It’s that time of year when we dust off the crystal ball, put on our mystic robes, and do our best to peer intently into the future to see what the coming year holds for the WFM world.
It’s a hugely exciting time for WFM. Businesses across all sectors are being challenged to do more with less and this is exactly what the best AI-powered, WFM systems help people do.
From automated scheduling through to failsafe forecasting, a great WFM system is worth its weight in gold. And that’s no exaggeration - just check this out and feast your eyes on the 376% ROI a WFM system brings in just three years.
But what’s the context of all this? Why the big need to do more with less?
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock in the middle of the desert for the past year you know as well as we do the winds of economic uncertainty are well and truly blowing.
There’s soaring inflation, supply chain struggles, a global energy and cost of living crisis, rampant employee turnover and a war for talent - all combined with ever-increasing customer expectations. It’s a lot.
Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. Far from it. Despite the economic uncertainty, there are opportunities out there and they start close to home. In fact, the biggest trend we’re going to see this year starts at the very heart of your organization.
2023 is going to be the year the frontline shines and success starts by putting your people first.
With margins being squeezed and retention still a weight around the neck for everyone who relies on the frontline workforce, the frontline finally has to come first and employee experience needs to take center stage in 2023.
Increasingly attitudes are shifting and executives across the board are realizing that an employee-centric approach brings with it a heap of benefits.
As Forrester says: “Companies that are able to take an honest look at the needs of their employees and level up their people strategy will have a strong advantage as we move into a resource-constrained future.”
But we’re not there yet. Research we carried out in 2022 found the top three values for frontline workers are:
- Enjoyment at work
- Higher pay
- Flexible scheduling
Yet many employers are failing to meet these values. Just look at the stats:
- 48% of frontline workers considered quitting their job in the past year
- 33% don’t feel valued at work
- 40% feel they’re disposable
- 71% don’t receive set goals or steps to earn a promotion.
That’s why employee experience has to be a number one priority.
Great employee experience is doing everything you can to help your frontline workers turn up and bring their best selves to work. That’s why, with employee power rising, smart businesses are switching to a labor investment rather than a labor-exploitation model.
This means employers aren’t just thinking about wage and bonus bumps, they’re offering tools and tech that better enable and empower their employees as people while giving them more autonomy at work. This includes enhancing employees’ training and skills for the long term to encourage their empowerment rather than their mere compliance.
What’s more, forward-thinking organizations are focussing on improving culture and communication at work which is creating greater demand for software that serves people.
If you do one thing in 2023 make sure it’s putting your frontline first!
Want to get started? Then dig deeper into all the workforce trends defining 2023 and the strategies to help your frontline with our free guide.
