Three reasons why cities should prioritize their digital workforce strategy

Local governments are at a turning point. Faced with mounting challenges posed by the COVID-19 health crisis and expected to do more with less, many cities and counties are embracing the stark reality that the status quo—using excel grids or homegrown systems—just doesn’t cut it.

Some local governments have already found that a digital labor management strategy is the key to employee engagement, compliance adherence and ultimately unlocking labor insights that, prior to going digital, they didn’t know they had. While there are many benefits to be gained through innovation in the public sector, this article outlines three key reasons why investing in digital transformation today can lead to a brighter, people-first future tomorrow.

The combination of strategic labor insights and mobile workplace tech can attract, retain and engage employees for the long term.

Consumer-grade, mobile-first workforce management solutions are a core component to building an engaged workforce. For example, front-end workforce management tools should give employees the ability to clock in and out on any mobile device. It’s much more convenient, and socially distanced. Additionally, it makes it easier to view schedules and swap shifts, which enables employees to cultivate a work-life balance that works uniquely for them.

Further, with real-time visibility into organizational data—i.e., time and attendance records, overtime costs, leave accruals, employee performance—managers are better equipped to make informed decisions and improve the employee experience from the ground up. Proper analysis of an organization’s data allows them to ask the right questions and identify areas where improvements can be made, and cost savings can be achieved.

Digital transformation today empowers a more sustainable IT infrastructure and workforce strategy for the future.

Local governments are tasked with the remarkable job of improving the lives and well-being of the people they serve—and this must start with their own employees. If people feel supported in their work, they are more likely to bring that people-centric mission into their interactions with the communities they serve. Upgrading foundational systems, like workforce management, is helping U.S. cities and counties engage employees and increase their technical capability, all while reducing labor costs that can be redirected to more aspirational or meaningful projects.

For example, the Town of Gilbert, Ariz., is embarking on a multi-year mission to become the “city of the future.” Local leaders in Gilbert have invested in the town’s digital strategy and taken steps to modernize Gilbert’s IT infrastructure. One recent and critical enhancement includes an upgrade to the town’s workforce management system—a strategic initiative that aims to support recruitment and retention and provide a breakthrough employee experience.

“Migrating our town-wide workforce management system to the cloud helps us reach a critical milestone on our IT roadmap,” said Sasan Poureetezadi, chief technology officer for the Town of Gilbert. “Gilbert has undergone rapid growth and transformation over the past three decades and our leaders are committed to advancing the innovative, inclusive and purpose-driven culture we’ve brought to life for our staff, residents and businesses.”

Modern workforce management tools give governments an edge in a crisis, making it easier to track labor and secure funding.

In any crisis, it can be difficult to accurately track and report on labor. But time and attendance data is necessary to secure funding—and it should be as easy as possible to track, access, and report. Digital labor records can help simplify and automate the auditing and reimbursement processes while making it easier to adhere to compliance regulations. This means funding is more easily secured and quickly directed where it’s needed most.

The cost of doing nothing to advance your digital strategy will leave managers in the dark and can amount to thousands of dollars each year as compliance regulations stack high and helpful labor data that could be used to quickly identify cost-saving opportunities sits dormant. Ultimately, as we’ve seen in Gilbert, and other innovative local governments, a modern and digital workplace strategy can enable city and county leaders to build a more sustainable and empowered public workforce.

Jennifer Dowd is director of the public sector practice at UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), a global provider of HCM, payroll, HR service delivery and workforce management cloud software solutions.