Workforce optimization (WFO) can sometimes feel a bit like Whac-a-Mole. Solving for one efficiency gap only to have another one poke its head up where you least expect it. While smashing objects with a mallet might seem like a cathartic solution to any problem, that behavior is typically frowned upon in an office environment and is rarely effective at improving WFO.
The more realistic way to achieve WFO requires a more intricate approach. One that involves employing a variety of strategies and practices with the aim of improving both employee and organizational efficiency while reducing operational costs through the effective use of data.
The Academy to Innovate HR talks about WFO this way:
The objective is to streamline the processes between every department and employee to maximize results. For example, in Formula One (F1), all teams have pretty much the same setup and cars. The teams that usually come on top are the ones that are able to optimize all the teams, cars, drivers, mechanics, engineers, and departments to win.
When one element of an F1 team isn’t firing on all cylinders (pun intended) it can slow down the entire operation, and in some instances can cause the mission to crash and burn.
HR and People Ops teams play a pivotal role in an organization’s ability to workforce plan and optimize output, and just like in F1, if you’re trying to succeed but have blindspots in your process you’re fighting for second place. And in the words of racing icon Ricky Bobby, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
How Leaves of Absence Cause Workforce Planning Blind Spots
Traditional methods for managing leaves of absence involve manual, non-scalable processes that make the accurate tracking of your leaves cumbersome and clunky. And while we could (and have) wax poetic ad infinitum on how modern leave management software like Tilt can optimize your personal workflow, when it comes to optimizing your organization’s workforce, a lack of automation and transparency in your leave management process puts your leaders behind the wheel of a car with mud on the windshield.
HR teams managing leaves without a comprehensive platform that puts all impacted parties on the same page leads directly to leave data disconnects in your process.
Without real-time updates to things like leave start and stop dates (because those can shift like the wind blows) and education around leave benefits, it becomes nearly impossible for managers to effectively and efficiently plan for gaps in their workforce. This can lead to employee burnout trying to pick up the slack, missed deadlines, and unsatisfied clients.
How Modern Leave Management Software Improves Workforce Optimization
Modern leave management software like Tilt removes workforce planning blindspots so that your organization can take every twist and turn caused by a leave of absence at the apex.
Optimizing your workforce planning to handle the unpredictable nature of leave (i.e. when they occur, the type of leave, and the duration) requires sophisticated software that automates your tracking and provides the level of transparency required to plan your WFO effectively.
Tilt’s HR dashboard is your data center for all things leave at your organization.
You have complete access into real-time data for all leaves occurring within your organization at any given time. You can dive into any particular leave as well to get more specific information for an individual leave.
Say goodbye to the blindspots manually updating spreadsheets used to cause for good:
Managers also get a dashboard in Tilt that provides real-time information on their employees’ leave of absence throughout the entirety of their leave journey.
From educating them on the benefits that apply to the leave to providing the most up-to-date details on leave dates, this dashboard gives them the accurate information needed to make informed workforce planning decisions to meet their business objectives.
Tilt gives you and your employee population the ability to navigate leave gaps with ease and optimize your workforce planning efforts by increasing visibility and accuracy into every leave. With every team member on the same page, you’ll be in pole position before the race even gets started.
Benefits of Tilt’s Workforce Planning Insights
Trying to leverage your legacy systems and processes for your leave of absence management solution can have a negative impact on your business operations for myriad reasons.
When it comes to optimizing your workforce in the wake of a leave of absence (or 5), your organization is driving blind if you don’t have a modern solution to maximize the output of your employee population.
With Tilt, you can reap the benefits of automation and clarity with simple-to-use software that boosts your organizational output with ease.
Increased efficiency and productivity – With Tilt, you’re able to have a comprehensive, real-time snapshot of employee gaps and leave statuses. This gives your org the power to manage customer demands effectively and gives you the insight needed to determine if there’s a need to cross-train existing employees or to hire temporary staff.
A more efficient workforce is a more productive and happy workforce.
Lower costs and increased savings – When your employees request leaves, Tilt helps you avoid understaffing (and overstaffing) where you may lose business on bad customer service or fail to complete deliverables.
Having the appropriate amount of staff to meet your business goals reduces burnout, increases employee satisfaction, and boosts your retention rates to avoid costs associated with replacing employees.
New opportunities – Not only does Tilt free up time and lower your operational costs, but it also creates opportunities for cross-training existing employees. With transparency into workforce planning, you and the other leaders in your organization can leverage leave data from Tilt to create internal career movement as new opportunities appear with gaps.
Introducing Tilt’s leave software into your leave management process gives you the level of automation and transparency that provides real-time guidance and actionable insights for your organization’s WFO goals.
A better leave management solution is a better workforce management solution. See how Tilt can make your leave experience a positive one, your employee’s leave experience a supported one, and your workforce planning an optimized one.
About Tilt
Tilt is leading the charge in all things leave of absence management through easy-to-use tech and human touch. Since 2017, our proprietary platform and Empathy Warriors have been helping customers make leave not suck by eliminating administrative burdens, keeping companies compliant, and providing a truly positive and supportive leave of absence experience for their people.
