Workforce Management (WFM)

What Does Workforce Management (WFM) Mean?

Workforce management (WFM) is the application of information technologies in business, or the use of applications and other products to analyze, evaluate, and optimize workforce systems.

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Techopedia Explains Workforce Management (WFM)

WFM is often seen as a component of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, as part of overall human resource management.

A wide variety of applications and software products help human resources employees to manage a workforce.

Common elements of WFM include:

  • Payroll and benefits resources

  • Time and attendance tools

  • Performance management components

  • Scheduling tools as well as other

  • Resources for recruiting and talent acquisition

In general, the full range of workforce management tools on the market help those responsible for workforce management to make the right decisions, and to look at a bird’s eye view of the workforce to determine what’s going on, and how things can be optimized.

Although these kinds of tools have innovated the human resources industry, some critics note the limitations and restrictions of these tools in actually projecting outcomes.

The best strategies involve a combination of workforce management tools for analysis, and active management, which involves significant person-to-person interaction.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…