Best Employee Scheduling Software 2024

Gone are the days when managers would spend hours manually creating employee schedules using pen and paper and then pin them to the wall to apprise employees of their shift allotment. This manual approach to scheduling created several issues for managers, including conflicts in shifts, double booking, inadequate coverage, back-and-forth communication, and more.

With the advent of technology, scheduling software has revolutionized staff scheduling and shift planning. These software programs, also available as mobile applications to provide real-time visibility on the go, have evolved into AI-powered automated scheduling systems that handle everything from staff scheduling to labor cost tracking.

So, check out this exclusive list of the best employee scheduling software with details on the features and pros & cons, which can help you choose the solution that best suits your establishment’s needs while staying within your budget.

What Is Employee Scheduling Software?

Employee scheduling software automates the staff scheduling process and helps organizations create, track, and maintain schedules, manage labor costs, ensure shift coverage, and adhere to regional and global regulations and rules.

Using employee scheduling software has several benefits, including automating the staff scheduling process, optimizing labor costs, preventing payroll-related errors, eliminating back-and-forth communication with employees, and minimizing scheduling conflicts.

Overview of 20 Best Employee Scheduling Software for 2024

1. Deltek | Replicon’s Workforce Management Solution

Deltek | Replicon’s AI-powered unified platform helps businesses manage their diverse, mobile, and remote workforce and streamline the scheduling process using AI-powered tools.

It identifies and allocates the ideal employees based on availability, roles, & skills and prevents double booking. It streamlines the staff scheduling process by creating shift structures within seconds across various job roles, availability, skills, and locations. This employee scheduling platform uses AI-powered employee recommendation engines to automatically identify the best resource for every job and shift type.

It also tracks and manages labor costs at the shift level and provides real-time visibility into labor costs to help businesses stay within budget. Its versatile mobile application helps employees view the latest schedule, pick up open shifts, trade shifts with colleagues, and request time off anytime and from anywhere.

Features

• Creates automatic conflict-free schedules within seconds based on roles, availability, skills, and locations
• Uses AI-powered SmartSchedule to identify the ideal employee for shifts based on skills or cost
• Uses AI-powered employee recommendation engine SmartMatch to identify the best resource for every job automatically
• Allows managers to view and modify schedules and shifts in real time to fill unexpected gaps
• Notifies about shift overlaps to avoid double booking
• Ease of shift swapping with colleagues using the mobile app
• Manages and tracks labor costs at the shift level
• Helps create personalized scheduling rules to meet unique needs and complex bargaining agreements
• Supports labor compliance to help businesses be compliant with global and regional working regulations.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Creates conflict-free schedules using SmartSchedule
• Notifies about shift overlaps
• Visibility into real-time labor costs
• Supports labor regulation standards

Cons

• A slight learning curve as it comes with a broad range of features for better scheduling
• It is best for mid and large sized businesses, and may not be very appropriate for freelancers

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid version: $19 per user per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

2. Deputy

This employee scheduling software offers a quick schedule creation, time tracking, and communication platform. Deputy has several features that facilitate managers in creating the best schedules at their convenience.

Moreover, its robust reporting functionality helps managers gain a 360-degree view of the resource pool, thus helping them make smart scheduling decisions. The software also incorporates historical data to determine how certain factors, such as holidays, busy or slow shifts, and days with maximum time off, help generate the best possible schedules.

Features

• Allows automated scheduling with breaks
• In-built staff chat available
• Real-time tracking and timeclock
• Shift swapping
• Leave management
• Drag and drop feature for scheduling
• Seamlessly integrates with multiple POS, HR, and payroll software such as Gusto, Xero, QuickBooks, Lightspeed

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Staffing data analysis feature
• Easy integration with several other applications such as POS, HR, payroll
• Offers free trial for 31 days
• Mobile applications in iOS and Android versions

Cons

• The revenue-based scheduling feature is reported to have occasional glitches
• Requires more functionality in the iOS app
• The color palette used can strain the eyes

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid versions:
  • Basic: $4.50 per user per month
  • Premium: $6 per user per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

3. Humanity

Humanity, acquired by TCP software in 2020, helps organizations manage business operations by monitoring labor costs, streamlining scheduling, and handling time off requests. The automated employee scheduling software empowers employees to swap shifts and request time offs effortlessly. Also, it allows employers to approve or deny requests on the go.

