Every small to medium-sized business owner will agree on one thing: staffing is the toughest challenge in running a successful business.
Imagine a world where you never have to worry about unexpected employee absences causing scheduling conflicts. Picture a world where you don’t waste precious hours trying to create a shift calendar. It may sound like a dream, but guess what? With shift scheduling software, you can turn this utopia into reality!
In this article, we will explore the top 9 shift scheduling software options for various businesses, whether it’s a restaurant, café, clinic, dog grooming salon, or even a lemonade stand.
Continue reading to discover how to choose the best employee scheduling software, followed by a list of the top 10 options to help you make an informed decision and start planning employee shifts easily.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- How to choose a shift scheduling tool
- List of Best Shift Management Software
- How does shift scheduling software work?
- What are the benefits of using shift scheduling software?
- Shift management software for restaurants
- Shift Scheduling Software ✅
How to choose a shift scheduling tool
The right software for managing employee shift schedules can help you keep track of their work hours, absences, and time off. This is important to follow labor laws, measure productivity, and make the most of everyone’s workday.
But how do you choose the best tool to fit your needs in order to put together the best shift schedules in the least amount of time?
When searching for a shift scheduling tool, there are several key features to consider.
Here are some important factors to look for:
Ease of use
The scheduling tool should be intuitive and user-friendly, allowing you to easily create and manage shifts without any hassle.
User interface
A clean and well-designed interface enhances the user experience. Look for a scheduling tool with a visually appealing and organized interface that makes navigation simple.
Mobile app
In today’s mobile world, having a mobile app for shift scheduling is crucial. Look for a tool that offers a mobile app, allowing you and your employees to access schedules, make changes, and receive notifications on the go.
Time management features
Efficient time management is essential for effective scheduling. Look for features like automated shift assignments, shift swapping, and time-off requests to streamline the scheduling process and ensure optimal coverage.
Employee self-service
Empowering your employees to manage their own schedules can save time and improve employee satisfaction. A good scheduling tool should provide self-service capabilities, allowing employees to view their schedules, request time off, and swap shifts with their colleagues.
Payroll integration
Seamless integration with your payroll system can simplify the process of calculating employee wages and ensure accurate payroll processing. Look for a scheduling tool that offers integration options with popular payroll platforms.
Considering these features will help you select a shift scheduling tool that best meets your needs, improves efficiency, and enhances employee satisfaction.
List of Best Shift Management Software
Here is a list of the top 10 shift management software options, starting with Factorial:
1. Factorial: HR Software with Shift Management features
Factorial Employee Shift Scheduling Software ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A comprehensive HR platform that includes shift management features, providing an easy-to-use interface, employee self-service, and efficient time tracking. Boasts a wide range of integrations with other apps, such as QuickBooks Payroll Online in order to simplify your payroll administration workflow.
Factorial Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ More features than just shift scheduling
✅ Ease of use
✅ Many integrations, including with QuickBooks Payroll Online to pay employees easily
Cons
❌ No downloadable software for PC, which means you can only use the web-based version and the mobile application
Factorial Benefits and Features
Factorial’s shift management features provide efficient and hassle-free scheduling for your employees. Watch the video below for a quick introduction to some of Factorial’s features:
Read on to learn how Factorial can help you manage employee shifts:
Gain clarity with shift management
With Factorial, you can establish clear policies, easily identify who is working and who is not, and effectively organize your team’s shifts. This gives you a quick overview of your workforce and ensures smooth coordination.
Manage shifts without paperwork
Say goodbye to manual paperwork. Factorial simplifies the process of managing shifts by allowing you to establish suitable absence policies and easily approve time-off requests. This streamlines the scheduling process and eliminates the need for cumbersome paperwork.
Organize shifts without Excel or mistakes
Factorial eliminates the reliance on error-prone spreadsheets. It enables you to effortlessly assign hours and days for each employee, saving you time and reducing the risk of mistakes. Additionally, Factorial provides your team with a user-friendly interface to easily organize their time and stay informed about their schedules.
Establish policies that suit your company
Factorial allows you to customize policies according to your company’s requirements. You can define rules and guidelines that align with your business needs, ensuring a consistent and fair approach to shift management.
Register hours worked and exceptions
Factorial offers flexibility in recording hours worked and any exceptions that may arise. You can choose the method that best suits your preferences, enabling you to track and manage employee attendance accurately.
With these features, Factorial simplifies shift management, improves organization, and helps you optimize your workforce’s scheduling process.
When searching for the best shift scheduling software, remember that many options offer free trials. Factorial goes a step further by providing a guided demo for HR managers with an expert to answer your questions. Click below for your free demo!
