Top 16 software for managing workforce

Workforce management (WFM) is a set of processes involving activities that are meant to help maximize the productivity levels of a workforce.

These workforce management activities include, but are not limited to:

• real-time data collection
• recruiting
• budgeting
• forecasting
• scheduling
• performance management
• human resource management

To make the most out of workforce management processes, it’s always best to automate them — with the help of the right software. So, in this article, we’re going to list the best workforce management software for your business.

But, before we dive deeper into each app, let’s first clarify why workforce management is crucial in the workplace.

The benefits of workforce management tools

With a proper workforce management system, companies can learn about their business metrics. Thanks to business metrics, managers and employers have a better understanding of employee capabilities.

Business metrics help managers figure out the number of workers required to complete a particular task during a set period. For example, knowing business metrics helps managers schedule enough waiters and cooks during busy hours in a restaurant.

Here are the most vital benefits of workforce management software:

• Automated scheduling. Instead of wasting time creating employee work schedules, managers can simply automate this process by using WFM tools.
• Lower employee turnover. Companies that use WFM apps are able to recruit better-targeted candidates. When using WFM tools, organizations have clearer analytics on the hiring process and turnover. As a result, one WFM report shows that employees are more satisfied with their jobs, and they’re less likely to quit.
• Employee and manager self-service. Workers find it easier to request changes to their schedules when they’re using WFM apps. In addition, it’s quicker for managers to check the availability of other employees when someone asks to switch shifts.

Now that we’ve seen the most significant advantages of WFM software, let’s take a look at the top workforce management software on the market.

The best workforce management software for business

With proper workforce management tools, you’ll be able to handle all your crucial business needs, like managing employees, their working hours, absences, payrolls, and schedules without any issues. Since workforce management apps can also help you automate repetitive tasks, you can focus your attention on important assignments.

Clockify

— time tracking and workforce management software

Clockify is a workforce management system that helps you make decisions on how to manage your workforce through the time tracking data you gather.

The system allows you to manage your tasks and employee work hours and then use this data to forecast and better control future project costs.

More specifically, you’ll be able to:

• track the time you spend on tasks and projects in real-time, with a timer,
• add the time you spend on tasks and projects manually, or in a timesheet,
• track PTO, vacations, and sick leave,
• track and then analyze attendance,
• analyze time spent on tasks,
• define hourly rates for the billable time tracked,
• generate and analyze Reports of the billable time tracked, to forecast the total project profitability, and
• have managers and clients track progress with work through saved Reports.

As a result, you’ll be able to eliminate excess paperwork and automate vital company processes, such as the process of calculating payroll.

Standout feature: Self-hosting Clockify and all its features on your own servers, for teams and companies looking for maximum privacy, security, and legal compliance.

Available for: Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome (browser extension), Firefox (browser extension), Edge (browser extension)

Pricing starts at: $0 for the basic features for unlimited time and an unlimited number of users

Skedulo

—  workforce management system for field and deskless teams

Skedulo is a workforce management system built with deskless work in mind. This app helps deskless workers and schedulers be more effective with their job.

With Skedulo, you’ll be able to optimize business travels, dispatch work, and schedule whatever you need, whenever you need it. So, it’s perfect for a field-based workforce.

In addition, you’ll be able to improve your customer experience as you’ll be able to schedule all your appointments based on:

• workforce availability,
• business priorities, and
• other workers’ schedules.

You’ll also be able to handle all the tasks related to different phases of fieldwork, as this software allows you to:

• reach out to more customers and schedule new jobs and appointments,
• get in touch with your mobile employees,
• automatically assign new jobs to employees who are available and qualified for that job,
• book appointments with clients,
• create reports to predict service demand, and
• invoice your clients.

Standout feature: The field or remote workers can communicate among themselves and with their managers through a built-in texting system.

Available for: Windows, MacOS, Linux, web browser, Android, iPhone, iPad

Pricing starts at: Prices are different for “Schedulers” and “Mobile workers”, and you need to book a demo to find out the pricing. There’s a special pricing system for “COVID testing and vaccine administration”, which you can find out if you contact the Skedulo team.

