Optimization made 2025 a defining year for workforce management.
Across the industry, organizations moved at record speed to modernize—replacing legacy platforms, migrating systems, and responding to end-of-life timelines. In our industry, change was the word of the year.
But at Axsium, we saw something bigger taking shape. Modernization was no longer the finish line. Optimization became the real opportunity.
2025 wasn’t just about technology upgrades. For us, it was about helping our clients step back, reset their roadmaps, and intentionally decide what they wanted their workforce management (WFM) ecosystem to deliver next.
2025: The Year of Optimization
At our 2025 Axsium WFM Forums, we made our position clear: Optimization is where real value is unlocked.
Throughout our Forums, we watched conversations shift away from “What did we implement?” to:
- Are we using the system the way we intended?
- Are our labor models still aligned with the business?
- Do we have a plan to sustain and evolve our WFM investment?
Bob Clements’ keynote, The Year of Optimization, set the tone by digging into what optimization truly means. It isn’t about fixing mistakes—it’s about continuously aligning systems, processes, and labor strategies with changing business realities.
We unpacked this in hands-on sessions exploring advanced labor modeling, OPS-driven productivity, labor budgeting, and the long-term sustainability of Centers of Excellence (COEs). Each session consistently came to the same conclusion:
Optimization isn’t a phase—it’s a discipline.
Why the Shift from Modernization to Optimization Matters
Bob predicted what many organizations are now experiencing firsthand. Modernization accelerated rapidly over the last few years due to:
- UKG Workforce Central end-of-life
- Aging legacy platforms
- Pressure to standardize and move to the cloud
But modernization also came with new challenges:
- Implementation fatigue
- Tight budgets
- Lift-and-shift deployments that didn’t fully deliver value
Once their new systems went live, many organizations were left with a state-of-the-art solution that they didn’t entirely understand. The best way to employ these solutions or how they could be better aligned to each organization’s needs was not clear. This led to many asking:
“Now what?”
That’s where optimization comes in.
Optimization ensures that your WFM system evolves with your organization—supporting growth, seasonality, labor volatility, and workforce expectations. It connects technology back to outcomes and prevents systems from becoming static once implementation teams roll off.
Customer Impact: Roadmaps That Drive Results
For me, one of the most rewarding parts of 2025 was seeing our customers move from a reactive mindset to intentional roadmapping. Our work with Save Mart is a great example of this.
Together, we:
- Refreshed labor standards
- Integrated forecasting tools
- Automated schedule generation using UKG Pro WFM and Opus
The result was more than efficiency. Save Mart gained agile, data-driven schedules that reduced labor waste while maintaining service quality—especially during seasonal peaks.
And we’ve seen similar outcomes across retail and hospitality:
- Better cost control
- Improved workforce agility
- Stronger alignment between labor strategy and business goals
Looking back over 2025 now we’ve reached the new shores of 2026, I can’t help but feel the industry has started making real progress. Optimization programs are helping organizations to really get to grips with what their new WFM systems can do.
And most importantly, organizations are beginning to stop chasing features and start building purposeful WFM roadmaps. For WFM, the future is looking bright.