Dayforce

Demo it if you run Dayforce. Skip it if you do not

It tests workforce changes before you make them

You can test a change, such as adding or removing roles, and see the financial forecast before you act. You can also type a plain request to redesign your org structure. The tool forecasts the skills you will need, so you can start hiring or training early. Alerts tell you when workforce or market conditions start to shift, so you know when to act.

The planning method comes built into the tool, so you do not design one from scratch. The tool also suggests changes to fine-tune a plan and cut costs.

Because HR, Finance and business leaders share one plan, each stays accountable to the same goals. You can turn a plan into board slides in minutes, using ready-made templates.

It spots costly layers and runs inside Dayforce itself

• The tool flags costly layers and misaligned spans of control, and shows where teams are top-heavy. It also shows where changing the structure could save time and money.
• Dayforce says building planning into its single platform lowers the cost of linking systems. If your HR data sits in another system, the lower linking cost does not apply.

No case study yet, and labour budgeting is sold separately

• Dayforce publishes no customer case study or result for the tool. Its launch release quotes a Nestlé executive praising Agentnoon, the planning company Dayforce bought and built the tool on. That quote is about Agentnoon, not about the tool Dayforce sells now.
• Dayforce names no HR, payroll or finance system outside Dayforce that the tool connects to. That matters if your Finance team plans in another system.
• Dayforce sells labour budgeting as a separate add-on, Dayforce Workforce Budgeting, at $36.00 per employee per year. If what you need is a labour budget, compare that add-on before you buy this one.
• If you leave, Dayforce's Data Processing Addendum says Dayforce deletes personal data as soon as it practically can. Dayforce returns the data only if you ask, in a form Dayforce chooses, at an agreed cost. Ask before the contract ends, or the data is deleted.

It fits Dayforce customers facing restructures, mergers or growth

• Dayforce says the tool helps most with restructures, mergers and growth plans.
• One plan can cover frontline, office, contingent and gig workers, with their skills, costs and capacity.

What to ask Dayforce before you sign

1. Which customer uses Strategic Workforce Planning today, and can we call them? Good answer: a named company you can call.
2. In what format do our plans and scenarios come back if we leave, and at what cost? Good answer: a named file format and a price, written into the Order Form.
3. Which systems outside Dayforce does the tool read from or send data to? Good answer: named systems, with the direction of each, shown in the demo.
4. Which outside data sources does the tool combine with our Dayforce data, and do they cost extra? Good answer: named sources and a written yes or no on cost.
5. Does the tool predict or flag anything about a named employee? Good answer: a plain yes or no in writing, with the data it uses.
6. How long does setup take, and who does the work? Good answer: a number of weeks and the named people from Dayforce or a partner.
7. Can we stop paying for the planning add-on and keep the Dayforce Platform? Good answer: a notice period for the add-on alone, set out in the Order Form.

Alternatives to Dayforce

If you do not run Dayforce, look at UKG Pro, Workday Adaptive Planning or Visier Workforce Planning instead. The strategic workforce planning guide explains the other kinds of product in this market.

UKG Pro includes Strategic Workforce Planning among its HR suite's tools. UKG names Costa Coffee, with more than 1,500 UK locations, as a customer of the tool since late 2021. UKG reports that Costa's staffing efficiency rose 65% just after the 2021 Christmas season. If UKG Pro is your HR system, demo it first and ask for a quote.

Workday Adaptive Planning is Workday's finance planning software that also covers workforce planning. A setup wizard links it to Workday HCM. Ask Workday for a quote if you run Workday HCM, or if Finance already builds its budget in Adaptive Planning. Ask Workday who builds the plan.

Visier Workforce Planning comes with four ready planning models, but you must buy Visier People Essentials first. Visier's platform can also predict, with a score, which named employee is likely to resign next. Ask whether the planning models use that score, because a prediction about a named person is a legal risk. Visier publishes no price.