BambooHR

— HR workforce management system

BambooHR is an HR-based workforce management system meant to help you build and implement custom workflows for your team.

This software will help you:

• customize processes,
• handle recruiting,
• give out performance appraisals,
• manage requests for a leave of absence,
• have a central HR database so that you can update employee records,
• send offer letters to the candidates,
• manage onboarding and offboarding, and
• create individual and team-level goals.

Overall, it’s a great tool to help you measure engagement in the workplace, and find elements you could improve on to build a better work culture. This is tied to a personalized and centralized system that keeps all vital employee information in one easily accessible place.

Standout feature: You’ll be able to simplify applicant management and onboarding. The system allows you to keep all candidate-related paperwork, resumes, signed documents, training files, and tax documentation in one place.

Available for: web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Pricing starts at: There’s no info on their official website, but according to G2, pricing starts at $4.95 per employee/per month.

Bitrix24 

— workflow management system with communication options

Bitrix24 comes equipped with a number of features usually associated with workforce management processes, although this is not its main purpose. The highlights include:

• communicating with the team via live feed, chats, phone calls, video calls,
• assigning or delegating tasks within the team,
• tracking time spent on tasks or by using a built-in online time clock,
• creating customer database for your current, past, and future customers,
• using a multi-channel contact center that helps you monitor your customer interactions, and
• building landing pages or online stores.

With this tool, you’ll also be able to automate common workflows and procedures in your company. Here are some examples of workflow automation you can try with Bitrix24:

• automatically sending SMS/email with subscription renewal notices,
• distributing leads by geography, and
• upselling customers who already have purchased something from you.

In addition, you’ll get to enjoy some great communication features:

• group chats
• a video conferencing system
• an audio conferencing system
• a private social network for your company

The listed communication features make Bitrix24 an especially effective workforce management solution for a call center.

Standout feature: A Kanban board, for the fans of the Kanban time management technique, to help you visualize your projects and track task progress.

Available for: web, macOS, Windows, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, Android

Pricing starts at: $0 for the basic features, for unlimited users

Dayforce

— human capital management and workforce management platform

Dayforce is an HCM platform focused on HR, workforce management, and other fields. This app comes from Ceridian software company.

Specifically, you’ll also be able to:

• access and audit data during the pay cycle, so that you can ensure more accurate payrolls,
• keep employee records with all significant data about them, like performance and benefits,
• set up and edit employee schedules,
• ensure your company is compliant with current laws and regulations, and
• track time and attendance.

In addition, Dayforce provides you with the Dayforce Wallet feature, so that you can manage employee payroll easily and give them access to earned wages on demand.

Standout feature: Setting up warnings that will flag all unplanned scheduling issues, like overstaffing scenarios.

Available for: Web, iPhone, iPad, Android

Pricing starts at: Information not available publically

UKG Dimensions

—  global workforce management software

UKG Dimensions is an app that comes from the UKG corporation, which is a rebranded identity founded by Kronos and Ultimate Software.

With UKG Dimensions, you’ll be able to:

• have separate ways of tracking time and attendance, for salaried and hourly employees,
• manage employee schedules,
• manage employee absence,
• keep an eye on workforce data analytics.

Apart from UKG Dimensions, there’s the UKG Pro — a tool that focuses on human capital management, as well as UKG Ready — a software that covers areas such as HR, talent, and payroll.

Standout feature: Many users highlight the analytics, as well as the timecards, which are easy to use.

Available for: web, iPhone, iOS, Android

Pricing starts at: Information not available publically

Dialfire

– cloud-based call center software

Dialfire is a cloud-based workforce management software that lets you streamline all the workflow in a call center. And all that, by turning your browser into a fully-featured call center.

You’ll be able to speed up your calls with a:

• predictive dialer that helps agents dial numbers and make calls faster,
• call blending option that helps you combine your inbound calls with outbound campaigns, and
• custom forms that speed up the process of getting the needed information.

