Best Workforce Management Software 2025

What is Workforce Management (WFM) Software?

Workforce Management Software is concerned with scheduling and tracking the workforce. The goal is to distribute and allocate workers in the most effective and efficient way. This is particularly important for organizations with shift workers, such as contact centers and service businesses.

WFM Software Features & Capabilities

Key features and capabilities include:

• Time and attendance tracking
• Labor scheduling
• Compliance monitoring (e.g. with labor laws)
• Leave management
• Staffing optimization
• Task management
• Employee self-service, including time off requests and peer-to-peer shift trades

WFM software also occasionally includes payroll functionality.

Specialized WFM vs. HCM Suites

Some platforms in this category are point solutions that focus on scheduling, regulations, and staff optimization. Others are broader Human Capital Management (HCM) suites with strong workforce management capabilities, such as Kronos Workforce Ready and Workforce Central, UltiPro, and Ceridian Dayforce HCM. The Kronos product family started as a time tracking solution—a typical trajectory for WFM software.

Industry Specialization

Many products in this category are geared toward a certain type of employee or industry, such as contingent or hourly workforces, call centers or service industries. These WFM products are designed to better support high turnover environments and provide a low learning curve so employees and administrators can quickly adopt the platform as needed. They may also provide specialized interfaces or features tailored to specific industries, particularly call centers.

Some specialized workforce management systems include:

• Aspect: geared towards call centers.
• Aladtec: specialized for public safety organizations.
• Beeline VMS and Fieldglass VMS: focused on contingent workforce management and project-based WFM.

Other products, like Kronos Workforce Ready, aim to serve large enterprises with diverse workforces. These products will be more suitable across a wider range of workforces, but may also require more customization to a particular workforce’s needs.

Workforce Management Software Comparison

To more easily compare workforce management tools, consider evaluating different options based on these aspects of the products and your needs:

1. Point solution vs. HCM suite: Many workforce management capabilities can be found within broader hr management packages. If you’re looking for workforce management functions as well as more comprehensive HR capabilities, one of the HCM suites may be more ideal. However, if you’re looking for workforce management tools to supplement your existing HR toolkit, a point solution that can integrate with your HRIS and payroll software may be a more efficient purchase.
2. Industry-specific or general: Most workforce management tools provide core scheduling and attendance functions that are applicable across industries. However, if you are in an industry with a unique workforce makeup, such as one with high turnover or highly regimented time-based tasks, using a tool that is tailored to your industry can add efficiencies in productivity and compliance measures. If your workforce makeup is not specialized to your industry, a less tailored product may be a better fit.
3. Usability: How ease to learn and use is the product for administrators and employees? In particular, the lower the barrier to employee self-service for processes like schedule requests, time card access, and attendance management, the lower the administrative burden on your business.

Pricing Information

Workforce management solutions are often offered on a subscription model, and priced on a per employee, per month basis. The price may vary depending on feature density, and some vendors may require a minimum number of employees.