Every successful enterprise and its managers know that their greatest resources has been, is and always will be Human Resources, their employees. Without a skilled workforce which is inspired and motivated to work for the business, success will either be short-lived or non-existent. However making the employees work around the clock without respite will not make a business successful.
In fact, it will have the contrary effect. This is why scheduling the work to be done by employees is of prime importance. The employees should not be overworked and neither should they be allowed to waste their time by not working enough. Thus any schedule that a business draws up has to be efficient and has to factor in the needs and requirements of every employee.
Drawing up such inclusive efficient schedules has been a tedious task that managers have had to do for a long time. They have had to draw these schedules on big white boards for the entire staff to see. But gone are those days. Gone are also the days when Excel Spreadsheets were used to make schedules. It is now the age of Scheduling Software.
These software developed specifically for the unique purpose of Scheduling and other related aspects has had a great impact on businesses, big and small. These software has drastically helped in freeing up huge amounts of time that was invested in scheduling and now which is used for some other productive task. These software has also helped in making sure that the business runs smoothly by allowing better communication, co-ordination and control.
The features that these software providers offer includes primarily and most importantly a scheduler, and also a real time alert and communication system. Each employee is connected to the software and can see the shifts scheduled, can request for leave, trade shifts (with approval of course) etc through the app itself. The following are the top 11 employee scheduling software to effectively manage your workforce:
Top 11 Employee Scheduling Software To Effectively Manage Your Workforce
Table of Contents
1. HomeBase
People say most good things in life are free. But effective softwares are rarely so. A exception from this fact is Homebase. Homebase is a free employee scheduling software that allows the user to create schedules using any browser. This schedule is then communicated to the employees via Email or SMS. The user can create templates of the schedules which are commonly used and use those templates again. The software can be used by the employees to request for leave and time-offs.
These requests are then approved by the administrator. The software can also be used to trade shifts between one another which also requires approval. Another important feature of the software is the labor cost forecast along with the sales and weather forecast it provides, that allows the user to make the right decisions with the right information. Time-clocks and keeping track of your employees is another important feature of the software and it can turn computers or other devices like phones to time clocks which can even function offline when the android app is installed in.
The option of taking photo of the employee can also be turned on. The Time-Sheet aspect of the software is also of huge benefit and is used to keep track of overtimes, unscheduled breaks, late coming etc. This data can also be easily exported to a payroll software as the program provides it to you in a ready format capable of direct importing. The software provides free employee apps and also ensures real time alerts are given along with other features like broadcast message to all employees etc. Overall it is a great software to rely on.
2. ZoomShift
Zoomshift is a favorite employee scheduling to many firms because of the simple, powerful and efficient way it provides for scheduling. Zoomshift has a very flexible scheduler, a template option to copy schedules, real time budgeting attached to the scheduler. Apart from this it also has the capability to provide conflict warnings whenever it arises which is integral to ensure the smooth day to day functioning.
The software also provides communicational features like reminders, real time alerts, broadcast message to all employees etc. It allows the employee to apply for trading shifts, leave, time-off etc and the approval of these requests can be done from the scheduler itself as the approval options are layered into the scheduler. With regards to Time-clock and timesheets, it provides all the features seen in Homebase including easy export to payroll softwares, making devices into time-clocks etc.
The main determining difference between Zoomshift and Homebase was nothing but price. Homebase is free and it provides almost all the essential features that Zoomshift provides. Zoomshift however has around the clock customer support which Homebase lacks in provid. Zoomshift offers only one pricing plan to the user which is for 99$/ month for any number of users. Even though this amount will be a huge expense for a small business with 5 employees, it is definitely worth it for large businesses with many employees.
3. ZipSchedules
Zip Schedules is the next scheduling software that provides all the standard features in the Employee scheduling software market. It has the scheduler with its own features like capability to be made into templates, of being copied to different weeks etc. It also has the app which provides all the employees with real time alerts, reminders etc and also allows broadcasting capabilities to the administrator allowing firm wide communication.
It also features labor law reminders to make sure that the schedules are compliant with labour law requirements. The app also provides multi language capabilities making it very user friendly indeed. Zip Schedules has many pricing plans and it charges on the basis of number of employees and three of them along with their pricing is as follows :
- 1-20 Employees : $19/month
- 21-50 Employees : $39/month
- 51-100 Employees : $79/month
If the number of employees is greater than 1000 then the company will quote a price according to that number and the price is not included in the site.
4. TrackSmart
TrackSmart Scheduling is perfect for companies that are only starting out and need help planning work shifts for their full-time and part-time employees. The brand Track Smart offers three major softwares, Attendance, Scheduling and Time Clocking. The company is one of the frontrunners in all these softwares. The scheduling and time clocking software is used together complementarily to each other.
