Late last year we highlighted the benefits of doing a year end review of your business, as a pulse-check on your current operations. Following on from this, let’s talk about the real cost of inefficient workforce management operations, and some things you can implement to fix it. The recruitment industry is fast-paced, and that means efficiency is everything. Despite this, we still hear from many recruitment, staffing, and labour-hire agencies that they are working with old and outdated systems. These processes and systems may seem harmless at a glance, but if you look closer, it will become clear that they’re creating inefficiencies and unnecessary burdens on your team that are actually costing you money and talent.
The Hidden Costs of an Inefficient Workforce Management Workflow
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Time Loss due to Manual Processes
How much time is your team spending on double-entering data, or importing it over multiple systems? Repetitive tasks that could be managed and automated through a simple integration can be eating away at valuable time – time that should be spent on other tasks like finding talent, making placements, and nurturing relationships with your clients. -
Compromised Compliance and Payroll Mistakes
We’ve all seen the articles… every other month there’s a headline about another business being forced to pay back wages. Payroll is already complex enough, so why risk additional errors that could be easily prevented with the right systems in place? Is it worth the potential risk to your bottom line, your business, your reputation? Consider a platform that supports correct award interpretation and keeps you up to date with the constantly changing landscape. -
Poor User Experience
In this business, trust is everything. Clients and candidates alike need to trust that you’re doing the right thing, and their experience using your systems should therefore be a priority. We’re spoiled for choice in this digital world, so a slow or poor user experience is going to be noticed immediately. There are expectations around the onboarding experience, prompt payments, accuracy in your payroll and billing, and efficient communications. A shortfall in any of these areas could potentially lead to a lack of trust, which can damage these important relationships. -
Scalability Slows Down
You want your business to grow, and we want that for you too. There are plenty of areas that need to be prioritised, especially during that start-up phase, if you want an agency that will scale. If you’re busy focusing on manual processes and admin, that’s time you’re not spending on business development and making strategic decisions. An optimised workflow means that you can focus on growth, expansion, and scalability.
How can we Fix It? Automation and Integrated Platforms
The good news is that operational inefficiencies is often one of the easiest things to address and fix. What do we recommend? An automated and fully integrated workforce management solution. How, you ask?
- Seamless Data Integration: Connecting your systems eliminates the need for manual double-entry, reduces time, and saves countless hours.
- Automated Award Interpretation: Set up your award interpretation so it’s automated and you’re not relying on manual calculations in every pay run. This keeps you on top of compliance, and keeps workers happy with accurate payments.
- Real-Time Insights: With connected systems, you have additional visibility of your workforce and all the data that comes with it. With these insights, you can make better informed decisions when it comes to the strategic side of things.
- Smoother User Experiences: Keep your clients and candidates satisfied with better onboarding, accurate payroll and billing, and a better experience overall.
Future-Proof with a Foundation of Technology
We’ve been in the recruitment, staffing, and labour-hire space for the better part of 20 years now, and we’ve seen it all. We know that agencies investing in solutions that are technology-driven are in the best position for long-term success. There will be lows, but on the back of those, we generally see an increase in contingent and temporary workforce numbers – and agencies should be ready to go when this happens. By eliminating operational inefficiencies, your team will be prepared with the tools they need to drive growth and deliver a reliable and exceptional service. They can focus on what they do best – hiring talent.
If you’d like to know more about Astute’s fully integrated workforce management solution, reach out to the team below.