Buyers Guides for Workforce Management

2025 Software Provider and Product Assessment

Our 2025 research divides the workforce-management landscape into five focused guides—WFM Basics, WFM Suites, WFM for Healthcare, WFM for Manufacturing and WFM for Retail. Each report applies a common evaluation lens yet weights criteria to reflect the operational realities, compliance pressures and innovation priorities unique to its scope. Together, they provide a panoramic view of the market and a set of targeted benchmarks that let buyers zero in on the capabilities—and partners—best aligned to their context. 

The Buyers Guides for Workforce Management evaluate providers across five software categories with a unique Buyers Guide and research for each category to help enterprises assess and select software providers.

  • The Workforce Management Basics Buyers Guide evaluates 21 providers and products based on five core capability areas: scheduling and timekeeping, compliance management and enforcement, employee and manager self-service, payroll integration and standardized reporting. The guide assesses the following providers: ADP, ATOSS, Blue Yonder, Dayforce, Infor, isolved, OneAdvanced, Oracle, Paychex, Paychex Paycor, Paycom, Paylocity, Quinyx, Relicon, Rippling, SAP, TCP Software, UKG, Workday and Zebra. 

  • The Workforce Management Healthcare Buyers Guide evaluates 11 providers and products purpose-built to meet the operational and regulatory complexities of healthcare delivery. The guide assesses the following providers: ADP, ADP WorkForce Software, Dayforce, Infor, isolved, Oracle, Quinyx, SAP, UKG, Workday and Zebra. 
  • The Workforce Management Manufacturing Buyers Guide evaluates 13 providers and products specifically designed for the unique demands of manufacturing environments. In addition to covering core and advanced WFM capabilities, included products must offer a manufacturing-specific solution that supports fixed and rotating shift planning, real-time labor cost tracking, workplace safety and compliance monitoring, predictive maintenance scheduling and cross-site workforce coordination. The guide assesses the following providers: ADP, ADP WorkForce Software, Blue Yonder, Dayforce, Deltek, Infor, isolved, OneAdvanced, Oracle, SAP, UKG, Workday and Zebra.
  • The Workforce Management Retail Buyers Guide evaluates 13 providers and products built to handle the fast-paced, variable demands of the retail environment. To be included, products must offer a retail-specific solution that supports demand-driven scheduling, optimization of part-time and seasonal labor, compliance with retail labor laws (including fair workweek rules), AI-powered forecasting, cross-store staff redeployment, turnover risk monitoring and real-time schedule adjustments based on point-of-sale or foot-traffic data. The guide assesses the following providers: ADP, ADP WorkForce Software, Blue Yonder, Dayforce, Infor, isolved, OneAdvanced, Oracle, Quinyx, SAP, UKG, Workday and Zebra.

  • The Workforce Management Suites Buyers Guide evaluates 12 providers and products based on an expanded set of capabilities designed for more complex enterprise needs. This includes all core functions from the Basics category—scheduling, timekeeping, compliance management, self-service, payroll integration and reporting—as well as advanced features such as AI-driven workforce optimization, predictive analytics, automation of compliance workflows, workforce engagement tools and robust integrations with systems like HCM, payroll, learning and productivity platforms. The guide assesses the following providers: ADP, ADP Workforce Software Dayforce, Deltek, Infor, OneAdvanced, Oracle, Quinyx, SAP, UKG, Workday and Zebra. 

To view the executive summaries of the research, please select the report below.

To learn more about our Buyers Guide services for enterprises including purchasing the complete research, advising on your software providers, conducting a workshop or performing an assessment, click here.

To learn more about our Buyers Guide services for software providers including purchasing the complete research and charts or performing an assessment, click here.