Employees are the most important resource in any organization. If they are engaged, working well, and productive, there's a great chance that your company is also doing well. If they aren't, the results are disheartening.
So, how can you optimize the performance of your employees and manage them effectively? Invest in an employee management software. Don't know what it is and how it can help?
Here's a comprehensive guide that will help you understand what an employee management system is and how it can be beneficial to your business. We also go over the key features to look for in employee management software.
An employee management software (EMS) is a technology stack that is designed to streamline, track, and assess employee performance. Companies use employee management software to automate a lot of HR, scheduling, and project planning tasks. The software also provides valuable insight into employee productivity and efficiency.
All departments and company types can benefit from resource management software.
Comprehensive and centralized employee database
Attendance and work time tracking
Overtime and leave management
Data reporting and financial metrics
Automation of HR functions like onboarding, recruitment, payroll, and benefits
Drag and drop employee scheduling
Visual project flow
Performance management
Having an employee management software in your organization will keep all the employee and project data in one centralized place. Let’s delve a bit deeper into the benefits.
Looking to save costs and increase productivity while keeping all employees happy and satisfied? You can do this all (and much more) with an employee management software. Resource scheduling software will give you the following advantages.
An employee management software will save time and increase productivity because it automates a lot of the time-consuming HR and project management processes such as attendance, payroll calculations, leave requests, and scheduling. This automation frees up the HR team so they can focus their energies on more strategic tasks.
Through a centralized employee database, you have a safe and secure place to house all employee data including experience, skill set, billing rate, long-term and short-term availability, and work preferences.
A manager can search the database to find the right talent for a task and schedule them using a simple drag and drop. This will save the manager from endless phone calls and email chains to find an employee for a job. The centralized database also gives the manager visibility into all the resources at their disposal, so they can truly find the best fit for the job even if the resource is based in a different location.
An employee management software allows project managers to track resources available for projects at hand and allocate them appropriately. A manager can identify if a resource is assigned several tasks concurrently and reassign some of their responsibilities to avoid over-utilization and burnout. Likewise, if they notice a resource is sitting idle, they can be assigned to an appropriate role.
By monitoring resource utilization rates, the manager can ensure the company has enough resources at hand to avoid last-minute costly hires for upcoming projects. The tool also provides managers with insight into high-priority tasks vs. low-priority ones. They can realign the scheduling to ensure that the majority of the workforce is working on billable and urgent requirements.
An employee management software can be accessed by all managers and team members, and it serves as a great medium to promote communication and collaboration. Employees can see who else is working on the same project and who might have expertise in a certain area. They can also set their availability, request schedule changes, and certain projects, and notify a manager of an issue instantaneously.
For managers, the system can give an insight into how their employees are doing. If an employee is taking longer on a task than the allocated time, they can step in to understand the issue. Also, they can take the employee’s work preferences into account while scheduling them. This way they are showing the employees that their respective career goals are equally important to them as well.
Project managers can also collaborate across departments and share resources. This will also maximize resource utilization and reduce costs.
An employee management software comes with a lot of data that can be easily accessed from anywhere and by almost anyone in the organization (one can set approvals for who gets to see which data points).
This data can be used in real-time to speed up the decision-making process. One no longer has to spend time gathering the data and then analyzing it. With an employee management software, all data like resource utilization and capacity, actual project cost vs. projected cost, and actual time taken vs estimated time taken, is available in real-time. One can even select how to view the data — via GANTT charts, excel sheets, or a visual workflow.
Insights on employee engagement, turnover, productivity, and much more can be derived from these data sets. Managers are equipped with all the tools they need to remain on top of how their employees and the projects within the company are doing.
An employee management software replaces the need for multiple HR systems and processes. The centralized EMS maintains employee records and automatically calculates a resource’s pay and benefits based on the time captured. It reduces the chance for human error and delay. As all the data is stored in one place and can be easily referenced, you are putting yourself in a position to minimize any compliance risks.
When you are able to accurately assign work to the right employees and monitor it well by providing timely feedback, you are setting your organization up for better engagement and job satisfaction. Both these impact your company’s work culture and environment.
When resources are utilized to their optimal capacity, they are provided assignments that comfortably challenge them, and they can see a scope for professional growth, they are positioned to become champions for the company. They will not only serve the clients well, but also spread positive messaging about working within the company. This will help the firm hire and retain the brightest minds.
An effective and comprehensive employee scheduling software will enable you to monitor and maximize resources. The platform also promotes collaboration, communication, engagement, and satisfaction. So why not let an employee management software bring you more accuracy, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness?
With eResource Scheduler, you can manage your employees effectively and easily. You will not only be able to visually see all information about your employees in one place, you will also get real-time insights about what they are working on, their billing rate, and their availability.
Also read:
Project resource management: an ultimate guide on how to master it
12 jobs that robots (AI) will replace in the future, and 12 that won’t
What is employee performance management and why it is important
What is the full-time equivalent (fte) and when should you use it?
What is resourcefulness? Meaning, examples & importance