Why Utilizing Employee Scheduling Software is So Important

The art of scheduling used to be so much simpler – the boss would hand-write out the schedule every week on lined paper, stick a tack in the top, and post it in the breakroom. If they were fancy, they might type it out on the typewriter, laminate it and post it in front of the time clock. Either way, it was a simpler time.

Requests for time off, whether for vacation, bereavement or something else, had to be submitted in writing far in advance. Oftentimes, you had to take the time to carefully analyze the schedule to look for things like overtime, early or late clock-ins, overlapping schedules and other conflicts, which would then need to be dealt with quickly. Most times, discrepancies in schedules were ironed out face to face and employees would trade shifts with ease.

Why Utilizing Employee Scheduling Software is So Important

A case could be made that those simpler scheduling days were actually better, but that’s a matter of opinion. A case could be made for both; pros and cons exist for both. But the fact of the matter is, we’re in a different time now, one that relies heavily on apps and the cloud and always being online. Everything in business has adapted to these methods, and because of this, employee scheduling is something that must adapt, too, or be left in the dust.

Why Using Employee Scheduling Software Is So Important

Here’s the thing: even if you manage a remote staff of contractors, you too can benefit from this kind of software. If you have more than one contractor who works a set schedule for your business, you still have to manage their schedule. As the business owner you are still responsible for adequate coverage, remembering appointments, vacations, etc. So this kind of software is useful for traditional employees and contractors as your company grows.

Factors to Consider When Scheduling

Employee scheduling is more than just making a list of your workers and telling them when to come in every day. Scheduling is an important, streamlined task to ensure that your business runs smoothly and efficiently based on the availability and productivity of your team of employees. This has to be carefully considered. You must take into account

    • an employee’s needs, preferences and availability,
    • their job duties and allotted hours
    • schedule the right worker for the right period based on performance and demand
    • account for days off and sick days
    • provide extra coverage for those busy times
    • making sure you don’t go over their hours, or budget with overtime.

If you’re a manager, you have to answer to higher-ups who can question your every decision and come down on you hard for any conflicts or overages.

It’s a hard job; scheduling. And it can be hard to keep up with all of that in your own head. That’s why it’s so great that software apps and software are flooding the market now, giving employers and managers an ease in scheduling that they’ve never had before.

Are you making use of a great employee scheduling software like Sling? If not, you should be.

Streamline Staff Schedules and Appointments

Utilizing employee scheduling software can save you time and money, by streamlining your scheduling and appointments with other aspects of your business and making it easier for you to organize and submit your schedule with a click. No matter how many employees you have on the roster, the software can take the data you input and organize an entire schedule in minutes.

In addition to simple scheduling, the software can organize shift-trades, time off, sick days, overages, budgeting constraints and so much more. You’ll never again have to worry about accidentally giving someone overtime or forgetting a shift-trade. The software will take care of it all.

Eliminate Conflicts Before They Arise

You can eliminate conflicts like double-booking or forgetting a vacation request. The software keeps up with these details and sends you reminders, so you never forget your employee’s unique circumstances. Even better, the employees themselves can access the software, should you so choose, inputting their own requests, availability, preferences, and more, which the software will then access when necessary. This will eliminate the need for meetings and face to face requests, because your employee can simply input their request into the software, furthering productivity and saving time.

The software can also keep employees up to date on their own performance, providing them with alerts when they’re late, data so they can analyze their hours, arrivals, sick days and more long-term information, as well as giving them updates when schedules change last minute.

Increase Efficiency and Save a Few Hours Each Month

Save your often-used schedules as a template, to make things even more efficient. If your employees often keep the same schedules and hours, you’ll never again have to re-make the same schedule over and over. Spend that time growing your business!

Utilizing a schedule making software eliminates so many problems that employers face with hand-made schedules. Never again will you have to worry about

    • blocking off an hour to write down the schedule
    • employees coming in to request time off or complain about their hours
    • workers coming in late or forgetting when their break is, or
    • worrying that you’ve made a mistake and double-booked someone.

Gone are the days of answering to an angry supervisor when you’ve messed up the schedule. The software will keep up with all of those things for you, only sending out alerts when it’s necessary so that you can manage your time efficiently. You’ll have peace of mind that the schedule is 100% correct. And while you’re working, the software is keeping track of scheduling data behind the scenes, so when you’re ready, you can look at the timeline and see the areas that need improvement, which employees are always on time, which ones have too many overages, and other issues that need addressing. It’s easy to overlook these things when you’re making the schedule by hand, but software like Sling won’t let you miss those details.

Can you believe that once upon a time, scheduling employees, especially in larger businesses, was a full time job? Unfortunately though, it was a full time job usually relegated to a poor manager, HR person or payroll employee who had to devote an entire chunk of time, sometimes even a whole day, to scheduling, when they should/could have been focusing on other duties. Those days are gone, thankfully. Now it’s as easy as inputting a little bit of data into the software when necessary, and letting it do all the hard work for you, so you can focus on the more important aspects of your job.

It’s Affordable and User Friendly

Scheduling software is surprisingly affordable, sometimes even free, and it’s easy to download and easy to use. You and your employees will find it accessible, easy-to read and make changes, and the simple, color-coded view is easy to decode and understand. You’ll be able to access the software no matter where you are, too – so no more rushing back to the office to implement a quick change. You can do it from your phone, laptop or other device, from your office, home or even your car. Your employees can also access it from anywhere. This ease of use and convenience factor is so helpful for any busy office setting.

Scheduling software also eliminates conflict – it’s literally software making the schedule, so there’s no chance of an employee getting hurt feelings over a scheduling choice, and nobody breathing down your neck to make sure you’ve done the schedule right. That’s a load of stress off your shoulders.

Bottom Line

There are many reasons why it’s a great idea to streamline your business with a useful scheduling software. There’s simply no reason that any business owner or manager should still be handwriting schedules these days. Take that pesky chore off your hands with a great schedule making software. You’ll see the benefits right from the very beginning. The increase in efficiency and productivity are only two of the perks you’ll notice when you hand this chore off to a smart scheduling app like Sling. Save that time for more important things!

Ciao,
Miss Kemya

Miss Kemya
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