Finest worker planning software program

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Managing your workforce shifts on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis can be difficult. There's a fine between understaffing and overstaffing without your labor costs spiraling out of control.

Even with just a handful of employees, staying organized is difficult, but that challenge is growing exponentially.

We have reached a point where managing shifts with spreadsheets or pencil and paper has become obsolete and downright inefficient.

Enter the employee scheduling software. These tools make it easy for managers to create schedules while keeping the big picture in mind. Regardless of whether your company has ten employees for more than 10,000 employees, there is a solution that will meet your planning needs.

Which employee planning software is the best? Find out my top tips and read my in-depth reviews of each one below.

The top 6 options for employee planning software

  1. ShiftNote
  2. Switchboard
  3. Deputy
  4. HotSchedules from Fourth
  5. Home base
  6. CakeHR

How to choose the best workforce scheduling for you

There are certain factors to consider when shopping for and evaluating various workforce planning tools. Keep the following elements in mind to narrow your search:

Number of employees

As mentioned earlier, employee planning software is a versatile category. There are solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes. However, a small café with six employees in one location does not have the same requirements as a restaurant chain with 500 employees in a dozen locations.

Some software is scalable while others are intended for smaller businesses and single locations.

Think about the future of your company as you also consider options. While you may only have 50 employees today, how many will you have in six months? 12 months? When you scale quickly, you make sure that the software you choose will grow with your growth.

Time recording function

In general, schedules are just one component of employee scheduling software. Many of the best tools on the market today are all-in-one solutions for other functions.

Time recording and timers are on this list. Why?

Planning and time recording usually go hand in hand. Instead of having software for planning and a completely different time recording tool, it makes sense to bundle them all under one roof. Ultimately, this makes things easier for your managers and employees alike.

Flexible access

The best workforce planning software is usually offered as a web-based solution. You want to make it easier for your employees to access their schedules from anywhere. This is not possible with desktop software.

I also recommend looking for an employee scheduling solution that comes with a free mobile app by default. Then your employees can essentially keep a schedule with real-time updates around the clock.

These apps are great for team communication functions and push notifications with schedule changes or shift reminders.

Industry-specific solutions

There are numerous general workforce planning tools in today's marketplace. However, if you fall into certain categories, look for an industry-specific tool.

Restaurants and the hospitality industry are two that come to mind. Many software products are geared towards this type of company, as in these cases the planning requirements are more taken into account.

If you have the opportunity to use software specifically designed for your industry, I tend to lean in that direction when you make a final decision.

Additional functions and extras

As I said earlier, a lot of employee scheduling software does a lot more than just allow managers to post weekly plans.

The best tools also include shift changes, employee self-service tools, HR functions, labor cost management, vacation management, attendance tracking, team messaging, overtime monitoring, timers, etc.

Some extras are definitely more important than others depending on your type of business and needs. Keep an eye on these different options while shopping.

The different types of employee planning software

Before we get into the specific software reviews, let me briefly highlight the different categories of employee planning software. Here is a more detailed explanation of the options that are offered to you:

Standalone employee planning software

That's pretty self explanatory. There are tools for staff planning and nothing else.

In general, these are the easiest to use as there are no additional features or bells and whistles to confuse you. However, the software is limited compared to other solutions in this category.

Unless you're just looking for a digital way to improve your planning process, you should probably consider an all-in-one solution with additional features.

HR software

Personal software has grown in popularity over the years. These solutions typically have capabilities for workforce reporting, benefit tracking, applicant tracking, employee onboarding, training, and more.

Employee planning has become a central part of many popular HR solutions. It should be noted, however, that not all HR software has employee scheduling capabilities.

For those of you looking for a single point of contact for all planning and staffing needs, HR software with built-in planning tools might be the answer.

Time tracking software

As I said earlier, time tracking and employee scheduling software go hand in hand.

Physical punch cards are out of date. Modern time recording has become digital. There are tools that track hourly workers and have employee scheduling capabilities.

It all depends on how the software is branded. In some cases, a solution is presented that is advertised as time tracking software (including scheduling functions). In other cases, the employee scheduling software is displayed (including time tracking functions). But it's nice to get both with a single tool.

Exit management software

Vacation management is sometimes in its own category. There are actually a handful of great tools out there that focus on vacation management and nothing else.

This type of software is designed to manage vacation requests, PTOs, and more.

In general, standalone vacation management software is not as feature-rich as other tools currently on the market. I would recommend more comprehensive employee scheduling software that has absence management capabilities.

# 1 – ShiftNote Review – The Easiest Employee Planning Software

ShiftNote is one of the easiest workforce planning tools on the market today. Trusted by over 75,000 users in a wide variety of industries.

I like ShiftNote because it has industry-specific solutions for categories like restaurants, hotels, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, education, and breweries.

Here are some of the top reasons ShiftNote is so high on my list:

  • Free mobile app, free team messaging and free customer support
  • Employees can update their availability and swap shifts
  • Schedule templates so managers don't have to create from scratch
  • Free setups and one-to-one lessons
  • Multi-location dashboard
  • Management of leisure inquiries
  • Sales and work forecasting tools
  • Daily log reports

Overall, ShiftNote dramatically improves the speed of your planning process while optimizing the efficiency of your schedules. This is a reliable way for your management team and employees to communicate from anywhere, too.

It's worth noting that ShiftNote lacks some of the HR and time tracking features that other tools on the market today have. However, if you are just looking for a simple planning solution this should definitely be an important part.

You can try ShiftNote for free with a 30-day trial version.

