Month: July 2023

The Role of Workforce Management in Business Growth and Success 

/ Jana

Workforce Management, or WFM, is an effective practice that helps businesses boost workforce productivity and optimization. It’s all about efficiently and effectively managing your workforce to ensure the smooth running of operations and achieve optimal results. Here is how WFM strategies (and WFM software) can contribute to a business’s overall success.  

1. Define Clear and Consistent Data Standards: 

Setting clear and consistent data standards is fundamental for WFM success. By having standardized data across the organization, everyone is on the same page, making decision-making more manageable and ensuring accuracy in workforce planning. 

2. Harmonize Systems to “One” Source of Truth: 

Ever felt lost in a sea of different systems and spreadsheets? WFM solves that! Harmonizing all workforce-related data into one centralized source of truth streamlines processes, minimizes errors, and promotes better collaboration among teams. 

3. Establish a Foundational Labor Forecasting Process: 

Predicting the future is still out of our reach, but businesses can come close with a foundational labor forecasting process in place. WFM solutions leverage historical data and trends to forecast labor needs, helping companies allocate resources optimally. 

4. Integrate with Dependent Processes and Solutions: 

The power of synergy! WFM solutions best integrate with other processes and solutions like HR management and payroll. This seamless integration ensures a holistic approach to workforce optimization. 

5. Automate Scheduling with a Flexible and Dynamic Platform: 

Gone are the days of manually creating schedules causing headaches for managers and employees. WFM software introduces automated scheduling, which considers employee preferences, availability, and skills, leading to a happier and more engaged workforce. 

6. Enable Dynamic Capabilities like Shift Swap: 

Life is unpredictable, and sometimes, employees need to adjust their schedules. WFM software empowers employees with dynamic capabilities like shift swapping, making balancing work and personal commitments easier. 

7. Simplify Time Tracking and Management Process: 

No more paper timesheets or outdated punch cards! WFM solutions simplify time tracking, ensuring accurate records of work hours and enabling employees to focus on what matters most. 

8. Effectively Track Time to Pay the Right Amounts on Time: 

Industry statistics tell us that employees will seek other employment after just the second mistake on a paycheck. WFM solutions ensure employees are paid accurately and promptly for their hard work. This level of reliability fosters trust and loyalty between employees and employers. 

9. Create Visibility into On-site Staff Attendance and Availability: 

Knowing who’s present on-site and their availability at any given time is crucial for efficient operations. WFM software provides real-time visibility into staff attendance, making it easier to manage workloads and make quick decisions. 

10. Use Real-time Data to Alter Schedules, Tasks, and Assignments: 

Change is constant, and adapting to changes in sales volume, staffing levels, weather, or any trackable business volume driver is paramount to efficiency. By utilizing real-time data, businesses can adjust schedules, tasks, and assignments, keeping the workforce agile and responsive to evolving needs. 

11. Employee Engagement: 

With self-service functionality and mobile applications, employees can have a say in their schedules, request time off, and communicate directly with management. This enhanced communication fosters a positive work environment and increases job satisfaction. Happy employees increase retention and, as a by-product of that, increase customer satisfaction.  

From optimizing workforce productivity to empowering employees with self-service tools, effective workforce management solutions set the stage for efficient operations and content, engaged workforce. If you want to take your business to new heights, it’s time to embrace a workforce management strategy that assists in meeting your customer satisfaction and financial objectives. 

Corporate CPR Episode 87: What You’re Doing Wrong In Your Pursuit of Well Performance Teams

/ Jana

Carla Fowler, MD PhD is the Founder and Managing Director of THAXA. Carla graduated from Brown University magna cum laude, earned her MD and PhD at the University of Washington, and completed her internship in general surgery at Stanford University.

She founded THAXA to share her passion for performance science, where the fields of strategy, productivity, and psychology intersect.

Outside of THAXA, Carla is an angel investor specializing in medtech and biotech with a portfolio of over a dozen investments. She is also an active member of Social Venture Partners, Rotary, Washington Women’s Foundation, Alliance of Angels, and Keiretsu.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Performance Science Definition: Performance science is a multidisciplinary field that explores how human beings achieve their best results in various domains, including athletics, business, and the military.
  2. Impact of Clarity: Lack of clarity inhibits success. Creating explicit goals and recognizing achievements motivates teams and helps them understand their roles in the bigger picture.
  3. Importance of Taking Time to Think: Setting aside time for reflection and strategic thinking is vital for clarifying objectives and making informed decisions.
  4. Creating Space for Clarity: Engaging in activities like journaling, meditation, or walks provides space for creative insights and clarity.
  5. Uninterrupted Thinking Time: Allocating quiet and uninterrupted time for thinking allows for focused reflection and strategic planning.
  6. Using Prompts for Productive Thinking: Thought-provoking prompts guide the thinking process and prevent stagnation.
  7. Embracing Uncertainty: Leaders foster an attitude of embracing uncertainty as an opportunity for growth and learning, enhancing adaptability.
  8. Running Good Experiments: Approaching uncertainty with experiments helps teams learn from outcomes and make better decisions.
  9. Balanced Problem-Solving Approach: Listing potential solutions, evaluating against criteria, and conducting small tests before committing fully helps in effective decision-making.
  10. Impact of Sleep and Nutrition: Adequate sleep and proper nutrition are essential for mental and emotional performance, leading to better decision-making and reduced stress.

Top Three Takeaways:

  1. Clarity: Ensure clear objectives, focused priorities, and effective communication both upward and downward in the chain of command.
  2. Embrace Uncertainty: Foster a culture that embraces uncertainty and trains teams to be comfortable with it. Encourage running good experiments to learn from outcomes and make better decisions.
  3. Combat Disengagement: Provide growth opportunities and visibility for both teams and leaders to prevent boredom and stagnation, enhancing overall engagement and performance.

