The global workforce landscape has evolved dramatically over the last four years. The COVID-19 pandemic, which reshaped how organizations operate, accelerated the transition to remote work. This shift has now become a defining characteristic of modern employment. From 2020 to 2023, the percentage of workers worldwide working remotely most or all of the time surged from 13% to 28%. More importantly, employees have embraced this change, with 91% expressing a preference for a fully remote or remote-first work arrangement. This presents both opportunities and challenges for organizations, particularly those in workforce management (WFM).
The Shift to Remote Working in Workforce Management
Workforce Management Teams have also felt the impact of this remote work revolution. Many WFM teams are now fully distributed, with members around the globe and no central headquarters. This distributed organization offers several benefits: a wider talent pool, multilingual capabilities, and round-the-clock availability across time zones. The benefits are substantial: a larger talent pool means access to highly specialized skills, and operating across time zones allows 24/7 customer service and support.
However, managing a distributed WFM team comes with its own set of unique challenges. Communication gaps and legal problems can arise when employees are scattered across regions, countries, or even continents, and maintaining a cohesive organization can be difficult. Luckily, companies have developed software specifically designed to ensure success in managing your team.
Key Strategies for Managing Distributed WFM Teams
To effectively manage a distributed WFM team, companies must be deliberate in dealing with communication issues, adhering to local labor laws, choosing the right software, and remaining vigilant to any shortfalls.
- Utilize Business Communication Software
Maintaining a coherent, well-run team can be difficult when there is little or no face-to-face interaction. Differing time zones can exacerbate these issues. By using applications such as Slack, Teams, or Zoom, you can ensure that communication across your team remains consistent. Through these applications, your team can connect from home, across sites and across time-zones. Utilize the audio or video calls for regular standup calls to provide feedback, address concerns, and reinforce team objectives. Communication tools can also facilitate virtual social interactions, fostering team spirit, informal connections and reducing feelings of isolation that result from remote work. - Manage Compliance and Labor Law Adherence Across Regions
Managing a distributed WFM often involves planning for employees operating in multiple regions, each with its own labor laws and compliance requirements. Ensure that your planners are well-equipped with that knowledge so they avoid breaking any laws unknowingly. WFM software can support compliance management by ensuring that shift schedules adhere to local labor regulations related to work hours, overtime, breaks, and rest periods. Automated WFM platforms can provide alerts or restrictions to prevent scheduling violations, ensuring regulatory compliance while reducing the risk of fines or legal challenges. The best applications check for compliance in real time as you make changes. - Choose the Right Software for Your Planning Team
When dealing with a distributed workforce in different time zones, scheduling and time management become extremely complex. This complexity is only amplified when a company experiences unforeseen issues – such as an employee calling in sick or an unexpected surge in demand. Utilizing advanced WFM software that allows for dynamic shift adjustments ensures managers can quickly reallocate resources to fill any gaps. Automated systems that offer features like shift swapping and real-time updates help employees stay informed and empowered to manage their schedules, boosting operational efficiency and reducing administrative burdens to your planning team.
Furthermore, implementing AI-powered forecasting tools can help your team prepare and plan staffing levels by predicting patterns based on historical data, trends, and external factors. These forecasting capabilities allow WFM teams to proactively plan and adjust staffing levels across different time zones, ensuring optimal coverage without overscheduling or underutilizing staff, ultimately increasing efficiency and lowering costs. - Regularly Examine KPIs and Address Any Shortfalls
It’s important not to become complacent in your day-to-day operations and to make sure your team is regularly keeping an eye on the workforce’s efficiency, productivity, and forecast accuracy with a real-time performance dashboard. By doing this, you can identify any gaps and address them head-on before major problems arise. Today’s cloud-based WFM applications like injixo mean that all users see ‘one version of the truth’, e.g. the forecast demand, the agents’ schedules, and the agents’ schedule adherence - regardless of their location.
WFM demands agility in daily operations. If KPI reviews show that company strategies aren’t delivering results, remain open to experimenting with new approaches through reallocating resources, adjusting forecasting models, or implementing new technology solutions to improve efficiency. Encourage an environment of continuous improvement within your planning team and don’t be afraid to try new strategies.
Final Thoughts
Managing a distributed WFM team requires special attention to forecasting, scheduling, and employee engagement You’ve got to take additional steps to ensure alignment across the distributed team. And you’ve got to pay attention to the differing constraints in different regions, such as labor laws. By using software that covers all those requirements, your team will be able to handle whatever challenges come their way.
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