2. When I Work
A popular shift scheduling software with a user-friendly interface, mobile app, and robust features like shift swapping, time-off requests, and team communication.
When I Work Features and Benefits
Simplify shift scheduling with When I Work’s user-friendly shift scheduling software. Designed to make scheduling for employees a breeze, this software offers an intuitive interface and powerful features to create and manage shift schedules with ease. With a mobile app for employees, they can access their shift schedule conveniently from anywhere. When I Work eliminates the hassle of manual scheduling and ensures effective communication within your team. Say goodbye to confusion and welcome streamlined shift planning that enhances productivity and employee satisfaction.
When I Work Pros & Cons
Pros
Cons
❌ Poor customer support
❌ Occasional glitches & bugs
❌ Limited reporting on lower cost plans
3. Deputy
This software offers advanced scheduling capabilities, including shift templates, auto-scheduling, and real-time notifications. It also integrates with various payroll and POS systems.
Deputy features and benefits
Optimize your shift scheduling process with Deputy’s advanced shift scheduling software. This comprehensive solution empowers you to effectively manage shifts, automate scheduling tasks, and streamline communication with your team. Deputy provides efficient tools to assign shifts, track employee availability, and handle shift swaps effortlessly. Real-time notifications keep everyone informed of schedule changes, ensuring smooth shift management. With Deputy, you can take control of your workforce’s scheduling needs and improve overall efficiency.
Deputy Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ Easy to use
✅ Simple interface
Cons
❌ App needs improvement
❌ Occasional scheduling errors
4. Humanity
A flexible shift management solution with features such as drag-and-drop scheduling, shift bidding, and labor cost forecasting. It also offers compliance tools for managing labor laws.
Humanity features and benefits
Take your shift planning to the next level with Humanity’s flexible shift scheduling software. Designed to meet the unique needs of businesses, this software offers features like drag-and-drop scheduling, shift bidding, and labor cost forecasting. With Humanity, you can efficiently manage shifts, ensure optimal coverage, and simplify employee scheduling. The software’s compliance tools also assist in managing labor laws effectively, ensuring your shift scheduling remains in accordance with regulations. Humanity provides the tools you need to optimize your workforce’s shift management and enhance productivity.
Humanity Pros & Cons
Pros
✅
Cons
❌
5. Homebase
Designed specifically for small businesses, Homebase provides easy scheduling, time tracking, and team communication features. It also integrates with popular POS and payroll systems.
Homebase features and benefits
Simplify shift scheduling with Homebase’s user-friendly shift scheduling software. From creating schedules to tracking employee time and attendance, Homebase offers a comprehensive solution for efficient employee scheduling. The software’s intuitive interface and easy-to-use features make shift planning a breeze. With Homebase, you can communicate with your team, handle shift changes, and manage employee availability seamlessly. Integrated with popular POS and payroll systems, Homebase streamlines your scheduling process and helps you save time.
Homebase Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ Free Trial
✅ Easy to use
Cons
❌ Notifications not punctual
❌ Overtime not separate on payroll integration
❌ Can’t schedule separate departments within company
6. TSheets
Known for its time tracking capabilities, TSheets also offers shift scheduling features, including drag-and-drop functionality, shift reminders, and GPS tracking for remote workers.
TSheets features and benefits
Track and manage shifts effortlessly with TSheets’ versatile shift apps. This software provides robust time tracking features along with shift scheduling capabilities. TSheets offers an intuitive mobile app that allows employees to view their shift schedule, clock in and out, and submit time-off requests. With GPS tracking for remote workers, TSheets ensures accurate time tracking and efficient shift management. By simplifying the scheduling process and providing accurate time data, TSheets helps you optimize workforce management and streamline your business operations.
7. CakeHR
This HR software includes shift scheduling features along with other HR management functionalities. It offers a user-friendly interface, time-off management, and employee self-service options.
CakeHR features and benefits
Simplify shift scheduling with CakeHR’s all-in-one scheduling software. This comprehensive solution offers features like shift management, time-off management, and employee self-service. With CakeHR, you can easily create and manage employee schedules, establish policies that suit your company’s needs, and automate time-off approval processes. The software’s user-friendly interface and intuitive design make shift planning a breeze. CakeHR simplifies scheduling for employees and helps you save time while improving employee satisfaction and productivity.
CakeHR Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ Reporting abilities
Cons
❌ Occasional glitches & bugs
❌ No phone support
8. Planday
Built specifically for industries with shift-based work, Planday provides tools for efficient scheduling, time tracking, and communication. It also offers integrations with popular payroll systems.
