Hotels across the globe are embracing technology to tackle one of their toughest challenges. Managing a dynamic, diverse workforce. With workforce management software a primary part of the hotel tech stack, 70% of executives are investing in such technology to automate operations and boost efficiency. With high staff turnover, fluctuating demand- and the growing complexity of operations, workforce management is more critical than ever.
Hotel workforce management refers to the systems, tools and processes used by hospitality businesses to schedule, track, pay and support employees across departments. Today’s integrated workforce management software provides more than just scheduling. They provide AI-driven features such as automated time tracking, streamlined communication between employees and managers and proper staffing coverage and compliance.
In addition to the workforce being the largest controllable expense for most hospitality businesses, when properly implemented, the right software can take an unorganized workforce and transform it into an organized one. That organization can help make any hotel capable of providing impeccable guest service. Here, we explore ways in which hotel workforce management software works to optimize hospitality operations.
The quickest win for many hotels using their hotel workforce software is managing day-to-day tasks. Managers can assign employee tasks, rank them by priority and monitor each one in a single application. In addition to improving room turnaround time, hotels have reported improvements in cleaning schedules and a reduction in missed requests after adopting automated workforce management systems.
For example, consider a mid-size hotel that uses a standalone mobile app system to manage its housekeeping staff. Supervisors can view real-time room status, check whether a VIP has checked into their room before check-in time, re-assign tasks and escalate any urgent situations.
Best platforms to consider: Metasphere TaskHub, Actabl, Unifocus, HotelSmarters
The manual processing of payroll creates unnecessary time consumption and also exposes employers to the potential for error. Many workforce management platforms have the ability to track employee hours and automatically calculate hours worked, overtime, shift differentials and tips earned by employees. Some offer the capability to synchronize with their company’s accounting system, helping to eliminate bottlenecks and redundancies and minimize the risk of wage discrepancies.
The Pelican Hotel is the perfect case study. Its adoption of Fourth, an integrated workforce management system, helped cut in half the amount of time they were spending on processing payroll. The platform automated all manual payroll processes, improving their ability to track employee work hours and data accuracy. In short, payroll processing was reduced from four days to just a few hours.
Best platforms for payroll: Rippling, Fourth, Netchex, Actabl
Without a centralized management system to track linens, minibar items, maintenance supplies, and other items across the property, inventory can become a logistical challenge, with thousands of items being tracked by hand. Modern inventory systems enable hotels to gain instant visibility into what is on hand, manage automated re-order points- and avoid the expense of excess inventory and the financial penalty of running out of an item. This type of system has also helped hotels better manage costs and reduce waste, particularly for perishable food and beverage items.
Consider a hotel that implements automated tracking for rollaway beds, cribs- and maintenance supplies. Staff can easily see where items are located, rooms they’re assigned to- and when they’re due back. For example, a leading hotel chain that deployed an IoT-based inventory system achieved a 20% reduction in waste and a 15% increase in inventory accuracy.
Best platforms for inventory management: SiteMinder, TotalCtrl, FutureLog, Cloudbeds, Quore
Data generated by workforce management systems is transforming the way hotels operate through built in analytic tools. With the help of AI-optimized features and greater workflow automation, the data analytics side of these platforms allow for real-time tracking of labor costs, productivity, scheduling efficiency and overtime patterns. The insights gained provide hotel managers with a basis for making informed decisions based on target KPIs versus just using their instincts.
Hotels using AI powered analytics have seen an average of a 25% increase in revenue per available room (RevPAR) within 3-6 months of deploying the analytics technology. Using predictive analytics allows hotels to be able to anticipate when staff will need to work based on the hotels occupancy trends and therefore be able to avoid bottlenecks in scheduling. Additionally, it allows hotels to identify and flag unusual patterns such as excessive overtime in certain departments.
Best platforms for data analysis: NetSuite, HotelIQ, Lighthouse, Spotfire, Little Hotelier
The compliance requirements under labor laws are increasingly complicated as a result of evolving regulations regarding overtime, meal breaks, predictive scheduling- and wages. A hotel’s workforce management system can help automatically track all compliance metrics, alert you to potential non-compliance issues- and create reports ready for audits. The system stores a complete history of schedule changes, time-off requests and employee confirmations of receipt.
For instance, research on overtime management in employee scheduling demonstrates a reduction in overtime violations of 45-60% within the first 6 months after implementation. Managers can be alerted by these systems when an employee is approaching overtime limits, missing required breaks or working shifts that violate state and/or local scheduling laws. Automated policy management allows hotel management to ensure that employees acknowledge updates to safety protocols, brand standards and regulatory requirements as they occur and provides an auditable trail for both government inspectors and insurance companies.
Best platforms for compliance reporting: CMX1, Mitratech, LLumin, ZenGRC, KPA
The lack of a shared system for coordinating departmental schedules causes inefficiency and miscommunications among hotel staff. Real-time views into all of an organization’s event, meeting, employee availability and departmental activities provides clarity on whether there is overlap between events, or if employees will be available to work during scheduled events.
Live updates mean any changes to the schedule are immediately visible to all relevant team members. Managers can set different permission levels for each team member, so while everyone accesses the same calendar system, they only see or manage what’s relevant to their role. Color-coded visuals help staff quickly identify different types of events, task assignments- and resource allocations at a glance.
Best platforms for shared calendars: Demand Calendar, Turneo, Sirvoy, GraceSoft
Texting, calling and using bulletin boards results in fragmented communication and a loss of coordination among hotel staff. Hotel workforce management software allows for centralized communication among all hotel staff via its messaging capabilities, as well as the ability to create shift notes and announce events/updates to all hotel staff. This allows for quick dissemination of information from department heads, and enables hotel staff to provide shift handoff notes so that guests are served effectively during transition times.
By providing a digital hub for communication, the need for departmental communication silos is eliminated and all front desk, housekeeping, maintenance and management staff are able to communicate via a unified platform. Hotel staff will have the ability to look at employee directories to quickly find out who is responsible for completing a specific task. Mobile access of these platforms ensures workers receive critical updates even when they’re on the floor serving guests.
Best platforms for team communication: Oneteam, Pebb, Relay, Quore, Beekeeper
Manual scheduling takes hours out of every week- and there are many times during the week when there is either a gap in coverage or excessive staff on hand. Smart automated scheduling uses algorithms to determine which employees have what type of certification (if necessary), their seniority and personal preferences to create an optimal schedule.
Automated smart scheduling also minimizes labor costs because it utilizes forecasting data to determine how many employees are needed to complete a task versus using a manager’s instinct. Employees are given the ability to access self-service portals that allow them to request time off, take available open shifts- and/or trade shifts with other employees based upon managerial approval. The system sends notifications to managers when there is no one scheduled to work a shift and/or when an employee is approaching their maximum amount of overtime allowed.
Best platforms for automated schedules: Teambridge, Unifocus, EmpMonitor, Fourth, ShiftForce
Hotel workforce management software delivers incredible value, but only when supported by reliable, high-performance connectivity. Blueprint RF specializes in managed network solutions designed exclusively for the hospitality industry, providing the robust infrastructure that keeps systems running.
With 24/7 support, real-time monitoring through our intuitive dashboard, and customized WiFi networks built specifically for your property, we ensure your workforce technology and guest services never skip a beat. As a trusted partner to major hotel brands throughout the U.S. and Canada, we deliver the connectivity foundation that modern hospitality operations depend on. Get in touch to learn more.
