What HR Scheduling Software Should I Choose?

Scheduling requirements of companies vary widely depending on how many employees they have, how many shifts they usually cover on a weekly or monthly basis, and any need for managing shifts of off-site employees. These factors, among others, should be considered when choosing HR scheduling software for your organization.

Another important thing to consider is your industry-specific requirements. For instance, if you are running a catering or food service business, you need a solution that helps coordinate shifts between multiple locations. You may also want your HR scheduling tool to integrate with your POS systems. Some products even integrate with Google Maps, allowing your off-site workers to get location directions directly from your HR scheduling software.

Products in this category usually feature an employee database, where the contact details, skills, and qualifications of employees are uploaded. To help users upload employee data faster, some products allow them to import existing data directly from excel spreadsheets or POS systems. You’ll also find products that send automated reminders when an employee’s license or certification is approaching expiration.

Checking the scheduling features is very important. You may need a product that automatically sends alerts for last-minute schedule changes or one that lets you copy past schedules and drag and drop names and numbers to assign shifts faster. More advanced HR scheduling comes with strong reporting capabilities. For instance, some products can analyze scheduling data and generate reports on labor costs and absenteeism.

HR Scheduling Software Benefits

Utilizing the right HR scheduling software can provide many benefits to the human resources department, managers, supervisors as well as employees. The key is finding the right software that fits your employee/shift scheduling requirements.

An increase in employee scheduling efficiency

This is one of the main benefits of implementing HR scheduling solutions. Having the ability to easily engage in employee shift scheduling, review current work schedules, and effectively manage personnel can have a significant impact on the efficiency and productivity of any workforce.

Better visibility and accountability

Any type of employee scheduling tool actually helps to promote transparency by utilizing automation in order to create well-optimized schedules. It then helps to improve accountability by giving employees the ability to choose and/or modify their own work schedules whenever possible. Employees can also directly submit time-off requests to their supervisors and receive responses in real-time without having to deal with paperwork since the entire process can be coordinated from their mobile device.

Better labor law compliance

Regardless of which country you run your business in, you have to abide by the labor laws and regulatory standards enforced in that country. In the US, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires businesses of all sizes and across all industries to adhere to strict standards with regard to wages and overtime pay. Good HR scheduling solutions provide users with real-time information and data-driven reports on work schedules, overtime calculations, open shifts, and more.

Promotes a collaborative working environment

HR scheduling software often includes a few collaboration tools in its feature package, ranging from simple chat and group messaging tools to communications and team management features designed to help team members work more efficiently. If permitted, employees will have access to a self-service feature where they can manage their shift schedules via a dragging and dropping function on their mobile devices.

Types of HR Scheduling Software

There are many types of HR scheduling software, and a business of any size can use the specific scheduling features to effectively manage its workforce. Many employee scheduling software programs integrate with mobile devices, which means people can manage their work schedules from any location.

Scheduling tools allow users to request time off, swap shifts, and view schedules in real-time. The more advanced features can include AI integration, 360 degree feedback, and performance appraisal.

The specific type of software you choose depends on the size of your workforce and which capabilities you need. Any type of scheduling software you choose is sure to streamline HR scheduling, saving your organization time.

Common Features of HR Scheduling Software