Features

• Instant warnings and alerts for schedules with conflicts and double bookings
• Customized scheduling to suit the establishment’s needs
• Mobile application to manage schedule and track the shifts on the go
• Seamless integrations with other applications such as human capital management (HCM), calendar apps, etc.
• Time clock feature to capture employee attendance and prevent buddy punching
• Pre-built reports to monitor key aspects of the schedule

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy-to-use software
• Automatic scheduling
• Instant schedule conflict warning
• Integrates with scheduling apps and calendar apps

Cons

• Short shifts are difficult to schedule compared to longer ones
• Limited features in mobile application
• Some users report the software to be somewhat cumbersome

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $3/user/month
  • Business: $4/user/month

Ratings

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

4. Sling

This scheduling software has a suite of tools to help businesses of all sizes with staff scheduling and shift planning. Sling offers all of the basic features that streamline the scheduling process, such as role-based scheduling, and a time clock to track time in a user-friendly interface. The application also alerts the managers if it identifies the possibility of clopening shifts, ensuring that schedules are conflict-free and align with applicable rules.

It also sends notifications for overlapping shifts or double-booking to managers beforehand. Moreover, it helps managers set weekly labor budgets and alerts them if they exceed the limit.

Features

• Tracks employee work hours with a built-in time clock feature
• In-app messaging feature for users to hold group or private conversations
• Mobile application to swap or pick up shifts and set the employee availability status
• Sends automatic shift notifications to employees
• Auto-assigning feature for faster scheduling
• Time off requests can be submitted through the app
• Creates, edits, and manages shifts with customizable templates
• Reporting and analytics tools to get insights into labor costs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive user interface
• Easy task allocation
• In-app messaging for teams
• Auto scheduling feature
• Labor cost tracking

Cons

• Limited integration
• Difficulty in chat filtering

Pricing

• Free plan available
• Paid versions:
  • Premium: $1.70/user/month
  • Business: $3.40/user/month

Ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

5. Shiftboard

Developed in 2008, Shiftboard scheduling software helps organizations schedule shifts that provide maximum operational coverage while ensuring adequate work-life balance for employees. The software comes with features such as automated scheduling, schedule distribution, shift swapping, two-way texting, and mobile clock in and out at a price that’s accessible and affordable for small and medium businesses.

Features

• Labor demand planning tools
• Intelligent scheduling suggestions by the optimization engine
• Automated scheduling for employees considering factors like qualifications, experience, roles, etc.
• Leave management solution

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Good for labor cost management
• Flexible automated scheduling
• Provides intelligent scheduling suggestions
• Efficient labor demand planning tools available
• Good for managing complex employee schedules
• Budgeting and budget forecasting

Cons

• Difficulty in scheduling shifts of longer hours
• Changes in shifts sometimes don’t automatically update without being refreshed
• Some users report that the UI looks outdated

Pricing

Contact the vendor for details

Ratings

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.4/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

6. Homebase

Homebase uses automatic scheduling to create conflict-free schedules on the fly, from anywhere and allows managers to share them instantly with the teams. Its feasible drag-and-drop feature facilitates managers in making changes to the schedule in real-time and updating it instantly. The software keeps a tab on the resources’ availability & roles and apprises the employers/managers if they accidentally schedule any resource for an unsuitable role or shift.

Features

• Sends automatic shift reminders to employees to prevent absenteeism and late arrival
• Enables employees to swap shifts with their colleagues while keeping managers in the loop
• Enables making real-time changes in the schedule using easy drag & drop from the mobile app
• Integrates data from applications such as Clover, Square, etc., to forecast labor costs
• Allows requesting of time off by employees and approval by managers directly through the app

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Intuitive UI
• User-friendly mobile app
• Best scheduling app for contractors, freelancers, and hourly workers
• In-app messaging platform
• Automatic shift reminders and shift swapping

Cons

• Limited integration
• Limited reporting customization

Pricing

• Free plan available
• Paid versions:
  • Essentials: $24.95/location/month/unlimited employees
  • Plus: $59.95/location/month/unlimited employees
  • All-in-one: $99.95/location/month/unlimited employees

Ratings

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

7. Planday

This scheduling software uses an auto-scheduling feature and shows multiple views based on different categories, facilitating managers to create schedules that best serve their needs. The real-time schedules can be accessed from the app and the browser.

