

"71% of the employees surveyed would like more flexible working hours. 62% of those surveyed are also of the opinion that flexible working hours would increase their productivity".
Source: Study by the ADP Research Institute, 2023
The change in employees’ expectations of working hours is a unique opportunity to make personnel planning more employee-friendly and future-oriented: More autonomy, the right to have a say and employee appreciation in personnel planning are becoming increasingly important guarantors of success for a good work-life balance. But can this balance be achieved equally in all sectors?
Especially in service centers, the work-life balance seems to be more difficult to achieve than in other office jobs. The industry often has to contend with the following challenges:
These factors make the work-life balance considerably more difficult. This is why participatory workforce planning is becoming increasingly important. In contrast to traditional “top-down planning”, this approach allows employees to have a greater say and promotes their satisfaction and productivity.
The most effective way to implement this collaborative approach is to use a workforce management system. A WFM combines workforce scheduling, working time recording, absence management, KPI reporting and much more in one central location. Planners and employees benefit from many advantages:
Many companies fear that participative planning will take control away from them or that shifts will remain unfilled. However, this concern is unfounded. WFM systems such as opcycWFM ensure that all shift schedules are planned in accordance with the law (taking into account rest periods, maximum working hours, break times, etc.) and managers retain the final approval authority. It is important to emphasize that participatory planning only takes place within the guidelines established by the company. This maintains control while giving employees more autonomy and flexibility.
See for yourself and book your preferred date for a non-binding online demo and experience how easy and effective the transformation of your HR processes can be with opcycWFM.