Managing a Global Workforce

Effective management solutions reduce labor costs. They increase productivity and meet with international labor laws that may be complex while also meeting employee expectations. 

The expansion of online markets and services has been driving the need for global workforce management. This is true among both multi and international companies, service providers and manufacturers alike. This reality has been changing the needs for HR management software.

Trans and multi-national corporations have always felt the need to control costs for labor while improving productivity in order to prevent the loss of business to foreign competitors. As these markets are changing with ever-new markets emerging in nations like India and China, the labor issues generate an even greater need for workforce management systems in order to give them visibility, productivity and lower labor costs for worldwide production facilities. 

With this international expansion of a more unified world labor force, challenges are compounded by complexities of compliance because there is an ever-increasing array of employee expectations, international labor laws both old and new--in more and more of the developing countries and their subsequent economies.

Every manufacturer or service organization knows that compliance can be simplified by engaging automated systems. Upgrading HR management software to support this expansion serves to open greater opportunity by improving productivity, opportunities, pay, benefits and other necessary elements that serve to retain top talent and grow the company's bottom line.

Successful global workforce management solutions depend heavily on owning a clear understanding of these unique cultural and currency differences. There are also regulatory variations and sometimes language barriers as well. 

Upgrading your HR management software can help any large company better meet and better understand all of these variations and challenges. Cultural expectations can change from country to country and so does the role or expectation the worker may have about what is expected during job performance. Job descriptions and job accomplishment processes can be streamlined in new ways and data can be disseminated in a blazing-fast manner these days when automated systems are assisting the talents of a skilled HR director. 

When performance expectations are optimized and across-the-system training has unified expectations and performance results-- efficiency is produced. Efficiency is the mother-of-all cost savings and this can mean huge dividends for any major company managing a global workforce.

Anytime expectations have significant impacts on the success and development of workforce management, roles need to be more clearly defined, and operational processes need to be outlined.

If a transnational company has hierarchical structures with rigidity that defines roles, responsibilities and job performance and operators are empowered with decision making authority--far fewer benefits will be realized. Results have shown that horizontally organized business implementation structures are far more effective, because they empower those who know their jobs to make the decisions that affect the work they are doing directly.

Competent HR directors understand the vast implications of upgrading to HR management software that truly supports all the aspects of greater automation within these complex markets and environments. These companies are learning that they need to use the tools new technology has been driving into finer and finer versions of what works out in the everyday workforce, especially when it spans countries and continents.

It is much easier to establish a healthy corporate culture than to change one once it has become established. Striking the right balance between standardization and localization is exactly what must be done, and often it can be accomplished within the process of making HR management software upgrades.

If you're not sure if this upgrade is what your company needs, just consult with an HR Software specialist today. 

About the Author
Anthony Kelly is a frequent contributor to compareHRIS and PEOcompare. compareHRIS provides reviews and information on HRIS companies such as Ceridian, Ultipro, and ECI empower.