LONDON—US company Kronos has brought in Octopus Group to boost the perceived value of workforce management solutions in the UK.

Kronos selected Octopus following a three-way pitch. The agency will aim to position workforce management as both a strategic business investment - which delivers ROI to management and enables better deployment of staff - and an indispensable tool that allows employees to plan, manage and structure their working lives.

Kronos, which develops a range of software solutions for time and attendance, scheduling, payroll and labour analytics, competes with such companies as Oracle and SAP, and has carved out a successful niche since launching in 1977. 

Octopus Group director Laura Slade said that Kronos is keen to develop "content-driven programmes which drive value throughout the organisation, across marketing and PR."

Once publicly-traded, Kronos is now owned by private equity firms Hellman & Friedman and JMI Equity. 

Separately, application performance company Riverbed Technology has handed UK PR duties to Octopus Communications, along with a pan-EMEA coordination role across numerous markets.