It provides an updated overview of the schedule to check which employees are working on which specific tasks, during which shifts, and at which locations. Apart from the auto-scheduling, its color-coding palette helps pinpoint employees who have exceeded their daily hour limit, so they are not double booked for another shift.

In addition, the tool allows teams to request time off, book shifts, and swap shifts with each other using a proper approval path.

Features

• Auto scheduling
• Customizable scheduling templates
• Monitors and manages labor costs by tracking employee hours, budgets, etc
• Integrates with several other business software such as payroll, accounting, and data management
• Enables employees to swap shifts and update their availability

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Allows easy set up, customization and use of employee profiling
• Multiple integrations available
• Has an app that provides accessibility from anywhere, anytime
• Easy team communication via SMS, emails and app notifications

Cons

• Reporting functionality is limited
• Scheduling can be more flexible

Pricing

• Free trial is available for 30 days
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: €2.99 per user per month
  • Plus: €4.99 per user per month
  • Pro: Custom pricing

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

8. Findmyshift

If you’re looking for scheduling software with a minimal learning curve and a user-friendly UI, look no further. Try Findmyshift. It’s an intuitive scheduling app that’s designed to meet the scheduling requirements of multiple industries based on personas. This work schedule tool helps organizations manage schedules and communicate shifts to employees anytime and from anywhere.

Features

• Intuitive keyboard shortcuts
• A built-in messaging app to facilitate communication between managers and employees
• Creates flexible schedules to accommodate full-time and part-time employees
• Creates customized templates for recurring shift patterns or rotational shifts
• Time off requests can be made directly from the apps, and managers can approve or deny it
• Automated notifications for changes in schedule and upcoming shifts
• Integration with several apps like Slack, BambooHR, monday.com, etc.
• Drag and drop feature to make changes

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy to use
• Useful integrations
• Automated reminders and shift notifications
• Drag and drop scheduling process

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Some minor issues faced when working with Apple devices
• Limited reporting capabilities

Pricing

• Free version available
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $25/team/month
  • Business: $40/team/month
  • Enterprise: $80/team/month

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

9. Workfeed

Do you need a solution to schedule employees while requiring the least human intervention and also want to create & save templates for recurring shifts? Then, Workfeed is probably the right choice for you. This scheduling and time-tracking tool leverages the auto-assign feature to create a new schedule according to preferences and requirements within seconds. It also has an ‘employee insights’ feature that allows managers to view sick days, shift drops, etc.

Features

• Auto scheduling feature
• Schedules can be saved as templates for recurring shifts
• Clock-in can be done via the app
• In-built chats to swap and pick up open shifts

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Auto scheduling available
• Well designed UI
• Easy to set up
• User-friendly app

Cons

• No drag-and-drop functionality
• Organizations with a large workforce may face challenges in scheduling

Pricing

• Paid versions:
  • Basic: $3.25/user/month
  • Pro: $4.33/use/month
  • Pro Plus: $5.41/user/month

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

10. 7Shifts

7shifts is cloud-based shift scheduling software primarily designed for restaurants and the hospitality industry to schedule shifts for employees. Designed for employee communication and engagement, this software also provides tailored solutions to meet the specific scheduling needs of the food and beverage industry.

