One of the most difficult things for resource managers and business owners to undertake is employee shift scheduling. It can be time-consuming and difficult to determine who should work when. This is especially true if you have a large number of employees with varying scheduling requirements or a complicated timetable setup (like 24-hour work cycles).
Employee shift scheduling software saves time while also ensuring that staff are always scheduled based on their particular preferences and availability. Shift scheduling software assists managers in staying organised and provides additional benefits such as direct linkages to payroll and time-off management systems. Many employee scheduling tools are also integrated into bigger HRIS or HRMS systems, which concentrate other essential HR functions in one location.
In this article, I’ll discuss the top 10 employee shift scheduling software platforms for your company. I’ll also address a few frequently asked questions about employee scheduling software solutions, as well as mention a few bonus employee scheduling apps. This post will save you time by comparing the top employee scheduling software so you can choose the best one for your needs.
Comparison Criteria for Employee Shift Scheduling Software
What factors should I consider when choosing the finest employee shift scheduling software?
My rating criteria are summarised below:
Is the user interface (UI) clean and appealing? Is the user interface simple? Is it clear of unnecessary menu items, off-topic features, and distracting design elements?
Usability: Because virtually every industry, high or low tech, requires employee scheduling software, the finest shift scheduling programmes should be extremely simple to use and give full tutorials to get business managers up and running quickly.
Integrations: Is it simple to integrate with other tools? Are there any ready-made integrations? How well does the tool integrate with other tools and add-ons in the ecosystem to meet your business needs? To make employee payments easier, the finest shift scheduling software should integrate with leading payroll programmes right out of the box. It should also have integrations with leading email and messaging platforms for sending out schedules.
Value for money: How reasonable is the pricing in relation to the features, capabilities, and use case? Is the price straightforward, transparent, and adaptable? How quickly can you see results?
Key Features of Employee Shift Scheduling Software
What important employee management features distinguish the most effective employee shift scheduling apps? I seek for the following characteristics:
Visual calendar that is dynamic
I like employee shift scheduling software that has a visually pleasing calendar that is simple to use. Modern UI additions, such as drag-and-drop scheduling blocks, are also really useful.
Additionally, scheduling calendars that offer text formatting, colour coding, and other aesthetically pleasing cues for shift changes or urgent notifications are appealing.
I also look for solutions that allow the calendar to be sent digitally to staff via a variety of methods, such as email, push notifications, or SMS.
Requesting and approving time off is built in.
To make the scheduling process more efficient, I seek for employee shift scheduling software that allows employees to request time off directly from the app. It is critical for managers to be able to easily approve or deny paid or unpaid time off requests. It is also a very valuable tool to be able to add notes or other input to scheduling and time-off requests.
Swapping and changing shifts
Employee scheduling tools must deal with swapping, shuffling, and scheduling conflicts, therefore I ask a lot of questions in this category. Does the employee scheduling software allow for shift rescheduling and swapping? Does it help with shift switching and recommending personnel based on open schedules? Does the software automatically update and notify all affected teams of a shift shuffle, shift swap, or scheduling conflict?
Shift rescheduling allows for more flexible and fluid workforce management; for example, if a team member is absent or sick, you can shuffle the shift and assign another suitable employee to their position. Depending on your sector, you may wish to let employees to exchange shifts based on availability, rather of forcing all requests to go through management or human resources. Allowing this results in the most efficient use of available manpower and time.
Timesheet analytics and reporting
The best staff scheduling software should generate timesheet reports that include logged time, billable hours, and overtime. Aside from that, I’d like to see detailed analytics presented in a visually appealing style. You should be able to compute payroll, submit precise invoices, and understand the level of employee productivity in your team based on these data.
Export choices on a schedule
Is it possible to export schedules as PDFs, emails, or spreadsheets? Exporting schedules is an important tool for teams who work offline and want to preserve a record of the data outside of the scheduling software. This is especially useful for remote teams with varied degrees of internet availability.
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Overviews of the 10 Best Employee Shift Scheduling Software
Here’s a quick summary of each of the top employee scheduling software on my list, along with screenshots highlighting some of the capabilities.
1.. QuickBooks Time – Best GPS tracking software for off-site shift work
QuickBooks Time is a SaaS-based cloud-based time-tracking programme that enables employees to clock in and out of their workspace from any device. The tool enables businesses to replace paper or any other type of tracking ledger with a fully automated electronic time data system. QuickBooks Time also makes payroll and invoicing easier. QuickBooks Time additionally tracks GPS points (even when no internet is available) and syncs all data to provide you with a real-time display of geofencing information.
The “who’s working” function allows businesses to know where their staff are and what they are working on. The scheduling function allows users to drag and drop schedules, assign assignments, and send appropriate warnings to supervisors if employees do not clock in for a shift. In the payroll settings menu, you can also turn on and off the shift swapping feature.
