Trends and best practices for digital Workforce Management

How are companies using the cloud? How has the cloud market developed in comparison with previous years and what trends can be discerned with a view to the future? These are the questions the IDG Cloud Computing Study 2020 addressed. More than 500 decision-makers from the IT sector were surveyed on the status quo of cloud applications in their companies.

According to the anticipated conclusion of the study the trend is clearly proceeding in one direction. The number of companies operating at least one application or parts of their IT infrastructure in the cloud has upped by eight percentage points over the last two years. Overall, 81 percent of all companies surveyed are operating more or less in the cloud, while a further 12 percent are planning to follow suit in 2021.

SaaS share set to rise in the future

Considerable investments are being committed here. An average 32 percent of the IT budgets of all companies will be allocated to this area. The respondents also expect the sum total of licensed software to decline from 65 percent to 50 percent over the next 18 months, while the proportion of software-as-a-service will trend upwards by 12 percent.

Cloud migration of HR software in full swing

And there’s another interesting figure to report. According to the study, applications such as HR software are currently already being migrated to the cloud in 41 percent of all cases, while 17 percent are planning a migration in the next 12 months and another 14 percent in the next 3 years. All in all, the study reflects a clear trend – onwards and upwards to the cloud! Our best practices show just how successfully workforce management is at work in the cloud.

Best Practice: worldwide Cloud

The Gore-Tex® brand has made a global name for itself with tough, weatherproof clothing and shoes. But W. L. Gore & Associates, the company behind the brand, has much more to offer. Over 10,500 members of staff are researching, developing and manufacturing products on the basis of fluoropolymers in the fields of electronics, functional clothing, industry and medicine: from medical implants and clothes for Everest expeditions right through to electronic cables beaming signals up to Mars. The creativity driven high-tech company has production plants in the USA, Germany, the UK, China and Japan as well as sales offices in numerous countries.

Having relied on the ATOSS Enterprise Solution for many years, Gore has now switched successfully to cloud-based workforce management worldwide. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore – these are just a few of the countries whose laws, regulations and cultures the ATOSS cloud solution solution expertly deals with around the globe.

The operation in the cloud makes it easier to master complex IT security requirements, gives the company even greater flexibility for expansion and ensures maximum cost transparency. It’s good to see that our scalable Enterprise Solution is growing with every requirement thrown at it, whether on a national or international level. We are delighted to have the privilege of supporting one of the world’s best employers in shaping their working environment. Committed to innovation – at Gore that also goes for time and attendance management. (Source: ATOSS Annual Report 2019)

Best Practice: customer focus knows no borders

Happier pets, happier people. This mission statement is what guides Fressnapf Group, the European market leader in pet supplies. Headquartered in Krefeld and operating in eleven European countries, the group employs over 12,000 members of staff. More than 1,600 modern outlets of varying sizes from Denmark to Italy form a comprehensive network for animal lovers and pet owners.

Cloud-based ATOSS Workforce Management helps ensure that customers always get the best possible service and expert advice – both in the firm’s home market and across Europe. The major project was first launched in Germany. Back in 2015, Fressnapf decided to introduce the ATOSS Retail Solution for the 1,300 staff at its 200 stores, covering everything from Time and Attendance Management and Workforce Forecasting to Automatic Duty Plan. Store managers were impressed from the outset by the functionality, modern interactive design and sleek layout of this web-based industry solution.

They now generate demand-based, customer-centric schedules based on contracted hours, qualifications, sales volumes and size of receipts without losing sight of regulations and labor agreements. Traffic light functions and warning notices simplify planning and scheduling while ensuring compliance with rules and regulations. Regional sales managers and the HR department now get all the information they need at the touch of a button. No fewer than 80 franchise partner outlets are relying on digital workforce scheduling as well.

The success in Germany has prompted a rollout to the rest of Europe: Once the international project is complete, the ATOSS solution will be scheduling and managing some 8,000 of the company’s own employees in their native language in line with footfall in the stores. And work is progressing rapidly. After the solution was rolled out successfully to 138 stores in Austria, 55 in Switzerland and 46 in Belgium, around 100 outlets in Poland and Hungary went fully operational with it in early 2020. Next up are Ireland and Italy. In the Fressnapf Group, customer and service focus truly extends across all borders. Just like ATOSS Workforce Management from the cloud. (Source: ATOSS Annual Report 2019)