Features

• Facilitates communication between managers and employees via a messaging app
• Facilitates saving shift templates for recurring schedules
• Offers forecasting tools to predict staffing needs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Employee schedules can be easily tracked
• Easy to schedule shifts and request time off
• Detailed reporting feature for decision-making
• Shift templates for recurring schedules
• Demand forecasting tools to predict staffing needs

Cons

• The mobile app could have more sales and labor analytics
• Above 30 employees are required to avail of the top-tier plan

Pricing

• 14-days free trial
• Paid versions:
  • Entrée: $34.99/ month/location (for up to 30 employees)
  • The Works: $76.99/month/location (for unlimited employees)
  • Gourmet: $150/ month/location (for unlimited employees)

Ratings

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

11. ZoomShift

ZoomShift is a scheduling software solution specifically designed for hourly employees. It’s popular with small retail shops and franchises but is also useful for restaurants and the hospitality sector in general. This user-friendly platform takes minimal time to learn and set up. With robust features such as automated time-off requests, scheduling and shift rosters, this software helps businesses manage their workforce and save time in manual schedule curation.

Features

• Automated scheduling
• Managers can view staff availability, time off requests, scheduling conflicts and shift swaps from the dashboard
• Time clock functionality to track employee attendance
• Allows employees to swap shifts
• Staff notification by email, text and push notification when schedule changes
• Reminder before the shift starts
• Syncs with most calendar applications

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Easy scheduling and shift swapping
• Free trial
• Mobile scheduling app for instant visibility
• Intuitive interface
• Employee schedules can be synced with multiple calendar apps

Cons

• Lacks customization feature
• Lacks built-in staff chat

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $2 per user per month
  • Premium: $5 per user per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.9/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

12. QuickBooks Time

QuickBooks Time’s employee scheduler offers a ‘who’s working’ feature that provides a holistic view of the team’s allocation, availability, and which employee is doing which shift. The application allows managers to assign and change shifts with a drag-and-drop feature.

Also, it alerts the manager in case of any discrepancy, ensuring each shift gets coverage without any double booking or conflicts. The system also allows free unlimited phone, email, and chat support for better communication and coordination.

Features

• Creates schedule based on employee availability, shift requirements, and job roles
• Helps create and save shift templates for repetitive scheduling patterns
• Employees can share their availability to allow managers to schedule shifts accordingly
• The mobile application available for both managers and employees allows them to access schedules, clock in/out, and receive notifications anywhere and anytime
• Shift reminders to alert employees of upcoming shifts, meetings, and schedules
• Reporting and analytics features to assess labor costs, schedule management, and track employee attendance

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Simple to access
• Easy integrations and data sync
• Tracks labor cost and time per shift
• Provides job costing data

Cons

• Expensive for small companies and startups

Pricing

• 30-day free trial
• Paid versions:
  • Elite: Base fee $20 + $10 per user per month
  • Premium: Base fee $10/month + $8 per user per month

Ratings

• G2: 4/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

13. Snap Schedule

Snap Schedule is cloud-based employee scheduling software that’s ideal for enterprise-level businesses with a large workforce. It is designed to effortlessly streamline the process of creating, changing, and managing work schedules. With built-in communications tools, and tailored reporting, Snap Schedule offers best-in-class solutions to enterprises.

Features

• Offers tools for assigning shifts, managing employee availability, and adjusting schedules with a drag-and-drop interface
• Creates and saves shift templates for repetitive schedules
• Reporting and analytics tools to assess labor costs and other metrics
• Seamlessly integrates with payroll, calendar, and time-tracking software

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Automated scheduling
• Customized shifts based on configured rules and criteria set

Cons

• Some users have reported that UI looks outdated
• A bit expensive for small enterprises

Pricing

• Paid versions:
  • SnapSchedule 365: Starts at $450/scheduler/year
  • Snap Schedule Premium: Starts at $995/computer
  • Snap Schedule: Starts at $450/computer

Ratings

• G2: 4
• Capterra: 4.5
• Software Advice: 4.4/5

14. Calendly

Calendly is one of the trusted names in the online scheduling software market, catering to the needs of small and large businesses. The software offers features that make scheduling easier than ever, including automation and adaptability that facilitate creating schedules aligned with business needs and preferences.

