If you run a small business you probably *hate* creating the employee schedule – it’s a thankless, but critical, task. As a manager you have to ensure that you have the right number of staff to offer excellent service, while also keeping track of the total cost of labor that you’ve scheduled. Furthermore, you need to constantly check for conflicts with employees’ personal schedules.
Then — as soon as you publish the schedule — it’s out of date and changes need to be made.
One simple way to dramatically reduce employee scheduling time is to invest in online employee scheduling software. Many online tools allow you to create work schedules in 1 click, automatically ensuring that labor costs don’t exceed your labor budget, all of your shifts are filled, and no employee is scheduled for a time he or she is unavailable. In my interactions with small businesses using Hello Scheduling, they’ve reported that their managers easily save 4-6 hours per week scheduling employees. That’s 4-6 hours that can be better spent delighting customers.
And because the tools are online, your employees will be able to check their schedule from any computer, tablet, or mobile phone, ending constant “When do I work?” questions. Furthermore, most tools empower employees to swap shifts with one another and request time off (don’t worry, you’ll have final approval). Say goodbye to saving post it notes of everyone’s time off.
After the schedule is published, there are always last minute changes. Now getting in touch with the staff is simple. Most online employee scheduling tools allow you to send emails and text messages directly to team members.
Many online tools also offer time clock functionality. With a time clock, employees are able to clock in and clock out for their shifts, tracking actual employee work time. Some tools can also restrict employees from clocking in before their shift starts, saving you labor cost from early “clock ins”. At the end of the pay period, managers are able to approve clock times and calculate payroll with one click.
So if you’re ready to save 4-6 hours per week on scheduling, a tedious task that drives little value to your business, you should consider investing in an online employee scheduling and time clock tool. You can save your business thousands of dollars, countless headaches, and you’ll have happier employees that can spend more time on the retail floor.
