In 2023, employers are projected to shell out more for labor, with a predicted average salary increase of 4.1%—the highest since 2008. This increase is attributed to the dwindling pool of workers without college degrees, pushing blue-collar employers to up their game.
Implementing human capital management systems allows businesses to manage this evolving labor cost effectively, ensuring that their budget allocations align with their strategic goals.
At the same time, blue-collar employers are being pressured to deliver benefits traditionally reserved for white-collar jobs, such as career guidance, education, paid parental leave, and flexible hours.
Particularly noteworthy is the shift towards flexible hours, a benefit typically associated with remote or hybrid work. Employers can effortlessly manage these flexible schedules through workforce management software, ensuring that operations run smoothly despite the shift in work arrangements.
Overall, larger employers are planning to increase their investment in new HR technology by an average of 21% in 2023, according to a survey by Sapient Insights. The focus is upgrading recruiting, online learning, analytics software, and payroll, time, and attendance systems. This investment surge further highlights HR technology's growing significance in blue-collar industries.
The Role of HR Tools in Blue Collar Industries
With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, there's an increasing need for tech-savvy workers. This necessitates the effective management of the workforce, ensuring that employees are not only available but also appropriately skilled for their roles.
At the same time, the worker supply is dwindling while demand continues to grow. Retail, mining, construction, and logistics industries face the challenge of maintaining a robust workforce despite the supply-demand mismatch. Here, HR tools can be a beacon, providing insights into labor market trends and helping manage the delicate balance between supply and demand.
At the same time, best-in-class HR software enables continuous feedback.
Employee Engagement Tools, often part of HR platforms, facilitate real-time interaction with the workforce, offering a pulse on their sentiments, needs, and pain points. This continuous dialogue fosters a more engaged and satisfied workforce, leading to increased retention.
Now that we've explored the role of HR tools let's look at how personnel management software impacts the recruitment and hiring process.
Recruitment and Hiring
Imagine a world where you could predict with near-perfect accuracy which employees will likely leave in the next six months. That's not science fiction—it's what IBM's chief executive claims their firm can do using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.
This is the power of HR technology: it's transforming hiring from a reactive process to a proactive one.
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), a key component of personnel management software, are streamlining the hiring process. These systems help manage job postings, sort through applications, and track candidates throughout the hiring process. In an era of high worker demand and low supply, an ATS can expedite the hiring process, ensuring that companies can quickly onboard new hires to meet their labor needs.
But hiring doesn't end with selecting the right candidate. Onboarding software ensures a smooth transition for new hires, getting them up to speed faster and enhancing their initial experience with the company. By improving the onboarding process, companies can boost new hire productivity, increase retention, and improve overall employee satisfaction.
Employee Training and Development
Employers are now offering traditionally white-collar benefits to blue-collar workers, a trend that's gaining momentum. HR systems are leading the charge, facilitating this shift and revolutionizing employee training and development.
Learning Management Systems, an essential component of HR tools, help tailor, track, and evaluate training programs. This personalization allows employees to upskill at their own pace, leading to higher job satisfaction and retention rates. Similarly, aligning training with the company's strategic goals becomes a cakewalk, driving overall productivity and effectiveness.
But it's not just about the present. It's about future-proofing your workforce.
Skills gaps are widening in many blue-collar industries, and HR technology offers a lifeline. It identifies these gaps and aids in bridging them.
With this, we're only scratching the surface of how HR technology is reshaping the blue-collar landscape.
Time and Attendance Management
From the hustle and bustle of a construction site to the rhythmic assembly line of a factory, time is of the essence in blue-collar industries. And HR systems?
They are the new timekeepers in town.
Keeping track of work hours and attendance can be a headache-inducing task in industries with varied shifts. Enter Time and Attendance Systems, an HR tool feature that ensures every second counts.
These systems automate the tracking process, reduce errors, and provide real-time insights into employee attendance. The result is a more streamlined operation, fewer disputes, and improved efficiency. And let's not forget the bonus - they free up time for HR personnel to focus on more strategic tasks.