Features

• Automated scheduling to help businesses allocate their resources more efficiently
• Sends automatic reminders to employees for upcoming schedules, reducing the likelihood of absenteeism or late arrivals
• Seamlessly syncs with calendar applications, such as Google Calendar, Outlook, iCloud, and other business applications

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Automated scheduling
• Seamlessly integrates with calendar apps and other business tools
• Automatic reminders and notifications to both parties involved

Cons

• Limited customization options
• Lack of CRM integration

Pricing

• Free version available
• Paid versions:
  • Basic: $10 per user per month
  • Teams: $16 per user per month
  • Enterprise: Get in touch with vendors

Ratings

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

15. Staffjoy

Started in 2015 after Philip Thomas’s scheduling research, this innovative free scheduling app facilitates businesses by automating their employee scheduling process. This versatile scheduling software is designed to serve startups and agencies. Staffjoy uses an algorithm-based scheduling approach to manage a large workforce and keep labor costs in check.

Features

• Uses advanced algorithms to create and optimize schedules to cater to specific needs
• Forecasts labor needs by analyzing historical data
• Monitors labor costs in real-time
• Uses tools to keep businesses compliant with labor laws and regulations such as breaks, overtime, etc.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Labor needs forecasting
• Automated scheduling
• Labor cost tracking
• Easy shift swapping

Cons

• The system is reported to work slowly at times

Pricing

• Paid versions: Basic starts from $5 per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

16. ClickUp

ClickUp is a robust scheduling tool designed for teams and businesses of all sizes. Its calendar view helps everyone check team goals, work schedules, and shift allotments in one place. The tool also provides a library of scheduling templates that can be used without the need to create it each time from scratch.

Features

• Calendar view to check work schedules in a central location
• Offers numerous collaboration tools, including comments, mentions, and checklists, to streamline communication among team members
• Gantt chart view to schedule employees with drag-and-drop action
• Seamlessly integrates with Google Calendar and other tools
• Offers multiple work schedule templates for specific scheduling needs

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Has a reminder feature to update for important events and meetings
• Integrates with several tools
• Gantt chart view for work visualization
• Drag and drop functionality
• Multiple customized scheduling templates

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• The mobile app has limited functionality as compared to the desktop version

Pricing

• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $7/month per user
  • Business: $12/month per user
  • Enterprise: Contact for pricing

Ratings

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.7/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

17. OpenSimSim

This full-featured employee scheduling software streamlines the process of shift planning for small and medium-sized businesses. Its easy-to-use, all-in-one app helps managers create employee schedules within seconds and make changes or adjustments to it on the fly. With the private and group messaging features of OpenSimSim, managers can share the schedule with one click and coordinate with employees effortlessly.

Features

• An intuitive drag-and-drop interface to create schedules, assign shifts and make changes
• Allows employees to request shift swaps with colleagues with proper approval from managers
• Provides up-to-date availability and allows employees to request time off
• Private and group messaging for better communication
• Tracks labor costs to keep you under budget

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Drag and drop feature for scheduling
• Facilitates shift swapping
• Built-in messaging and notifications platform

Cons

• Admins sometimes face difficulty in disabling chats and removing chat rooms from the platform

Pricing

• Basic: Free
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $15.99 per month per location
  • Premium: $39.99 per month per location
  • Enterprise: Contact vendors

Ratings

• Capterra: 4.5
• Software Advice: 4.5

18. Connecteam

Connecteam is a budget-friendly scheduling software solution known for its advanced scheduling, time clock, and communications tools for businesses with large workforces. This all-in-one employee scheduling software provides robust tools to create and manage schedules even on the fly. Its advanced customization helps users create shifts catering to their unique business needs.

Features

• Auto-scheduling feature to make employee schedules in seconds
• Premade scheduling templates for recurring shifts
• Automatic shift conflict alerts to notify of any scheduling errors
• Intuitive drag-and-drop employee scheduler to assign shifts or make adjustments

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Tools for blast notifications, team chats, and polls
• Intuitive drag-and-drop employee scheduler
• Gantt chart view for work visualization
• Seamless shift swapping
• Integrates with payroll solutions

Cons

• Certain advanced functionalities and integrations are missing

Pricing

• Free plan for up to 10 users
• Paid versions:
  • Basic: $35 per month for 30 users
  • Advanced: $59 per month for 30 users
  • Expert: 119 per month for 30 users

Ratings

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.8/5
• Software Advice: 5/5

19. Wrike

Introduced in 2006, Wrike streamlines planning, scheduling, task allocation, and labor cost monitoring for project teams. Over time, it has evolved to include several tools and features, including scheduling, task management, interactive Gantt charts, time and budget tracking, and reporting.

