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In the ornate halls of Berns in Stockholm, Navigate 2025 brought together global Quinyx customers, workforce management leaders, and frontline innovators for a day of ideas, inspiration, and forward-thinking strategy. The event, hosted by Quinyx to mark its 20-year milestone, was far more than a celebration of the past – it was a vision of what the future of workforce management (WFM) can and should be.
What began in the back office of a McDonald’s in Sweden two decades ago has grown into a global platform, empowering organizations across industries to orchestrate frontline operations with agility, intelligence, and purpose. As the event made clear, WFM has outgrown its legacy roots – it's now a driver of operational excellence, employee empowerment, and business transformation.
Workforce management is no longer just an operational system
The evolution of WFM took center stage in the opening keynote, where Quinyx founder and CEO Erik Fjellborg reflected on how the space has transformed. “Twenty years ago, workforce management was just a side system – something tacked on to ERP or HR platforms. Today, it’s absolutely essential,” he said, pointing to the growing complexity of running modern operations. Whether it’s staying compliant across multiple regions, responding to rapidly changing demand, or simply creating better employee experiences, WFM has moved from the back office to the boardroom.
Throughout the event, customers shared how WFM has shifted from a set of disconnected processes to an integrated strategy. It’s no longer just about getting the right person in the right place at the right time. It’s about building efficient teams, enabling great leadership, and improving outcomes – for the business and the individual.
AI is powerful, but it must be grounded in simplicity and trust
While AI dominated many of the sessions, its role was framed carefully – not as a silver bullet, but as a tool for smarter, faster, more human-centered decisions. Erik explained that “we don’t believe in AI for the sake of AI. It should enhance human decision-making – not replace it. It should make things simpler, not more complicated.” That philosophy runs deep at Quinyx, where the focus is on practical AI that streamlines scheduling, demand forecasting, and compliance – without sacrificing accuracy.
CRO Jeremias Jansson reinforced this during his talk, warning that if the foundation isn't solid, AI risks creating more confusion than clarity. “You have to get the basics right first. Then you can use AI to amplify the good. But it starts with quality and user confidence.” He emphasized that AI’s true value emerges when it’s deployed with precision, guardrails, and a clear understanding of what’s at stake – especially in areas like payroll where mistakes aren’t just inconvenient; they’re unacceptable.
Labor dynamics are shifting fast – and WFM must evolve in parallel
Zooming out from technology, Jeramias explored the larger forces reshaping workforce needs. Aging populations and urbanization are at the forefront. “We’re all getting older – and fast,” he said. “By 2030, Europe alone is expected to face a shortfall of 10 million healthcare workers. We’re entering an era where doing more with less isn’t optional – it’s a necessity.”
At the same time, urban migration is increasing demand in cities while redistributing where and how people want to work. “Everyone’s moving to the big cities, but they also want to avoid each other,” he joked, highlighting the contradictory pressures organizations now face. With rising expectations for speed, autonomy, and flexibility, employers must ensure they have tools that are agile, intuitive, and built for frontline realities.
Transformation requires empathy, not just implementation
One of the strongest recurring themes throughout the day was that successful transformation depends on more than rolling out new software. The real work lies in understanding people’s starting points and helping them evolve with confidence. That was evident in the story shared by Lena Gellerstedt from AniCura, a veterinary care provider operating across 18 countries. “We’re not just implementing software – we’re harmonizing how we plan and manage work,” she said, explaining that the diversity of digital maturity, legal requirements, and local systems made a one-size-fits-all approach impossible.
AniCura focused on empowering local champions and superusers who could deliver training in native languages and support rollouts in a way that respected each clinic’s context. “The biggest challenge is getting people to give up the systems they’ve built themselves. You have to meet them where they are,” she explained, offering a reminder that lasting change is built on trust and support – not mandates.
Scaling success means balancing consistency with flexibility
This balance was echoed by Liesbeth van Dijk of Rituals, who described how her team approached workforce management during a period of rapid expansion. “We started with a different configuration in every market. Scheduling became inconsistent, inefficient. With Quinyx, we’ve created a global template – while still making space for local legislation and nuance.” The result was a unified approach that empowered store managers while streamlining planning and forecasting across countries.
Crucially, Liesbeth shared how Rituals views WFM as more than just an efficiency tool. For them, success sits at the intersection of three pillars: operational cost control, customer experience, and employee wellbeing. “We’re not using Quinyx to cut costs,” she said. “We’re using it to manage costs responsibly – without compromising customer service or employee satisfaction.” That nuanced approach – balancing global visibility with local autonomy – proved key to their successful rollout.
Adoption hinges on experience – not just enforcement
Many speakers reinforced the idea that great technology only works if people actually use it – and adoption comes down to one thing: experience. Lisa Nordin from Indigo, Canada’s largest bookseller, shared how the company’s WFM overhaul quickly gained traction because it delivered clear value to managers and frontline employees alike.
“Our managers used to spend a full day building a schedule. Now they do it in an hour,” she explained. That time savings doesn’t just improve productivity – it lets leaders get back to leading. Lisa also noted that frontline workers embraced the change because the Quinyx mobile app felt familiar and intuitive. “They didn’t need training. The app just worked.”
That ease of use became a key differentiator, especially when compared to legacy systems at other employers. “When they leave Indigo and go somewhere else, the first thing they complain about is the WFM system. They miss what we had with Quinyx.”
Martin Sigurdson from Scandic Hotels took it further, describing how some of their most effective Quinyx advocates weren’t managers or IT specialists – but housekeepers. “It’s the housekeepers who become your best ambassadors. When they understand the system and see the benefits, they teach others. And they take pride in it.” These champions are the real engine of adoption – people who experience the benefits firsthand and share their knowledge organically.
The future of WFM is built together
One of the most resonant messages of Navigate 2025 was the importance of collaboration – not just within organizations, but between Quinyx and its customers. As Erik noted in his closing remarks, “Everything we’ve built over the last 20 years has come from working with you. From optimization engines to mobile features to AI – every big step has been shaped by what you needed most.”
This spirit of co-creation has defined Quinyx’s trajectory and continues to inform how the platform evolves. It’s not just about delivering new features – it’s about solving real problems, surfacing new ideas, and moving forward together.
“Quinyx is more than a platform,” Erik said. “It’s a movement. A shared belief that work can – and should – be better. Together, we’re turning that belief into reality.”
Navigate 2025 wasn’t about hype or vanity metrics – it was about alignment. Alignment between technology and user needs. Between global ambition and local action. Between operational strategy and human impact.
As organizations face tighter labor markets, rising complexity, and growing employee expectations, workforce management has become a powerful lever for resilience, agility, and growth. The companies that thrive will be those who take a strategic, people-first approach – who invest in tools that are intuitive, intelligent, and built for scale.
And as the conversations at Navigate 2025 made clear, that future is already taking shape.
Want to dive deeper into the ideas and insights shared at Navigate 2025? Sign up now to watch all the sessions from the day on demand – and see how the future of workforce management is already being built.