For New Zealand companies to compete successfully on an international playing field they need to focus on productivity and unlocking the skills and knowledge that employees can bring to the organisation.
“New Zealand has a growing, highly competitive and complex workforce management market,” says Leslie Tarnacki, VP and GM, WorkForce Software A/NZ.
“With 91 per cent of A/NZ businesses reporting a lack of skills in the workplace, effective skills allocation is critical. At the same time 64 per cent of employees have skills that are not being utilised. This suggests that many A/NZ businesses are failing to maximise the value their people can provide.”
As a result, Tarnacki suggests these four ways workforce management can help organisations maximise profitability and increase productivity:
1. Use accurate, real-time data to remain agile and cost effective
Tarnacki believes access to real-time data lets organisations see what skills are available in the organisation versus what resources are required at any given time.
“This means organisations can allocate, manage and forecast resource requirements more accurately, delivering a competitive advantage thanks to the ability to react quickly when changes are needed,” Tarnacki explains.
“Real-time data also helps organisations ensure the right people are working at the right cost, which drives the bottom line.
“Organisations can do this by understanding both historical and real-time demand for resources. Both under and over-resourcing shifts can cost money: finding the correct balance is key.”