time off policies and the tools you use to enforce them. When employees make the most of their time off… it’s great for the employer and employees.