Top Features To Look For In Employee Scheduling Software For Small Teams
byManaging a small team involves a unique set of challenges. And one of the biggest hurdles is the need to wear a lot of different hats. You must oversee daily operations and ensure your team’s morale stays high. That takes serious effort, and it doesn’t leave you much time to put together a perfect schedule. With that in mind, you need to ditch your manual shift planning processes. Now is the time to adopt employee scheduling software.
But with so many options on the market, choosing the right solution for your small team can be tricky. There’s no need to worry, though. We’re here to walk you through the top features and benefits to look for. And if you want to dive right in and test out a feature-packed tool today, try When I Work for free.
Key takeaways:
The main points about employee scheduling software for small teams are:
- Automated scheduling reduces labor costs and improves efficiency
- Features like shift swapping and team communication reduce burnout
- Time-tracking integrations simplify payroll
- Mobile accessibility ensures you can manage schedules on the go
- The right solution, like When I Work, will scale with your business as it grows
Table of contents:
- Consequences of not using an automated scheduling solution
- Top features and benefits of employee scheduling software for small teams
- Why should small businesses invest in employee scheduling software?
- How When I Work can support and scale with your small business
Consequences of not using an automated scheduling solution
Manual scheduling creates all sorts of hidden challenges that can add up in no time. Some of the most common outcomes include the following:
Ballooning labor and operational costs
Without automation, tracking hours and optimizing your labor costs requires dangerous guesswork. Overscheduling can lead to unnecessary wage expenses. And understaffing often results in overworked team members and unhappy customers. No matter how you slice it, a lack of automation is bad for business.
Overworked staff
When you mismanage your schedules, your team pays the price. Poor scheduling practices lead to overworked and burnt-out team members. In fact, roughly half of workers around the world say they feel burnt out at work.
Burnout can lead to decreased productivity and increased turnover. If one of your top employees tends to work double to cover shifts, they may get overwhelmed and choose to quit.
High turnover
High turnover wrecks team chemistry and drives up your hiring and training costs. An effective scheduling tool ensures fair and consistent scheduling. Use that capability to respect your employees’ limitations.
Inability to focus on the work that truly matters
Spending hours each week to make your team’s schedule means less time for more crucial work. Manual scheduling processes take too long and need constant reworking. Investing in employee scheduling software helps avoid those backend struggles. You’ll be able to get back to building your vision. And both your team and customers will thank you.
Top features and benefits of employee scheduling software for small teams
Here are the features and benefits that leading employee scheduling software provides:
1. Automated scheduling saves time and reduces errors
As explained, the key feature of scheduling software is automation. With it, you can quickly create schedules based on employee availability and preferences. That gets rid of the need to waste hours on manual scheduling. It also means you’re less likely to make scheduling errors like double-booking.
You can compound the time-saving benefits of automated scheduling by streamlining other processes. For instance, consider enrolling everyone in direct deposit. Doing so will further reduce what it takes to manage your team.
2. Mobile access enhances flexibility
Flexibility is vital for small teams that may not always be on-site. But as a manager, you can’t spend the entire workday glued to your desk. With mobile-friendly scheduling software, you won’t have to. You and your team members can access your schedules from anywhere. That means you can check for shift changes or make updates with ease.
3. Shift swapping and coverage requests foster flexibility
Shift swapping reduces stress for you and your team members. But it isn’t practical to keep up with changing shifts while tracking them manually.
Scheduling software empowers your employees by allowing them to request shift trades. They won’t have to call out for shifts they can’t work. It’s something that fosters a sense of control over their schedules. And whenever shifts do swap around, you’ll receive an alert to approve the changes right in your mobile app. The result is ensuring the business always has enough people on duty.
4. Time-off management streamlines staffing
Employee scheduling software tracks time-off requests. It shows individuals with time off scheduled as “unavailable.” These visual time-off management tools help you avoid being short-handed. They also respect your employees’ need for downtime.
When you receive a time-off request, check your mobile app to see how many people are already off on those dates. If you have enough staff available to cover the request, you can approve it in seconds.
5. Overtime alerts help control labor costs
Accidental or not, excessive overtime can wreck your labor budget. But the good news is that employee scheduling software will let you know when overtime adds up. You can check your team’s schedule and make adjustments that help keep costs down.
Linking your software with your payroll platform can provide even more cost visibility. You can identify trends, such as excessive overtime in a specific shift, and get to the bottom of the issue.
6. Reporting and analytics drive data-driven decisions
The best employee scheduling platforms include built-in analytics capabilities. The reports they produce promote data-driven decision-making. In turn, you’ll be able to win at workforce management and make the most of available team members.
Let’s say you are running a restaurant. Reporting tools can track busy times and adjust staffing levels to meet demand. On the flip side, you can scale back staffing during slow periods to keep your labor costs down.
7. Employee availability tracking reduces scheduling conflicts
Manual scheduling makes it tough to track when people are available to work. As a result, you may schedule employees without realizing they have personal commitments. And that can create friction between you and your team members.
Employee scheduling software makes it easy to track employee availability. That’s especially important if your business is open at odd hours or has many shifts.
Let’s say one of your employees goes to college and can’t work weekday evening shifts. With employee scheduling tools, you can mark them as unavailable during those times. By doing so, you’ll avoid scheduling conflicts. Your team members will appreciate that you’ve accommodated their obligations. And they may be more loyal to the business as a result.
Why should small businesses invest in employee scheduling software?
As a small business owner, you’re placed in a unique set of circumstances. That’s because you’re likely to face challenges that larger organizations might not. For example, you may work with tighter labor budget margins. Or you might not have a dedicated person in charge of scheduling. Those extra responsibilities fall to you.
On the bright side, scheduling software like When I Work provides huge time savings. Clients enjoy an average time savings of 20% during the first month and 50% for every month afterward.
Suppose that you spend about 16 hours a week on scheduling tasks. By month two of using When I Work, you could save up to eight hours per week, which translates to 32 hours each month. That’s time you can reinvest in growing your business or spending time with your family.
Scheduling software also ensures you are compliant with state and federal labor laws. You can avoid costly penalties and enjoy peace of mind knowing you are doing things the right way.
How When I Work can support and scale with your small business
When I Work is one of the best small business apps on the market. Our employee scheduling software is easy on your budget and simple to use. What’s even greater is that it’s packed with features designed to make your life easier.
Use our automated scheduling capabilities to build better schedules in minutes. And keep everyone in the loop about assignments with our built-in team messaging tool. It’s easy to send messages that address shift needs and adapt to team member preferences.
When I Work also helps promote accountability with its built-in time clock feature. You can track each person’s hours and transfer the data to your payroll solution. It’s all done through integration with When I Work.
Try When I Work free today to get feature-packed employee scheduling software and more
Altogether, When I Work addresses the unique challenges faced by small businesses. With features like automated scheduling and time tracking, it’s perfect for saving time and boosting efficiency.If you’re ready to simplify your scheduling process, try When I Work free. Once you do, you’ll never want to build schedules without it.
