In fact, one study reports that managers can spend as many as 12 hours building a schedule each week. By implementing a scheduling program, you can streamline the schedule building process and save both time and money.

Adding a scheduling product to your HR departments arsenal of tools can help to automate and streamline the process of schedule building by completing a variety of tasks. From building schedules to avoiding scheduling employees for overtime hours, a scheduling solution can prove to be a valuable addition to your HR department.Many of these solutions can be set up to build schedules automatically based on prior schedules or by using templates provided by the vendor. Some of the features that can help complete these tasks include:

• Employee Availability Tracking
• Schedule Creation
• Add/Copy Schedules
• Auto-Scheduling
• Seasonal Scheduling
• Schedule Conflict Warning
• Skills-Based Scheduling

Track and manage employee information

There are a variety of factors that can affect schedule creation, many of which are directly related to your employees. This can include things like employee availability, their status as a full- or part-time employee and their skill level. All of these things need to be accounted for each week when creating a new schedule, and overlooking any of these factors can result in a scheduling crisis.

An automated scheduling tool can track all of these variables and factor them into the schedule each week. This ensures that no employee is scheduled outside of their availability or for more hours than they can work, ensuring that you are always in compliance with labor laws. Many products also provide employee self-service functionalities that allow employees to request time-off through the platform, enabling managers to approve those requests before letting the solution do the work of building the schedule. Some of the system capabilities that assist with this include:

• Employee Database
• Employee Availability
• Skill-Based Scheduling
• Shift Replacement
• Position and Department Tracking

Decrease missed shifts

A common complaint of managers is employees missing their scheduled shifts. Especially for businesses that rely on hourly workers for things such as customer service, being short-staffed can be detrimental to business functions. While life often takes us by surprise at inconvenient times, presenting challenges that prevent employees from showing up for their shifts, a scheduling system can help to decrease the frequency of this occurrence.

One of the ways that scheduling products help to decrease missed shifts is by giving employees access to the schedule. Many modern solutions are cloud-based, or at least offer web functionalities, which make it easy for employees to access the schedule from anywhere, including a cell phone. This means that every member of your team will always have access to the most current version of the schedule and can find coverage if they are suddenly unable to make a shift they’re scheduled for. Some of the other tools that help to decrease no-shows include:

• Shift Replacement
• Time Tracking
• News Feed

Increase profits

There are a variety of costs associated with scheduling, with the hours spent building the schedule being just one of them. Streamlining your schedule building process by implementing a software solution will help save your HR managers time, allowing them to focus on more pressing tasks. However, there are plenty of other ways that scheduling programs can help to cut costs as well.

One of the best ways scheduling products can help to foster cost efficiency is by building more effective schedules. By leveraging analytics, many systems can predict what future demand will be like and build schedules accordingly. This means that you won’t be understaffed when business is booming, and you won’t be scheduling workers when you don’t need them.

Gain insights into business practices

An added bonus of software solutions is that many provide reporting and analytic functionalities that help to provide valuable insights into your business practices. Many scheduling systems can track business data to create reports or allow users to generate their own custom reports. For example, by tracking data on labor costs, managers can ensure that they’re meeting goals, and if they aren’t, then they can begin to look for innovative ways to decrease costs.

Assist with core HR tasks

While all systems will have different capabilities, advanced systems will certainly contain features that assist with additional HR tasks. In addition to aiding in building schedules, many systems will also have time tracking tools. This can include functionalities that allow employees to clock in and out for shifts directly through the platform, allowing the solution to generate timesheets. Systems with payroll integrations can then export those timesheets directly to the payroll application seamlessly.

How Do I Select Employee Scheduling Software?

There are a variety of factors you’ll need to consider before selecting which scheduling solution is the best option for your business. You should think about the size of your business and how many employees you’ll need to schedule, how often the schedule needs to be created, and what type of workers you rely on. You’ll also want to be aware of what your price range is and what your time frame for implementing a new system is when you begin narrowing down the list of vendors you like. If this sounds like an arduous task that you’re nervous about undertaking, then consider utilizing your friends here at SelectHub as a resource. We’ve compiled a variety of tools to help guide you through the selection process, including an Employee Scheduling Requirements Checklist and a guide to our top solutions of the year.

Still have questions about which software system is the best fit for your business? We’re happy to help! Contact our team of experts to get your own personalized list of recommendations by sending an email to [email protected] or call us at 855-850-3850.