Store managers are always looking for methods to enhance their team’s efficiency while keeping them engaged and motivated. The rise of workforce management (WFM) systems has been a game-changer for managers. With companies like Legion leading the charge, there’s no better time than now to understand how WFM data can transform your operations and employee experience.

Mining for Gold: Rich Data Generated in WFM Systems

Every day, Legion WFM captures dozens of different data points for each user in the system. When they clock in, pick up an extra shift, or engage with the WFM platform are all easily tracked in Legion. In addition, Legion ingests data from external systems such as point-of-sale and inventory management, making WFM a great place to combine, analyze, and present all this data. Because the data has the daily attention of both managers and frontline workers alike, a more effective ongoing feedback loop between manager and employee can be put into action. There is a vast amount of usable information, including:

• Employee availability and preferences
• Scheduling details and shift swaps
• Time-off requests and approvals
• Real-time attendance and tardiness records
• Clocked hours
• Employee performance metrics
• Historical sales and customer traffic data

The value isn’t just in collecting this data but in using it to make data-driven decisions and create a more engaged and empowered workforce.

Using Workforce Data to Engage the Workforce

In an environment where frontline workers’ tenure is often short, managers can find it challenging to keep employees engaged and stay on top of individual worker performance. Typically, each location has a mix of full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers compounding the challenge for managers. With Legion, managers can:

• Personalize Schedules: No longer are you bound to fixed, unyielding schedules. With Legion WFM insights, you can create schedules that cater to your employees’ availability and preferences while still meeting the needs of the business. This keeps them satisfied and optimizes the workflow in busy and off-peak hours.
• Give Prompt Feedback: Instead of waiting for quarterly reviews, Legion WFM allows you to give timely feedback based on objective data. This helps employees know where they stand and what they can improve upon.
• Promote Fairness: Equitable distribution of shifts, holidays, and peak-time slots becomes achievable. This can reduce potential grievances and boost morale.

Legion’s Performance & Rewards solution provides managers with instant access to the metrics that are important to their business (Figure 1), with an intuitive breakdown of each metric across the employee roster (Figure 2).

Figure 1 – Performance & Rewards Dashboard

 

Figure 2- Performance & Rewards Employee Score Breakdown

 

 

How Managers Can Optimize Using WFM Data Insights

In Legion’s recent survey “2023: State of the Hourly Workforce”, 24% of managers said their biggest challenge was balancing the needs of the business with those of employees. Some team members might perform well in afternoon shifts, while others do best in the mornings. Others may excel in high traffic periods when the pressure is on.

Legion WFM makes it easy to see which sets of metrics match best to which team members, which can provide a variety of benefits:

• Predict Busy Periods: With accurate forecasting, you can anticipate high-traffic times and ensure you’re adequately staffed.
• Reduce Costs: Minimize overtime and understaffing by aligning the workforce with demand.
• Enhance Productivity: Understand your top-performing employees and set benchmarks that motivate others to reach similar standards.

Objective vs. Subjective Data: Why Numbers Don’t Lie

Perceived bias, favoritism, and unfairness in performance assessments can have a negative impact on attrition. With a fast-paced work environment, it can also be challenging for managers to motivate their team members for what may be a short-tenured job. Legion WFM levels the playing field between manager and frontline employee by providing both parties access to the metrics that are important to the business and daily insight into how those metrics are measured for each team member. While subjective opinions have their place, when it comes to evaluating employee performance, objective data shouldn’t be ignored. Here’s why:

• Unbiased Evaluations: Objective data unbiasedly reflects an employee’s performance, eliminating favoritism or unintentional biases.
• Clear KPIs: With clear metrics, employees know what’s expected of them. This clarity promotes efficiency and self-motivation.
• Accurate Feedback: Objective data allows for precise areas of improvement, helping employees grow and evolve in their roles.

Legion: The Next Level in WFM

Legion WFM enables intelligent automation to not only take the headache out of capturing the metrics that matter most to the business but also apply consistent and objective measurements across the employee roster. Managers have instant access to dashboards to monitor employee performance on an ongoing basis which enables a more consistent feedback opportunity. Employees can easily see how they are being measured and adjust their behavior accordingly. Here’s how Legion stands out:

• High Employee Engagement: The intuitive and user-friendly mobile app from Legion is loved by users. It keeps employees engaged, informed, and in control of their schedules.
• Flexible Scheduling Communications: Flexibility is the future. With Legion, communications are predominantly about managing flexible schedules ensuring operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.
• Managers’ Best Friend: Legion makes accessing and interpreting WFM data easy for managers. This means more meaningful interactions with frontline workers, helping them feel valued and understood.

In conclusion, WFM systems, and particularly innovative platforms like Legion, empower store managers to navigate the complexities of today’s retail environment. You can optimize workforce efficiency and keep employees engaged by leveraging the treasure trove of data at your fingertips. As the adage goes, a happy team means happy customers. And in the world of retail, that’s the ultimate win. To learn more about Performance & Rewards and the rest of what Legion has to offer, contact us to schedule a demo.