All customers receive free unlimited phone, email, and chat support under the SaaS model.
QuickBooks Time connects with Expensify, Cext Prepare, Plooto, Knowify for Contractors, Aero Workflow, Fathom, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, Jobber, and many other applications.
Method:CRM, Housecall Pro, Veem, Checkflo, Syft Analytics, and hundreds of other third-party programmes are available as add-ons.
2. Shiftbase – Best for employee attendance tracking
Shiftbase manages your shifts for you if you’re bored of creating spreadsheets over and over. Shiftbase is a next-generation time management programme that automates all parts of an employee’s shift planning and scheduling without requiring regular human input. This allows employees to schedule their days with ease and without conflict.
Shiftbase creates flexible plans for longer periods of time, taking into account predicted human expenses and budgetary constraints. Shiftbase can also track employee availability and absences, allowing the scheduler to accommodate any additional requests. When the work schedule is finished, it can be sent through email or using the mobile app. Additionally, you can examine employee attendance and current wage expenditures. Chat and email support are available.
Shiftbase works with Datafox, Easylon, Growzer, Wagestream, and hundreds of other third-party applications. They also provide API documentation for additional connecting possibilities.
3. ABC Roster – Best free shift scheduling tool for lean budgets
ABC Roster is a simple employee shift scheduling software with a professional UI and eye-catching colours.
Additionally, the programme automatically backs up data that can be saved on the user’s computer. The automated scheduling feature can build schedules based on specified details.
Schedules can also be exported to Microsoft Excel, PDF, and HTML documents. ABC Roster allows you to email employee schedules directly from the programme. On-site documentation provides assistance.
4. Zoho People – Best free employee shift scheduling software
Zoho People is a comprehensive human resource solution that automates and streamlines manual and repetitive HR operations.
You can combine attendance data from several sources and reduce errors caused by manual entry. The software enables you to easily adjust timetables, leave kinds, and timesheets.
Based on your company’s scheduling structure, you can design and edit shifts as well as add periodic shift rotations. There is also the option of including allowances. You can also conduct employee evaluations and obtain 360-degree feedback to assess performance. Aside from that, you have capabilities to address employee questions, automate HR duties with automated e-mail notifications, and configure intelligent workflows.
5. inJixo – Best shift scheduling for call centers
Sage HR handles standard shift scheduling duties while also providing recruitment support from within the app. With a few clicks, you may upload your employee database to your new online staff directory. The solution includes functions such as leave management, timesheets, employee tracking and filing, and cost management from the mobile app. Chat and email support are available.
Sage HR is an excellent fit for small enterprises because of its low cost and user-friendly interface for solopreneurs and startup business owners.
6. Shiftboard – Best shift scheduling for manufacturing industry
inJixo is a smart workforce management (WRM) solution that improves the performance of your call centre. The dashboard is simple to use and navigate. The programme includes capabilities such as real-time management, call centre agent scheduling, call volume forecasts, and more. Email, online chat, and step-by-step onboarding videos are available to help you at your own speed.
You can manage shifts on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, giving you a lot of flexibility in your management approach. Based on data from call handling platforms, you can perform autonomous forecasting of requirements for any given day.
7. BambooHR – Best employee scheduling software for time-off management
Employee scheduling software from Shiftboard assists you in addressing company difficulties such as cutting labour costs, enhancing employee retention, and maintaining compliance. It targets mission-critical industries such as manufacturing, oil & gas, and healthcare. Because of their 24-hour schedules, these industries will benefit from Shiftboard’s shift rotation features.
Current employee schedules can be automated using Shiftboard depending on availability and shift preferences. With tools like ABCD, you can design, publish, and manage weekly employee work schedules. Email and chat support are available.
8. 7shifts – Best for the restaurant industry
Bamboo HR is intended for small and medium-sized organisations. Bamboo HR accomplishes this by delivering a simple workspace scheduling experience for your small team, allowing you to focus on the important issues. The interface and design are simple to use, allowing for quick employee onboarding. You can manage your complete schedule while you’re on the go.
This is especially beneficial for small organisations with distributed teams.
You can use this software to log employee hours, compute payroll, and handle employee benefits. In terms of recruitment, the product has an applicant tracking system and a good time and attendance app. Email and chat support are available.
The tool’s time-off balance feature is a standout feature. If your employees wish to plan ahead of time, they can use the accrual calculator embedded into Bamboo HR to determine whether they have enough time for vacations. Future time-off request dates can also be edited and corrected.
9. When I Work – Best employee shift scheduling software with time tracking
7shifts is a time tracking solution for the restaurant business, as well as a scheduling and labour laws compliance application. 7shifts allows you to manage all of your employees’ schedules from an one platform. You can also make shift schedule templates so that you don’t have to start from scratch every time.
Data from 7shifts can be synced and accessible across all platforms, making it mobile-friendly for Android and iOS users. This enables them to remain current and productive while on the move.
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