In addition, you’ll be able to improve your productivity and effectiveness by conducting real-time analytics, as well as recording calls to find elements to improve on in the future.

You’ll even be able to facilitate the training of new agents. There’s an option to silently listen to their ongoing calls and then help them by sending messages, to help close deals.

Furthermore, you’ll get to create, implement, and track new custom call campaigns to analyze their success.

Standout feature: You’ll be able to sub-contract other call centers to share campaign tasks.

Available for: Web

Pricing starts at: Connection pricing depends on the country you want to call. For example, if you make calls to the USA, the price of the US landline would be $0.0104/min for the outbound call. Find out more about their pricing on Dialfire’s website.

Deputy

– workforce management platform focused on employee engagement

Deputy is a great workforce tool that lets you handle workforce management by making improvements in the department of employee engagement.

This software helps you improve employee engagement by helping you:

• build better work schedules,
• record working hours and verify employees’ timesheets,
• track time during shifts,
• allow shifts swapping,
• manage performance ratings and feedback, and
• improve workplace communication.

With Deputy, you’ll also be able to set a limit on how many hours employees can work per day or week, thus, avoid employee fatigue and overtime.

Moreover, you’ll be able to do it for both remote and field workers: all schedule and new shift notifications are sent via mobile devices.

To make sure everything goes according to plan, you can also use the integrated team communication system.

Standout feature: You’ll be able to give performance appraisals and identify high-performance workers eligible for more work and promotions.

Available for: Web, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Android

Pricing starts at: $2.50 per user/month for the “Scheduling” and “Time & Attendance” packages, and $4.50 per user/month for the “Premium” package.

NICE Workforce Management (WFM) Suite

– workforce management tool

NICE WFM is an intelligent cloud-based workforce management platform. This software is focused on upgrading the work of contact centers.

With this app, you can:

• improve your long-term hiring plans,
• prevent overstaffing or understaffing in your company,
• allow agents to choose their preferred schedules,
• manage employee absences,
• motivate agents by choosing top performers, and
• allow agents to change shifts themselves.

Moreover, this tool helps you learn what your agents need in order to hit performance targets.

Standout feature: The Time Off Manager feature covers information about the hours including Holiday, Accrued, and Comp time.

Available for: web, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android

Pricing starts at: Information not available publically

Paylocity

— HR and payroll tools

Paylocity is an HR and online payroll software. This app also provides you with options such as employee self-service and compliance management.

This software lets you:

• automate payroll processes and stay compliant with taxes,
• track time and attendance,
• create and edit schedules,
• use Compliance dashboard to keep up with all compliance data,
• manage recruiting and onboarding process,
• provide employees with regular feedback, and
• help employees get early wages with the “On demand payment”.

In addition, employers and managers can plan employee benefits packages, then allow employees to view their benefits.

Standout feature: Community is a social collaboration feature that works as a central company info page. This option allows employees to communicate and see all the important announcements.

Available for: Android, iPad, iPhone

Pricing starts at: Although there isn’t any official pricing information on their website, many other sites claim that pricing starts at $2 to $4 per employee or contractor per month.

ADP

— human capital management solution

ADP is a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) software. This app is a perfect solution for your HR, payroll, talent, time, and tax needs.

The most crucial options of ADP are:

• time and attendance tracking,
• creating schedules and reviewing actual vs. scheduled hours,
• managing employee benefits and business insurance,
• retirement services and planning, and
• outsourcing some or all of your HR duties.

If you’re running a small business (up to 50 employees), the most suitable choice for you is the

RUN Powered by ADP. On the other hand, ADP is a better choice for mid-sized and large

companies.

Standout feature: ADP is quite convenient to use. Plus, this software provides you with a 24/7 support service.

Available for: Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, iMessage

Pricing starts at: There isn’t any official pricing list on their website, so you’ll need to contact their sales team to get prices. According to the Merchant Maverick review, if you have 10-15 employees, you’ll pay $160.