For resources discussed in this episode: https://www.thaxa.com/p/corporate-cpr

How to Connect with Carla:

Website: https://www.thaxa.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-fowler/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrCarlaFowler

Corporate CPR Episode 86: How Organizations Need To Get A Stronger Change Discipline

/ Jana

On today’s episode we are talking about how organizations need to get a stronger change discipline. 

Jennifer Ayres, founder, and CEO of Senscient, is a culture and change expert. She and her senior-level team design and deliver deliberate, calibrated engagements that optimize meaning at work for every individual and ignites peak performance throughout the organization. Jennifer has over 20 years global management consulting experience, much of it focused helping leaders in organizations unlock the magic in their organization. She is results oriented with a proven track record for partnering with leaders to define vision and align cultural behaviors to business outcomes. Jennifer is often engaged to lead complex, challenging organizational transformations in unstructured and emerging situations. She specializes in leadership alignment, executive coaching, organizational development, and change management.

Top 10 Takeaways:

  1. Case studies are essential for understanding the reasons behind failed change initiatives and improving change management practices.
  2. Unsuccessful change initiatives often result from inadequate planning, unclear business outcomes, and poor stakeholder engagement.
  3. Pressure from leaders and urgent business needs can lead to rushed planning and exclusion of key stakeholders.
  4. Properly explaining the “why” of the change during project kickoffs is crucial to avoid confusion, apathy, and disengagement among employees.
  5. To overcome resistance and improve projects, organizations should provide training and awareness for technology-focused teams and promote an IT business partner mindset.
  6. Re-engaging stakeholders and thorough planning can lead to successful change implementations and improved project outcomes.
  7. Transparency and acknowledging challenges are vital for successful engagements.
  8. When facing difficulties, leaders should pause and gather more perspectives from stakeholders to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the project.
  9. Managing naysayers, especially influential individuals, requires empathy, curiosity, and psychological safety to foster trust and open communication.
  10. The psychological impact of change on employees must be considered and nurtured throughout the project to build a positive culture.

Additionally, the conversation provided the following insights on effective communication and the role of change teams and champions:

  1. Effective communication requires considering different channels and subcultures within the organization to reach all stakeholders.
  2. Holistic change management goes beyond just training and communications, involving intentional communities like engagement networks and change agent groups.
  3. Ensure that change teams and champions understand their remit and have visible support from senior leaders to increase their effectiveness.
  4. Regular touchpoints and recognition for their efforts can help engage change teams and champions in the project’s success.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. If you are a leader responsible for change at your organization, make sure you really focus on the “why.”

2. There is a cost to addressing change, but a bigger cost to not implemented change. 

3. Assume positive intent for people going into these programs. There is a reason they are resisting change. 

How to get in touch with Jennifer:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifercahillayres/

Website: https://senscientglobal.com/

Email: hello@sencientglobal.com

Corporate CPR Episode 85: How Organizations Need To Adapt Or Die

/ Jana

On today’s episode, we discuss why organizations need to adapt or die.

Angela Johnson is a “professional people geek” with over 25+ years of experience working with teams and leaders in both project management and Agile environments. As a Scrum Master, she found her passion in helping teams and leaders work together more effectively. In 2010, she founded Collaborative Leadership Team, offering Agile education and coaching services to start-ups, Fortune 100 and 500 companies. Angela’s expertise extends beyond Scrum to include Kanban, eXtreme Programming, Facilitation, and Organizational Change. She is a Certified Scrum Trainer® and Certified LeSS Practitioner with a background in Communication and Management. Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Angela is a proud mom, wife, and teammate. 

Key Takeaways:

  1. Agile and Scrum methodologies were developed to address challenges in delivering value faster and reducing rework. They have become popular in the technology world for their ability to adapt to changing needs.
  2. Agile frameworks like Scrum promote transparency, making work visible and breaking down silos. This enhances communication, avoids misunderstandings, and minimizes wasted time and rework.
  3. Agile emphasizes breaking work into smaller, manageable chunks, allowing for faster feedback loops and early issue identification. This enables quicker value delivery and eliminates the need for lengthy development cycles.
  4. Agile and Scrum enable organizations to adapt quickly to market changes. By pivoting based on real-time feedback, organizations reduce the risk of delivering products or services that no longer meet market demands.
  5. Agile and Scrum value effective communication and collaboration, while still emphasizing the importance of documenting shared understanding and agreements.
  6. Agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s important to assess whether Agile methodologies align with the specific business problem and context. Instead of blindly following Agile methods, organizations should identify their actual problem and goals, ensuring the chosen approach serves their purpose.
  7. Agile principles, such as transparency, iteration, and daily check-ins, can benefit various organizational contexts beyond software development, improving communication and efficiency.
  8. Limiting work in progress and prioritizing tasks effectively enhances productivity and value delivery, avoiding the scenario where everything is a priority, but nothing gets done effectively.
  9. Empowering teams and fostering shared knowledge leads to higher engagement and productivity. Cross-training and trust reduce dependency on individual expertise and prevent bottlenecks.
  10. Transparency and adaptability are crucial in times of change and challenge. By being transparent, exploring options, and adapting together, organizations can successfully navigate obstacles and ensure their survival and success.
  11. Transparency and adaptability are crucial in times of change and challenge. By being transparent, exploring options, and adapting together, organizations can successfully navigate obstacles and ensure their survival and success.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1. If everything is “priority”, nothing is. Pick one thing that’s going to get you focused and you’re going to see more productivity.

2. Schedule more frequent check-ins. Be more transparent. 

3. Team = we, not me. If you deem yourself an expert in something you should be able to teach.

How to connect with Angela:

Website: https://thescrummasterfiles.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelajohnsonscrumtrainer/