In the retail industry, there are a lot of things to juggle when it comes to workforce management. There are office and shop-floor staff working different shifts, some full-time, others part-time, and additional seasonal staff when needed. All that time and attendance and payroll tracking is time intensive for management, taking precious time away from important other duties that increase sales and profits.

But there is some good news, times are changing and there are solutions that help manage workforces effectively. Keeping on top of your sales and workforce has never been easier thanks to modern time and attendance management systems and HR managers. Pull all your key information into one central database, allowing for easy scheduling, reporting and forecasting.

Time and attendance software for the retail industry

Here are 3 ways that introducing time and attendance systems will help you drive efficiency and profit.

1. Meet workforce needs and centralise management  – Nothing about retail is consistent. You have peaks and troughs in your trading. A shop, for example, will have busy days like Saturdays dwarfing a quieter Monday or Tuesday. Further, you have busier times of day, such as mid-week lunchtimes for town or city centre stores. Using HR software means all of your workforce data is centralised so you can handle all your HR issues in one place, even if you have multiple outlets.

Time and attendance software keeps track of everything for you: when your team is working and for how long. It’s scalable to adjust automatically for your peak periods, tailored to the unique needs of your business.

2. Reduce payroll errors and customise reports – Undertaking payroll work is time-consuming, but you have to be 100% accurate, or it could impact the morale or financial welfare of your staff. Our time and attendance software integrates seamlessly with our payroll solution, working for salaried or hourly full-time and part-time workers. Simplify your tasks, from managing training requests to scheduling staff holidays.

Even in retail, no two businesses are the same. Using time and attendance software, you can monitor your labour costs, configure your dashboards, indicators or alerts to display what you need, when you need it.

3. Accurate forecasts and make fast decisions  – Using data, you can accurately predict your staffing requirements during busy periods. In retail, for instance, you can quickly establish what staff numbers you’ll need over the build-up to Christmas and the optimal working patterns. In turn, this helps you forecast your finances better. Having all this key data at your fingertips means you can make important decisions correctly and quickly, even when you’re under pressure. Faster action is better for your workforce and frees up some of your valuable time to spend on growing your business.

Want to know more?

If you’re a forward-thinking retailer looking to modernise your workforce management, bringing crystal-clear accuracy to your planning and reporting while saving you time, get in touch with Mitrefinch today to find out more about our time and attendance solutions and HR systems.