Humanity

— employee scheduling software

Humanity is a tool for employee shift scheduling. Apart from simply scheduling, this app ensures that your schedules are compliant with federal, state, and local regulations.

With Humanity, employees can:

• easily trade shifts and pick up open shifts,
• request time off, and
• clock in and out.

At the same time, this app allows managers to:

• find a replacement for workers who aren’t available for shifts,
• make sure that the company follows rules such as hours worked, time between shifts, and break frequency, and
• export employee timesheets for payroll.

Standout feature: Employees can see updates about their shifts in real-time. Besides, users agree that this app is straightforward to use.

Available for: Android, iPhone, iPad

Pricing starts at: $3 per user/per month ($80/mo minimum)

Rippling

—  employee management platform

Rippling is among the top employee management software on the market. This app allows users to automate the onboarding and offboarding process, but also take care of their tasks and payroll needs.

This tool is meant to help you:

• approve and run payroll for your employees and contractors,
• create a custom PTO policy for your company, so workers can easily request time off,
• make custom reports,
• manage all employee benefits, such as health insurance, dental insurance, and 401(k), and,
• keep all the relevant company information in one place, so that you won’t miss someone’s birthday or work anniversaries.

This app also allows you to organize courses for your team by adding the course, creating enrollment rules, and tracking progress.

Standout feature: With this software, you’ll be able to run payroll with ease because Rippling syncs your business’s HR data with payroll. Therefore, you don’t have to enter data manually.

Available for: web-based, Android, iOS

Pricing starts at: $8 a month, per user

Paycor 

— human capital management software

Paycor is an HCM tool that you can also use for payroll and workforce management. In addition, this app helps you encourage employees to share their thoughts about your organization.

With Paycor, you’ll be able to:

• review and store employee information in one place,
• let employees update their personal details on their own,
• take care of your recruiting and onboarding tasks,
• track your and the time of your employees by punching in and out and using time dashboards,
• gather employee feedback by creating pulse surveys,
• create and manage employee schedules, and
• reduce labor costs by predicting expenses.

Aside from these options, you can also define specific responsibilities for each role in the company, so that workers know exactly what they need to do.

Standout feature: Onboarding is quite easy because Paycor allows new employees to register and enter all the necessary information before their first day at work.

Available for: Mac, Windows, web browser, iPhone, iPad, Android

Pricing starts at: $99 monthly plus, $5 per employee per month (for small businesses that have up to 50 employees)

Five9

— cloud contact center solution

Five9 is a cloud contact center platform that enables you to centralize your workflow in a call center. With this app, you’ll be able to interact with your customers via channels like voice, SMS, chat, email, social, video, and more.

Here’s how this app can improve your relationship with customers:

• agents can use a single screen to do their job because all the applications are shown in one place,
• customers can get connected with live agents,
• managers can collect customer satisfaction feedback,
• leaders can use CRM Integrations with apps like Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft, Oracle, and Zendesk, and
• managers can create games that will motivate agents, plus, you’ll reward their productivity this way.

In addition, leaders can use “Supervisor desktops” to coach agents, monitor key metrics, and manage teams.

Standout feature: This app ensures flexibility because it provides you with several ways to communicate with your customers. Besides, Five9 allows you to create detailed reports, which will help you find out more about metrics like Abandon Rates and Average Speed of Answer.

Available for: web, macOS, iPhone, iPad

Pricing starts at: Information not available publically, but some sites claim that the pricing starts at $100,00 per month.

Workday HCM

— human capital management tool

Workday HCM is a workforce management tool that can help you manage your employees and align teams with the company’s goals.

With this app, you’ll be able to:

• handle employee payroll,
• submit and analyze all your expenses,
• manage compensation and benefits for your employees,
• track your time by checking in and out,
• track employee absence, and
• automate repetitive tasks.

Moreover, this tool is suitable for educational purposes, too. With this option, educators can manage curriculum, while students are able to use options like signing up for seminars.

Standout feature: An option to give and receive feedback within the tool.

Available for: iPhone, iPad, Android

Pricing starts at:  Information not available publically;