From training and development to time management, it's clear that HR tools are indispensable. Next, we'll dive into how these tools are transforming yet another facet of the blue-collar industry - compliance.
Enhanced HR Compliance
In an ever-changing regulatory landscape, keeping up with compliance can be a daunting task. But with the aid of HR technology, this seemingly Herculean task can be streamlined. In the face of shifting laws and regulations, personnel management systems, embedded functions, and dedicated compliance programs can be leveraged to ensure that organizations stay within the lines of legality.
A wide variety of laws and regulations can be navigated more efficiently with these technologies. They can help companies meet the reporting requirements of significant legislation like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). HR software also aids in compliance with regulations under the purview of the EEOC, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Also, handling leave management, a complex task often involving many federal and state regulations, can be greatly simplified. HR software can streamline the administration of FMLA, short-term disability, military duty, jury duty, and bereavement leave.
It also helps companies track employees' eligibility to work in the United States, a requirement under immigration laws.
Payroll and Benefits Administration
Compensating employees accurately and on time is more than just a good business practice; it's a matter of respect and fairness. Payroll software transforms this complex process into a few clicks of a button, reducing the chances of errors that can lead to costly fines and disgruntled workers. Plus, it can handle all types of compensation, whether it's hourly wages, salaries, overtime, or bonuses, ensuring that everyone gets their due.
In tandem with this, benefits administration systems also play a pivotal role in blue-collar industries. These tools simplify employee benefits management, a task that can otherwise be convoluted and time-consuming.
By providing a platform for employees to view, understand, and select their benefits, these systems ensure that nothing gets lost in translation.
With these powerful tools in your arsenal, you're streamlining your HR processes and improving your relationship with your employees.
Streamline the Re-Onboarding Process
A recent trend that has gained traction is reboarding or re-onboarding employees post-pandemic. This entails re-familiarizing employees with the organization's culture and their team, a task made easier by utilizing an efficient employee database for onboarding.
With hybrid models shaping the future of work, guiding employees through work schedules, communication tools, and necessary documentation becomes essential. An employee database can centralize this information, allowing for seamless access and reducing the potential for misunderstandings or misinformation.
Recognizing that everyone responded to the pandemic differently, onboarding plans should consider unique stressors that employees might have experienced. Planning individual discussions as soon as possible is one way to support employees transitioning back to the office, whether full-time or part-time.
Safety and Risk Management
HR systems are instrumental in managing safety training. Through these platforms, employers can automate training processes, ensuring every employee receives consistent and thorough instruction. Once this system is in place, employers can easily assign courses to employees, track their progress, and record their completion of safety training modules.
But it's not just about delivering the safety training – it's about making it accessible. Many blue-collar workers don't sit at a desk with constant access to a computer. This is where mobile technology comes in.
Modern HR systems are mobile-friendly, allowing workers to access safety training right from their smartphones. This availability makes it easier for employees to complete training at their convenience, increasing the likelihood that they'll engage with and absorb the material.
Using HR systems in safety and risk management isn't just a good-to-have – it's a must. With the right tools, companies can better protect their employees and promote a safety culture.
As we move to the concluding section, let's recap why HR technology is an indispensable asset for blue-collar industries and why more organizations should consider embracing these solutions.
HR Software for Blue-Collar Employers
In an era where digital transformation is disrupting traditional business models, HR cloud solutions offer a powerful tool to blue-collar industries, enabling them to meet the challenges of the evolving workforce. These solutions, ranging from applicant tracking systems to HR analytics tools, are transforming how companies hire, manage, and retain their employees.
Payroll software and benefits administration systems have turned once intimidating tasks into manageable ones, ensuring employees are compensated accurately and on time. Onboarding software enhances the experience for new hires, setting the stage for a successful employment journey.
Similarly, workforce management systems streamline tracking employee hours and attendance, a critical function in blue-collar industries where shift work is expected.
HR technology in blue-collar industries is no longer a luxury but a necessity in today's competitive business landscape. By harnessing the power of HR software, you can optimize your blue-collar HR practices, improving your efficiency and bottom line.