Planday features and benefits
Optimize scheduling for employees with Planday’s industry-specific shift scheduling software. Designed to meet the unique needs of businesses with shift-based work, Planday offers tools for efficient shift planning, time tracking, and communication. The software enables you to easily create schedules, manage employee availability, and handle shift swaps. Planday’s integrated communication features facilitate seamless collaboration within your team. With Planday, you can streamline your shift scheduling process, enhance employee engagement, and ensure optimal workforce management.
Planday Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ Great for at-a-glance view of shifts
Cons
❌ Limited payroll reporting
❌ Sometimes slow at updating
9. Shiftboard
A comprehensive shift scheduling software that also provides reporting and analytics for workforce optimization.
Shiftboard features and benefits
Streamline your shift management process with Shiftboard’s comprehensive shift scheduling software. Designed for organizations with complex scheduling needs, Shiftboard offers features like automated scheduling, credential management, and real-time analytics. This software enables you to efficiently assign shifts, manage employee availability, and ensure optimal coverage. With Shiftboard, you can gain valuable insights into workforce productivity and make data-driven decisions to enhance scheduling efficiency. Shiftboard’s powerful tools empower you to manage shifts effectively, improve employee satisfaction, and optimize workforce management.
These shift scheduling software options offer a range of features and functionalities to cater to diverse business needs. Evaluate their specific capabilities and choose the software that best aligns with your organization’s requirements.
Shiftboard Pros & Cons
Pros
✅ Customization
Cons
❌ Not very user friendly
❌ Some bugs
How does shift scheduling software work?
Staff scheduling software automates the process of creating and managing work schedules for employees. Here’s how it works:
Employee Information: The software stores employee details like names, positions, availability, and skills.
Schedule Creation: You use the software to create schedules by assigning employees to shifts and setting start and end times.
Availability and Time-Off: Employees can input their availability and request time off through the software.
Schedule Communication: The software notifies employees about their schedules through email, app notifications, or an online portal.
Shift Swapping and Requests: Employees can request shift swaps or time-off changes through the software, which handles the process and updates the schedule accordingly.
Real-Time Updates: The software provides real-time updates and notifications for schedule changes.
Reporting and Analytics: Some software offers reporting and analytics features to track employee schedules and other important metrics.
Staff scheduling software simplifies scheduling, reduces conflicts, improves communication, and provides better control over workforce management.
What are the benefits of using shift scheduling software?
Shift scheduling software is important for the following reasons:
Time and Effort Savings: It saves time and makes scheduling easier by automating the process.
Accurate Scheduling: It helps ensure the right number of employees are scheduled for each shift, avoiding understaffing or overstaffing.
Conflict Resolution: It helps prevent scheduling conflicts like overlapping shifts or conflicting time-off requests.
Employee Empowerment: It gives employees more control by allowing them to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts.
Compliance with Labor Laws: It helps businesses follow labor laws and regulations related to work hours, breaks, and overtime.
Improved Communication: It enhances communication by providing a central platform for sharing schedules and updates.
Reporting and Insights: It offers reporting and analytics features to track scheduling patterns and make data-driven decisions.
Overall, shift scheduling software simplifies scheduling, improves accuracy, keeps employees satisfied, ensures compliance, enhances communication, and provides valuable insights for better management.
Shift management software for restaurants
Restaurants face various challenges when it comes to shift scheduling. These issues can include ensuring proper staffing levels, managing employee availability and time-off requests, avoiding scheduling conflicts, and complying with labor laws. Fortunately, shift scheduling software like Factorial can help solve these problems.
Shift scheduling software helps restaurants solve various problems:
Adequate Staffing: Software ensures the right number of employees are scheduled for each shift, preventing understaffing or overstaffing.
Employee Availability: It manages employee availability and time-off requests, reducing scheduling conflicts.
Shift Swaps and Changes: Software simplifies shift swaps and changes, making the process more efficient.
Scheduling Conflicts: It identifies and resolves conflicts like overlapping shifts or conflicting time-off requests.
Compliance with Labor Laws: Software ensures schedules comply with labor regulations, such as work hours and break times.
Communication: It provides a centralized platform for sharing schedules, notifying employees of changes, and enhancing communication.
Administrative Efficiency: Software automates scheduling tasks, saving time and reducing errors for managers.
Shift scheduling software streamlines operations, improves employee satisfaction, and ensures efficient restaurant management.
As you explore the best shift scheduling software for your business, keep in mind that many platforms provide free trials to test their capabilities. Factorial goes beyond offering a free trial by providing a guided demo specifically for HR managers. This demo allows you to have an expert guide you through the software and answer any questions you may have. Click the banner below to access your free demo and discover the benefits of Factorial for your scheduling needs!