# 2 – Shiftboard Review – The Best for Labor Cost Management

Shiftboard is another great HR management solution that can be used to schedule hourly workers. It is feature-rich software with many different options for solving common business planning-related challenges.

This includes things like labor cost management, employee retention, fatigue management, compliance and more.

Shiftboard actually has two different scheduling tools: SchedulePro and ScheduleFlex. The Pro version is designed for high compliance industries such as corrections, oil and gas, and petrochemicals. The Flex version was developed for companies with changing planning requirements, e.g. B. Healthcare, Human Resources, Call Centers, Warehouse and Distribution, Public Safety and Manufacturing.

Other notable highlights of the Shiftboard software are:

  • Real-time communication via schedule updates and newly available shifts
  • Auto-fill-shifts with callouts and no-shows
  • Employees can confirm last-minute shift requests directly via the mobile app
  • Employees can pick up additional shifts and trade shifts (with permission)
  • Customized adjustment plans based on departments and locations
  • Smart team groupings based on employee qualifications, certifications and more
  • Accurate work forecast based on demand
  • Avoid over- / under-staffing
  • Plan automation tools

Over 60,000 teams rely on Shiftboard for staff planning. They even have additional features for applicant tracking and timers with geofencing.

Request a free demo today to get started.

# 3 – Deputy Review – Best for time and attendance management

Deputy is one of the most popular workforce scheduling tools on the market today. Trusted by over 200,000 brands around the world, including big names like Nike, Amazon, HubSpot and Peloton.

I like Deputy because it is feature rich but also has simple and straightforward pricing.

You can bundle employee scheduling with one time tracking software for as little as $ 4 per user per month. Alternatively, each of these features can be purchased separately for $ 2.50 per user.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the other top features and benefits you can get from this software:

  • Easy staffing of open shifts based on availability, qualifications and costs of the staff
  • Instantly share schedules with your team
  • Real-time labor cost data
  • Auto-scheduling functions with AI
  • Break planning and rest compliance
  • Manage schedules from anywhere with the iOS and Android apps
  • Request, approve, and track PTO
  • Automate wage calculations
  • Collect timesheets and export them to Payroll with a single click
  • See in real time who is on shift, taking a break or taking a break

Any company that wants an easy way to manage workforce scheduling and time and attendance with a single solution will definitely benefit from Deputy.

Try it for free for 31 days. No credit card required.

# 4 – HotSchedules by Fourth Review – Best Work Management System for Restaurants and Hospitality

HotSchedules is a complete workforce management solution designed specifically for companies in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

In addition to staff scheduling, HotSchedules offers tools for applicant tracking, onboarding, time and attendance management, manager logs, and more. They even have inventory management, HR, and payroll solutions.

When it comes to employee scheduling capabilities, here are some of the key benefits of HotSchedules:

  • Simple drag and drop planning tool
  • Ready-made planning templates
  • Reduce planning errors, staff shortages and overloads
  • Limit unplanned overtime
  • PTO management and staff availability
  • Approve or deny shift requests from any device
  • Quick access to your daily roster reports
  • Compliance tools for meals, breaks, fair work weeks and more

Depending on your needs, HotSchedules can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. You can just use the tools for staff planning or you can build a robust and custom solution with lots of features and add-ons for your business.

Whichever option you choose, HotSchedules is definitely my number one choice for restaurants and the hospitality industry. Request your free demo to get started.

# 5 – Homebase Review – Best Employee Scheduling Software for Small Business

Homebase is an employee planning tool specially designed for small businesses. It's versatile enough to meet planning needs in a wide variety of industries including retail, health and beauty, service companies, and restaurants.

More than 100,000 companies rely on Homebase.

With Homebase you benefit from the most important features and functions such as:

  • Simple planning templates that can be edited during operation
  • Easily share the schedule with your entire team
  • Ability to predict your labor costs
  • Employees can access real-time schedule updates through the mobile app
  • Track employee availability, release requests, and approvals
  • Automatically remind your employees of upcoming shifts
  • Manage shift trade from anywhere
  • Calculate overtime and receive notifications of scheduling conflicts

You can also improve your work forecasts by integrating your sales data from POS systems like Square, Clover, Shopify, Upserve, Revel, Lightspeed, and more.

In addition to these robust planning functions, Homebase is a complete solution for timers, settings, onboarding, team communication, human resources and compliance.

The best? Homebase's employee planning solution is 100% free for unlimited employees. To get the most out of the software, you can upgrade to a paid plan starting at $ 14 per month per location.

# 6 – CakeHR Review – The Best All-in-One HR Solution

As the name suggests, CakeHR is a complete HR software. In this all-in-one HR solution you will find robust tools for shift planning.

Overall, CakeHR is a great choice for any company looking to automate their HR tasks and improve their planning process.

Other notable features of the employee planning functions are:

  • Interactive shift planning with a user-friendly interface
  • Compatible for single sites and multiple sites
  • Simple division of schedules into groups and departments with several shift supervisors
  • Self-service tools for employees with the ability to add preferred and unavailable times
  • Drag-and-drop shift management
  • Daily, weekly and monthly reports
  • Complete data exports

In addition to the planning tools, you also benefit from functions related to vacation management, timesheets, recruiting, performance management, employee data and other important HR functions.

CakeHR starts at $ 8.50 per month for workforce and shift planning. Additional modules cost extra. The software is easy to set up and can be tested free of charge for 14 days.

Summary

What is the best employee planning software?

The answer really depends on what you are looking for. Whatever your needs, my recommendations in this guide can help you find the right option for your business.

Just refer to the method above to make the buying process easier. This makes it a lot easier to narrow down your options.

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