Simplify Labor Planning And Budgeting

By Erin Harris, Integrated Solutions For Retailers magazine

As senior VP of store operations at Hibbett Sports, Cathy Pryor's task list is seemingly endless, as she is responsible for ensuring the highest level of customer service throughout the 774-location chain. Pryor must solve problems, control expenses, make informed decisions, and assign time wisely in order to achieve maximum results. Pryor's most challenging task is the management of Hibbett Sports' workforce — a process that, when done properly, connects fiscal period labor planning with operational performance. Historically, Hibbett Sports had approached the labor planning and budgeting processes with spreadsheet-based analyses, which produced silos of stale, incomplete, untimely information. Two years ago, Pryor faced a new, challenging task — find an integrated solution that would meet the retailer's unique WFM needs.