Workforce management, in a nutshell, is simply the managing of a workforce to make it as productive as possible. However, workforce management, when broken down, is actually made up of several processes and techniques.
Over the years, business owners have used multiple approaches to ensure that employees offer their best. In all of these approaches, the key focus has always been on figuring out individual capabilities and managing expectations. This is the secret behind creating a workforce that is productive and more importantly, satisfied.
However, things aren’t that easy. Managers have to often walk a very fine line between getting the most out of employees and keeping them happy or satisfied. This means managers have to assess the immediate situation, gain multiple perspectives, and make a suitable decision.
This may not be too complex when dealing with a small workforce. But, what happens when the workforce expands? Well, naturally, the manager cannot rely on his/her own cognitive abilities and must resort to using various tools.
Technology and decision making
Just take a look back and you’ll see how technology has enabled managers to make decisions that benefit the business, as well as the employee. For instance, transactional systems automated processes and reduced the volume of work. They also ensured compliance by enforcing rules consistently.
However, the problem was that these systems often produced a high amount of data that only confused managers further. Once again, human limitations got in the way. Ultimately, managers resorted to making decisions the old way, rendering these technological tools redundant.
What’s been missing all these years is the contextual interpretation necessary to make accurate decisions. This contextual understanding is what draws the line between “possible solutions” and “the right solution”.
Human cognitive abilities, though versatile and creative, lack the objectivity necessary for accurate and sustainable decisions. They create biases and eventually end up catering to individual interests.
AI as the solution
AI or Artificial Intelligence is turning out to be just the thing needed to address the issue. AI can process extremely high volumes of data and interpret that data to deliver objective decisions. More importantly, it can provide the contextual interpretation necessary to create outcomes that are favourable to all.
AI systems use logic to analyze and process data. But, they are also designed to mimic human thinking, which allows them to choose the most viable option out of several possibilities. They observe patterns in the data to acquire insights and they refer to these insights to provide solutions.
AI is also superior when it comes to the scale and speed at which they offer these solutions. Needless to say, it’s pretty clear why AI adoption would be a boon for workforce management.
