How to Extend Your WFM System to the Frontline
Extending a workforce management (WFM) system to the frontline means giving hourly employees a mobile way to act on the schedule the WFM produces, and connecting each shift to the tasks, training, and messages that go with it. The WFM keeps forecasting demand, generating schedules, applying labor rules, and holding the time and pay record. WorkJam runs on top of WFM systems from UKG, ADP, Blue Yonder, and Legion and handles the employee side: seeing the schedule, swapping and picking up shifts, clocking in, and knowing what each shift involves.
Most enterprise employers have spent years tuning their WFM, and the forecasts and schedules are usually sound. What breaks is everything after the schedule is published. An associate cannot come in on Saturday, an open shift goes unfilled because nobody heard about it, and a new hire is scheduled for a role they have not been trained for. That gap between the published schedule and the shift that actually gets worked is the last mile of WFM.
What stays in your WFM and what WorkJam adds
| Your WFM system | WorkJam |
|---|---|
| Demand forecasting | Mobile access to the published schedule |
| Schedule generation and optimization | Availability and time-off requests |
| Labor rules and budgets | Shift swaps, drops, and pickups within manager-defined rules |
| Employee records and job codes | An open shift marketplace across locations, roles, and brands |
| The timekeeping record and payroll export | Mobile punch in and out with geofencing, attestations, and timecard correction workflows |
| Tasks assigned to shifts, training that unlocks shift eligibility, and messages targeted by shift |
WorkJam does not forecast demand, generate schedules, or calculate pay. The WFM remains the system of record. WorkJam reads the schedule and employee data from it and sends employee actions back.
Why the WFM on its own does not reach the frontline
WFM platforms were built for the people who plan labor, such as workforce planners, payroll teams, and store managers building next week’s schedule. Most now include an employee app for viewing shifts and requesting time off. The rest of an associate’s shift lives somewhere else: the task list, the training module, the store announcements. The associate ends up with one app for when they work and several others for what they do while working, and adoption suffers across all of them.
Some operators respond by looking at replacing the WFM. That is usually an expensive answer to the wrong problem. The forecasting and scheduling engine is rarely what is failing. The employee experience around it is, and that can be fixed without a migration.
How WorkJam and your WFM share data
WorkJam ingests the organization hierarchy, locations, employees, and schedules from the WFM. When an employee swaps a shift, picks up an open shift, or punches in, WorkJam passes that action back to the WFM through its API, so the WFM’s rules and timekeeping stay authoritative.
Training results can flow the same way. When an employee passes a certification assessment in WorkJam, WorkJam can send a new job code to the WFM and attach it to the employee record, which makes them eligible for the shifts that require it.
Shift swaps and the open shift marketplace
Shift changes are where most of the value of a good schedule leaks away. Even a fully staffed schedule includes people who cannot work their shift, and without a mobile way to fix it, the manager spends the week on the phone.
WorkJam supports five ways to change a shift, including a direct swap with a teammate, releasing a shift to an open pool, and offering it to specific colleagues, all within rules the manager sets. Shift swapping explained covers each method and when to use it. At Ulta Beauty, associates make more than 500 digital shift swaps a week, and attendance violations fell 16%.
The open shift marketplace pools labor across roles, locations, and brands, and shows each open shift only to employees qualified to work it. A global apparel retailer running three brands, often in the same mall, used to hire each associate for one brand and one store. With the marketplace switched on, associates can pick up shifts at nearby stores and sister brands. The retailer needs fewer people to cover its locations, and associates get more of the hours they want.
Connecting each shift to its tasks and training
A schedule tells an associate when to work. It says nothing about what the shift involves or whether they are qualified for it, and that information usually sits in other systems.
Take a grocery associate who stocks shelves and wants more hours. They complete the curbside order-picking course in WorkJam and pass its assessment. WorkJam sends the new job code to the WFM, and shifts from the order-picking pool start appearing for them. When they pick one up, the tasks for that shift appear in their day, because WorkJam can assign tasks to a shift and keep them attached to it through a swap. If they have a question mid-shift, they can ask the other pickers in a team chat. The manager did not have to arrange any of it by hand.
If you run UKG Pro WFM
WorkJam is listed on the UKG Marketplace and integrates with UKG Pro WFM, which stays the system of record. One retailer moving to Pro WFM used WorkJam during the transition to push training and tasks to store managers, then kept both systems in place: employees work in WorkJam, and tasks stay attached to the right shifts even when associates trade them. For Kronos environments, see WorkJam and Kronos.
What the results look like
In a Forrester Total Economic Impact study commissioned by WorkJam, customers averaged a 410% return on investment and paid back their initial investment in under six months. Managers saved two hours a week through schedule improvements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the last mile of workforce management?
It is the gap between the schedule a WFM system publishes and the shift that actually gets worked. It covers everything employees do with the schedule: seeing it, changing it, clocking in, and knowing what the shift involves.
Does WorkJam replace a WFM system like UKG Pro WFM?
No. The WFM keeps forecasting, schedule generation, labor rules, and the timekeeping record. WorkJam runs on top of it and gives employees a mobile way to act on the schedule, with every action passed back to the WFM.
Does WorkJam do demand forecasting or schedule generation?
No. Demand forecasting and schedule generation stay in the WFM. WorkJam reads the published schedule and handles what employees and managers do with it after that, including swaps, open shifts, time and attendance, and the tasks and training attached to each shift.
Which WFM systems does WorkJam integrate with?
WorkJam integrates with WFM systems from UKG, including UKG Pro WFM, as well as ADP, Blue Yonder, and Legion.
What happens in the WFM when an employee swaps a shift in WorkJam?
The swap runs within the rules the manager has set, and WorkJam passes the change back to the WFM through its API. The WFM’s schedule and timekeeping record update to match.
Does WorkJam handle time and attendance?
Employees can punch in and out from the WorkJam app with geofencing and attestations, and timecard corrections run through approval workflows. The timekeeping record and payroll export stay in the WFM.
Request a demo to see how WorkJam works with the WFM system you already run.
About the author:
Josh Goldberg
Product Marketing Manager
Josh Goldberg is WorkJam’s Product Marketing Manager responsible for developing use cases, producing case studies, and researching frontline communication technology with analyst firms such as Gartner and Forrester. He also has two decades of experience writing content for B2C and B2B audiences in retail, technology, manufacturing, professional services, hospitality and events.