Wrike is mostly known to work best for businesses with complex scheduling requirements. It offers a free version but requires a paid subscription to leverage its full capabilities.

Features

• Creates and assigns tasks to team members, with due dates and priority settings
• Gantt chart view to visualize the scheduling
• Allocates the right resources across projects to ensure optimal workforce scheduling
• Provides reports and analytics to reveal insights into workforce performance and scheduling metrics

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Gantt chart visualization for better visibility
• Detailed reports and analytics
• Customized scheduling templates

Cons

• Expensive for small teams
• Delayed notification from some integrated applications

Pricing

• Free version available
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $9.80 per user per month for up to 25 users
  • Business: $24.80 per user per month for up to 200 users
  • Enterprise: Contact the vendor

Ratings

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5
• Software Advice: 4.5/5

20. Buddy Punch

Buddy Punch has gained popularity with its robust tools and features, such as drag-and-drop scheduling, shift trades and covers, punch limiting, job codes, etc. Its chats and notifications features help keep employees, administrators, and managers on the same page regarding changes in scheduling. Moreover, its integration with popular payroll software makes it easy to transfer employee scheduling data for payroll, billing, and invoicing purposes.

Features

• Drag and Drop scheduler to create and assign shifts
• Punch limit to prevent scheduling employees for extended hours
• Paid time off tracking and management
• Seamlessly Integrates with other software like Zapier, ADP, Quickbooks etc.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• User-friendly UI and easy-to-learn setup
• Automated time tracking and scheduling
• Good customer support
• Intuitive user interface
• Analytics and Reporting tools for detailed insights

Cons

• Incorrectly punched time is difficult to correct

Pricing

• Free trial available
• Paid versions:
  • Starter: $4.99 per user per month
  • Pro: 5.99 per user per month+$19 base fee per month
  • Premium: 7.99 per user per month+$19 base fee per month
  • Enterprise: Contact vendor+$19 base fee per month

Ratings

• G2: 4.8/5
• Capterra: 4.8/5
• Software Advice: 5/5

What Makes a Great Employee Scheduling Software?

Ease of Use

The employee scheduling software you implement should be easy to use and require minimal training to operate. Software with steep learning curves often makes shift scheduling more complex and may also lead to frustration among employers and managers.

Streamlined Communication

Seamless communication between managers and employees is imperative for effective collaboration and schedule management. The scheduling software should have features such as built-in chats, real-time interaction, comments, and file sharing.

Seamless Integration

The scheduling software you choose to implement should be able to integrate with other software used in the organization, such as calendar apps, accounting software, project management software, payroll software, etc., to maximize scheduling efficiency.

Customization

The software you use must be customizable, i.e., it should allow employers/managers to configure the system according to their scheduling needs and preferences.

Mobile Accessibility

The work scheduling software you choose must also facilitate remote accessibility via an online mobile application. The app should allow employees to view their schedules and empower employers to create, change, and adjust the schedule as well as approve the shift swap and time off requests in real-time through the app anytime and anywhere.

Flexible Shift Swapping

The software should allow employees to request shift swapping at their convenience and also allow managers to approve or deny the request. Equipped with the software, your employees can raise a request for shift swap while others can show interest in shift trading, and finally, managers can approve it.

Compliance

The scheduling software you choose to implement must have an in-built pay rule library to help support compliance with the applicable laws and regulations of the region you operate in.

Several laws that are applicable in the region, including federal, state, and local labor laws, require you to stay compliant with scheduling regulations that may include overtime laws, break laws, clopening laws, etc. Thus, the software you use should support compliance with all the necessary laws and regulations.

Time off Management

Scheduling software must offer a feature through which employees can request time off, and managers can approve or deny it instantly. The absence tracking features in employee scheduling software can help shift managers approve, deny or track employees’ time off requests so they don’t schedule the employees in a shift during their time off.

