How Strategic Reporting Can Offset Labor Market Challenges
It’s been widely reported that the current labor pool still has a shortage of workers willing to join or rejoin the workforce. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recently stated that there are 8.8 million job openings, and the unemployment rate is 3.8 percent. There were roughly one or fewer unemployed persons per job opening, according to the same report.
These numbers represent a serious challenge to employers who still need qualified workers to help run their businesses. For cleaning and security companies, fewer qualified employees could mean turning down clients, waitlisting customers or canceling regular business.
Despite the obstacles in today’s labor pool, employers can use strategic reporting tools to improve efficiencies, drive operations and promote business growth – if reliable reporting strategies and actionable processes are in place for capturing accurate information.
Use strategic reporting to drive business growth
Reporting solutions built specifically for cleaning and security professionals can collect valuable data and then turn routine information into a successful business strategy..
Monitoring daily activity
Companies can use these daily activity reports to monitor their employees, which helps them use resources efficiently and stay competitive in this fluctuating job market. Managers can use Daily activity reports to quickly respond to unusual activities and escalate problems to the right staff members.
Daily activity reports can also help supervisors manage resources by showing how much time workers spend on-site versus off-site. These reports create a stored log or digital record of the activity on the site. And that information can be especially useful for providing proof of service and as a guard monitoring tool.
Clients may want to know that guards are effectively protecting assets and in the right place at the right time. Alternatively, a customer may require evidence that cleaning personnel are adhering to the required standards. Managers and supervisors can use daily activity reports to show that requirements were met, which can encourage customer retention.
Reducing scheduling issues
Gaining a completely accurate picture of the time that workers clock in and out of their worksites can help reduce overtime. Scheduling reports accurately denote which workers have already reached their allotted amount of hours before overtime pay becomes a problem.
Supervisors and managers can use scheduling reports to determine the number of workers needed at each site. It also helps them corroborate that workers have the necessary qualifications before performing their duties.
Scheduling reports can also be used to ensure that necessary safety precautions are taken on-site. These reports can also help companies avoid losses from work avoidance or fraudulent time tracking, which wastes time and money.
Highlighting data outliers
Companies can prioritize identifying outliers and red flags in data to allocate limited resources effectively. With exception-based reporting, business owners can review service delivery data for missed items or incomplete tasks.
Exception-based reports can identify and address problems with job performance since these reports flag unusual cases. Focusing on specific issues that require immediate attention helps prevent errors and protects companies against unnecessary losses.
With exception-based reporting, it’s also possible to identify individuals who fail to clock into their shift that day. Business owners can escalate that issue to the appropriate personnel to remedy the matter as quickly as possible.
Preventing fraudulent behavior
Time theft is a fraudulent practice that happens when employees use company time to socialize, ask their coworkers to clock in or out for them, round up the time they clock out or take unscheduled breaks.
Companies can experience huge losses in profits because of time theft. However, fraudulent practices are preventable through activity reports. Reducing time spent on office tasks, automating manual processes and meeting regulations lowers compliance risks and prevents time theft.
Additional information on strategic reporting
The labor market still presents an industry challenge since cleaning and security companies rely on qualified workers. However, data tools and reliable reporting systems can help those same companies turn raw data into strategic business decisions.
When strategy and data are combined, companies can make better decisions to achieve scalable growth. To learn more about creating reports and using data points to help reach business objectives, read our latest eBook.