Workforce demands changed dramatically in the last year . We talk to Robert Crossman , Director of Working Time Solutions , about staff empowerment .
WORKFORCE OPTIMISATION
EMPOWERING THE WORKFORCE
Workforce demands changed dramatically in the last year . We talk to Robert Crossman , Director of Working Time Solutions , about staff empowerment .
WRITTEN BY : LEILA HAWKINS
While office-based workers switched en masse to remote working in 2020 , 80 per cent of the global workforce that does not usually sit behind a desk , did not . Employees in these essential industries , including healthcare , have typically experienced gaps in terms of having the technology to do their job well and boost productivity .
COVID-19 added further complications as organisations have had to change working arrangements to stay open , including reducing or increasing staff numbers and in many cases re-training while working through the restrictions and uncertainties of the pandemic .
Workforce management firm Quinyx carried out a survey of 450,000 schedules in the UK , and found that several sectors including healthcare , are consistently mismanaging staffing levels and creating schedules that are only 70 per cent effective . Additionally , their research found that companies are either over-staffed by 30 per cent or under-staffed by 16 per cent .
“ This continued state of flux makes the job of managing optimal workforce levels extremely problematic " Quinyx CEO and founder Erik Fjellborg said when the survey was announced . " The downside of not having the correct employee numbers in place can result in compliance violations , poor customer service and a loss in productivity – ultimately leading to reduced revenue ."
The solution lies in automation , he said , which can improve demand forecasting , strategic planning and labour optimisation .
Robert Crossman , Director of Working Time Solutions , agrees that automation produces huge benefits . Working across the healthcare spectrum , they typically work with organisations that have shift workers and quite complex demand profiles , including frontline healthcare and support services , and pharma manufacturing .
86 April 2021