Shift Templates

Employee scheduling software should also have the feature to create and save a schedule, especially for recurring shifts, so that managers or employers can reuse it without creating another schedule from scratch. This way, they can reuse the same schedule templates without creating a new schedule every week, saving time.

Reporting Functionality

The employee scheduling software should enable scheduling managers to generate detailed scheduling reports to have visibility into scheduling metrics, including overtime, gross pay, resource allocation, labor costs, shift distribution, etc.

This insight helps managers and employers understand if the scheduling process is aligned with their budget and helps them make informed decisions around staffing requirements.

Benefits of Using an Employee Scheduling App

Increased Efficiency

Scheduling software does the heavy lifting by creating conflict-free schedules tailored to the organization’s needs within a brief period, liberating managers from the hassle of creating schedules for employees each day.

The software considers employee availability, skill sets, and other such parameters to ensure that the right people with the right skills/roles work in the right shifts. Employee scheduling software prevents double booking and alerts managers in case of any likelihood. It flags the possibility of any uncovered or understaffed shifts, helping managers quickly find the best possible coverage.

Automated Time Off Requests and Approval

With a few clicks, scheduling software lets employees apply for time off and enables managers to approve the request with a proper validation process. This streamlines the time off management and helps managers keep track of employees’ time off requests, frequency, and absenteeism patterns, if any.

Compliance Options

Scheduling software has options, such as a pay rule library, to support organizations with labor compliance and regulations in the region where they operate.

Thus, such software checks on overtime, breaks, rest periods, etc., to help organizations stay compliant with laws and regulations irrespective of their geographical location.

Reduced Labor Cost

This software can help you cut down the costs associated with manual schedule processing. It offers insight into overstaffing and understaffing, thus helping managers make informed decisions about resource management and staffing requirements.

It also accurately tracks total hours, time offs, overtime hours, breaks, and other differential pay so that employers can process payroll accurately, calculate invoices correctly, and minimize any errors that can contribute to cost overrun. Also, with proper scheduling and insight into staffing requirements, employers can minimize the cost of unnecessary hiring and training.

Real-Time Updates

Scheduling software provides real-time insights into resource allocation, scheduling, shift swapping, and other such data. Thus, managers get real-time visibility into the current schedule, recent changes, or any major updates in shift allotments.

Streamlined Communication

Employee scheduling software with built-in communication or chat features enables employees to stay in touch with their colleagues and managers to discuss or enquire about their respective schedules.

The software allows employees to communicate with each other so they can trade shifts and coordinate for work-related discussions. It also enables them to get in touch with the scheduling manager instantly to reduce no-shows and last-minute scheduling conflicts.

Better Schedule Management

Employee scheduling software allows employers to configure the system with certain parameters, such as the limits of total work hours in a day, overtime hours, how frequently employees’ shifts can rotate, and the number of shifts employees work within a timespan.

Thus, the software allows employers to set certain rules or limits to create a suitable and predictable schedule and ensure that employees don’t get burned out by working under the maximum number of hours/shifts.

Bottom Line

There are tons of scheduling software out there that also offer mobile accessibility via the mobile application, but choosing the best employee scheduling software that helps you create and manage schedules as per your requirements, aligns with your business needs, and is budget-friendly is somewhat tricky.

Though all software mentioned helps streamline the staff scheduling and comes with unique features, Deltek | Replicon’s Workforce Management Solution tops the list due to its AI/ML capabilities with intelligent recommendation engines and pay rule library to support compliance related to overtime, meal breaks, and other labor laws applicable across the globe.

So, Deltek | Replicon’s workforce management solution can help manage your global workforce effectively by tracking their accurate time and creating cost-optimized schedules while supporting labor regulations standards.

Disclaimer:

The product information in this listicle is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute advice in any manner. We strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information for which we will be updating the information in this listicle periodically. Please note that the inclusion of any product/software/solution in this list does not imply any endorsement, affiliation, or partnership; and the pros and cons of each product are sourced from multiple review websites that provide publicly available information. We encourage users to do their own research and take a free trial to thoroughly assess and choose the product that caters to their unique business requirements and aligns with their budget.