Benefits of a Cloud-Based Work Schedule Maker
With the advent of the cloud, work schedule software has become a vital tool that can save companies time and help them run more efficiently since everything can be done online. No longer do workers need to call in to find out which shifts they are working. Now, employees can access schedules remotely on any device with an Internet connection and a web browser, or via a mobile app. Many of the software options have a drag-and-drop interface so you can quickly visualize how shifts are coming together and move employee slots around with ease. Some work schedule software even allows employees to swap shifts with co-workers, freeing up a manager’s time. There are plenty of privacy controls and permissions built-in, so a manager can limit what staff members see and how much they can change the schedule.
Another benefit of cloud-based solutions is that they typically work well with other cloud-based products. In the case of work schedules, some offerings are compatible with payroll services, which can automate how employees get paid. Some have budgeting features to help you keep track of how much you’re spending on work hours. If you’re using work schedule software to manage a project, these budgeting features will also help you manage how much time individuals are spending on it and if the cost of their time is inline with the project’s goals.
Work Schedule Maker Features to Consider
- Automation: Don’t want to spend time figuring out which of your staff members are available to work? This feature only shows you a list of employees that can work at the time you’re trying to schedule. If you know that one person will always work Monday afternoons you can set it up to automatically assign that in the schedule.
- Alerts: Think of this like group messaging. Set up groups of employees or team members and send everyone an email or text simultaneously. Some options even handle group messaging.
- Employee Shift Swaps: For those who don’t have time to schedule every shift swap that arises, this feature lets employees handle their own swaps. Since it’s in the cloud, the information is updated immediately. If you want to limit the amount of access they have, look for a work schedule maker app that allows you to set permissions.
- Shift Replacement: Interested in a way to get shifts covered at the last minute? This feature allows you to click on a shift that needs to be filled and offer it to select employees who are available to work. All those selected receive a mobile alert and email, and the person who replies first gets the shift.
- Assign Employees to a Project: As mentioned, a work schedule maker isn’t just for managing shifts; it’s also a useful tool for assigning project tasks to team members. You can use it to identify which colleagues have availability and assign them tasks and due dates.
- Track Attendance: Some options offer virtual time clocks, so an employee can easily clock-in or clock-out of a shift. This information is then stored and can be exported to payroll systems.
- Manage Time Off Requests: Tired of having to refer to a separate vacation calendar to find out who is available to work? Staff members can use this tool to request time off and managers can quickly approve or deny it. If approved, the information gets logged in the system, so you don’t accidently schedule someone to work who is on vacation.
- Export Data to Payroll Systems: Many of the more advanced work schedule maker solutions are compatible with payroll systems such as ADP, PayChex, SurePayroll, and QuickBooks. Exporting the timesheet data to one of these systems helps eliminate user error and provides much more accurate timesheets. You can also run reports and quickly see if you’re meeting your budgeting goals.
- Privacy: Whenever anything is in the cloud, people are concerned about privacy, however most solutions require passwords. If you’re allowing other employees to make changes to the schedule, look for a solution where you can create user permissions.
- Mobile Apps: Consider what type of devices employees will use to access the schedule. Many solutions have mobile apps for Android and iOS that users can download. There are a few products that also have a BlackBerry app - something to keep in mind if it’s a popular device choice among employees.
- Drag-and-Drop Interface: Easily move shifts around the schedule until you get it just right. This makes getting started with a work schedule maker a breeze!
- Saves Updates Automatically: If you can’t always remember to hit the save button, this feature is for you. It automatically saves any changes made to the schedule. This includes time off requests, so once an employee’s time off is approved they won’t be viewed as available to work.
- Multiple Schedule Views: This refers to how you want to display a schedule. There are options for daily, weekly, and monthly in visual, graphical or list formats. You should be able to choose from any of these views at any time.
- Sync with Calendars: Don’t want your employees to log in to an app every time they want to see when they’re working? Choose an option that will let them sync it with their personal calendars such as Outlook, Google Calendar, and iCal.
- Multiple Location Schedules: Businesses with multiple locations will appreciate the ability to create schedules for employees at each location.
- Export Schedules to Other Spreadsheet Programs: Perhaps you need employee information or timesheet information for another use. Having the ability to export it to other spreadsheet programs such as Excel is a real time saver.
- Import Employee Lists: This is particularly helpful when you’re initially setting up a work schedule. It not only saves time, but it also helps eliminates any errors. Typical formats supported are Excel and CSV files.
- Manager Views That Include Costing: Wondering how much that overtime you just approved will cost? This feature is designed to let managers see how much staff time costs the company. It’s a useful tool for budgeting.
- Templates: While many options are customizable, included templates provide a good starting point to create a work schedule.
- Support: Vendors usually provide forums, tutorials, live chat, and videos to help you get started. Be sure to find out if it’s free or if you need to pay for additional services.
Are Free Work Schedule Maker Solutions Worth It?
A free online work schedule maker is an easy way to see if it’s the right option for you and your company. An easy way to get started is to create a Google Calendar that you share with employees. You can manually send group emails and set up alerts.
If that’s not advanced enough, try a free online work schedule maker. While they provide more functionality than a Google Calendar, they don’t offer nearly the breadth of features available in paid versions. You’ll likely be able to send alerts, set scheduling recurrences, send direct emails to individual employees, create custom schedules, and record employee attendance. After using it for a month, you might find that’s all you need to do.
Some of the drawbacks of free versions are that they won’t integrate with your existing tools. For example, you won’t be able to do things like automate payroll. If you are interested in a more robust work schedule maker, many providers offer a free 30-day trial. Take a few of them for a spin to see which you prefer.
Free Work Schedule Maker Templates for Excel, Word, and PDF
Not ready to take the plunge and take an online work schedule maker for a test drive? We've compiled a variety of free weekly work schedule templates available in Excel, Word, or as a PDF. They are free and you can customize them to meet your needs.
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