In this article, we’ll explore 18 ways in which technology can transform employee scheduling.
The rise of modern technology can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th century. Eventually this brought about the automation of labor-intensive tasks and improved workflow through advances in engineering and manufacturing. As technology has evolved over the past few centuries. So too have the ways in which businesses operate.
This evolution has seen the development of an array of new tools and solutions designed to facilitate greater efficiency in the workplace — including employee scheduling. Modern technology in employee scheduling can help streamline the process of scheduling, ensuring that payroll and attendance data is accurately recorded, tasks are updated in real-time, and shifts are filled with the right people.
Rotating shift schedules
To ensure that employees aren’t overworked, companies are introducing innovative shift scheduling solutions that can easily define, create, and manage rotating shift schedules. This can be helpful for staff with varying availability, as well as for businesses that need to offer 24/7 customer service. Managers can use shift patterns to identify areas of improvement — and create a schedule that works better for the organization.
Manage employee schedules
Managing is made easier with software that can be used to create and manage an employee’s entire schedule. This software can integrate with other HR applications and systems, such as payroll and time tracking, to ensure accuracy when it comes to payroll and attendance data. In fact, modern employee scheduling software can even be used to make sure that employees aren’t working beyond their contractual hours, preventing the risk of an overtime dispute.
Mobile access
The transition to digital employee scheduling has made the task much more convenient, as employees can access their schedule from any location, at any time. This provides a huge level of flexibility, as employees can check their schedule, request time off, and submit availability updates right from their smartphone
Real-time updates
With modern employee scheduling tools, managers can update the schedule in real-time as both employee and manager availability changes. This ensures that the latest information is always available, allowing for better decision-making and helping to eliminate any potential scheduling conflicts.
Reporting and analytics
Using employee scheduling software, it’s now possible to generate reports and analyze data to gain valuable insights into the organization. This data includes both staffing levels and employee attendance and can be used to identify areas needing improvement or to help make scheduling changes more effective.
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Self-scheduling tools
Self-scheduling tools allow employees to take control of their schedules and choose the shifts they want to work. These tools make it easy for managers to fill shifts and provide employees with more control over their schedules.
Schedule optimization
Optimizing schedules can help reduce labor costs and improve profitability. Employee scheduling software can be used to generate schedules that are optimized for the entire organization, taking into account both employee availability and customer demand
Time tracking
Time tracking tools can be used to monitor employee attendance and accurately record hours worked. This data can be used to ensure accurate payroll and to identify areas that may need improvement
Integrate with payroll
Employee scheduling software can be integrated with payroll systems, helping to eliminate the manual entry of attendance and payroll data. This ensures that staff are paid accurately and on time
Integrate with other HR systems
By integrating employee scheduling solutions with other HR systems — such as performance management and time tracking, organizations can ensure that all employee data is up to date and easily accessible.
Reporting
Employee scheduling software makes it easier to report on employee hours and labor costs. It can centralize data and provide real-time reporting, enabling managers to track hours worked by employees — their pay rate — and the cost of labor. It also reduces manual time tracking and allows managers to quickly access and review employee data. And, it can be used to track overtime and due dates for particular tasks, and it can also be used to generate reports showing the total cost to the company for labor.
Alerts and Notifications
Employee scheduling software can send alerts and notifications when shifts are added or removed when schedules change, and any other important information. This helps to ensure that staff are always up to date and can plan accordingly.
Forecasting
Top employee scheduling innovations comprise of forecasting capabilities that enable organizations to create schedules that are tailored to future demand. This helps to ensure that the right number of staff are scheduled for each shift. This in turn, saves resources — from time to labor.
Automation
Modern employee scheduling software can automate many of the processes involved in scheduling, including shift swapping, attendance tracking, and shift filling. This reduces the manual effort of creating and managing schedules, freeing up time for managers to focus on more value-added tasks.
Per Lightspeed “Approximately 50% of U.S. restaurants plan to use this type of technology in the next few years as a solution to labor shortage challenges. Not only that, but adding restaurant technology is considered to be almost essential for survival, with 87% of industry operators agreeing that technology adoption has been critical throughout the pandemic.”
Advanced scheduling rules
Advanced scheduling rules can be used to create unique rules for each employee, helping to ensure that any conflicts are avoided and that the most appropriate staff are scheduled for each shift.
Accessible data
Employee scheduling software can be used to make employee data easily accessible to managers and employees. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and that any necessary changes can be made quickly and easily.
Cloud-based
Many employee scheduling solutions are cloud-based, enabling managers and employees to access the system from any device with an internet connection. This makes it easy to manage the schedule from anywhere — at any time.
Real-time chat
Real-time chat functionality can be added to an employee scheduling software, enabling employees and managers to communicate quickly and easily. This can be used to coordinate scheduling changes, ensure staff are informed of any changes, and troubleshoot any issues that might arise.
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