Workload is the calculated number of labor hours (as defined in the labor model) that will be needed for each job, department, or store during a given time period. Depending on the application, workload can be generated as a forecast (in advance) or as an earned amount (in arrears), and can be distributed by week, day, or intraday.
Retailers rely on accurate, “bottom-up” generation of workload for several key reasons:
- Operational Planning—calculated using longer range weekly or daily volume forecasts, serving as an accurate starting point for financial budgeting WFM forecasting – calculated using daily volume forecasts and distributed by time of day, producing the labor demand curve for scheduling
- Task Execution – calculated using just-in-time volume projections (e.g. trailer loads from the DC), generating an expected workload for managing day-of store execution
- Store Accountability – calculated using actual volumes, earned or ideal workload can be a powerful performance metric