The scheduling software provides the same standard features including the scheduler, the capability for making a schedule template etc. The app allows certain different capabilities too such as that of entering Break Rules after setting up of which the app itself automatically does the scheduling. The time clock software provides the same features as other employee scheduling software. The software also allows easy payroll integration.
Track Smart offers 4 plans to users. The Basic plan allowing scheduling upto 15 employees is priced at $264 annually or $24 monthly. This plan does not have the Time Clock feature. The Plus plan for upto 35 employees is available for $528 annually or $49 monthly. The Premium for upto 60 employees is for $768 annually or $69 monthly. The Enterprise version is available for $1068 annually or $99 monthly. The site does not quote any price for above 100 employees. The Plus, Premium and Enterprise plan comes with the Time Clock feature.
5. When I Work
When I Work is one of the most widely used and efficient scheduling software ever developed. The app offers a very easy online interface where you can make schedules, make templates out of it and use the same schedule for multiple days in different weeks. Real time alerts, notifications and broadcast communication to the entire firm is also very well developed along with Time Clock features and very good payroll integration. The employee availability in When I Work is directly visible from the scheduler itself. When I Work charges its users on the number of employees it will cover. The following are its pricing plans :
- 1-5 : 9$/month and 100$ if paid annually.
- 6-10 : 19$/month and 213$ if paid annually.
- 11-20 : 29$/month and 3242$ if paid annually.
- 21-30 : 39$/month and 432$ if paid annually.
- 31-40 : 49$/month and 540$ if paid annually.
- 41-50 : 59$/month and 648$ if paid annually.
- 51-70 : 79$/month and 864$ if paid annually.
- 71-100: 99$/month and 1080$ if paid annually.
For more than 100 employees, the company can be contacted and a custom price will be quoted. When I Work also offers a time clock feature which can be of great use to make sure employees clock in at the right time and place. It is possible to use the When I Work web interface, along with applications for iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets.
6. WorkSchedule
Workschedule.net is the next important scheduling software. It uses the same interface that all these scheduling software uses and has a scheduler which is also capable of automation by choosing the best fit person for the job, the option to make templates out of the schedules you make and also time clock and communication features the other apps also possess. The app also allows a high degree of customization, allowing a firm to add its logo and to add custom features to the software which can be effectively used to meet you business’s specific needs. Workschedule.net has the following pricing :
| Number of Employees | Prepaid for one year | Prepaid for two years | Monthly |
| Upto 20 | $27 | $24 | $32 |
| Upto 35 | $50 | $44 | $59 |
| Upto 50 | $78 | $69 | $92 |
| Upto 75 | $104 | $91 | $122 |
| Upto 100 | $119 | $105 | $140 |
For more than 100 employees, a custom price will be quoted.
7. ShiftPlanning
ShiftPlanning (Humanity) is one of the scheduling software that revolutionized the scheduling landscape. It is a powerful, easy to use scheduling software which has effectively integrated all the standard features into a seamless user friendly setting. It also has a very developed automated bulk scheduling option that allows the app to automatically schedule the work according to predefined rules.
It is a great platform for both the schedulers and employees, because it allows for easy access to work hours from multiple days and weeks. It is possible to use the software for reporting, communication, conflict resolution and shift swapping. The Payroll integration and communication system along with the mechanism for providing approvals is also very easy to use.
Shift Planning offers the following price ranges :
| Number of Employees | Prepaid Annually | Monthly |
| 1-20 | $45 | $49 |
| 21-35 | $78 | $85 |
| 36-50 | $106 | $115 |
| 51-75 | $143 | $155 |
| 76-100 | $175 | $189 |
For more than 100 employees custom price will be quoted.
8. Deputy
Deputy is without doubt one of the most powerful scheduling and employee management software in existence today. The software has a huge number of integrations across all the major platforms and apps and also with direct payroll integrations with the major Payroll softwares. Apart from this it offers all the standard features that all the above mentioned software provides including a powerful time clock feature, a developed and very efficient real time alert system.
Deputy offers 3 plans to its users. The Basic plan priced at 1$ per user per month offers only scheduling capabilities. The Premium plan priced at 3$ per user per month offers scheduling and communication capabilities. The Enterprise plan which is meant for large businesses will have a custom quoted price and requires you to contact the company. Deputy has a time clocking feature and also great integration capabilities.
9. XimbleSchedule
The best thing about this software is the fact that the name itself in one way denotes what the software is allow about, which is being Simple and Powerful. The interface of the software is very interactive and very easy to use and integrates within it one of the best scheduling features that scheduling apps can provide from a well developed scheduler to a time clock feature to a brilliant real time alert system.
The payroll integration facilitated by the software also requires praise because of its efficiency. Ximble offers 2 packages. The core package without payroll integration etc at 2$ per month/per user (1$ if Time Track software is not being bought) and the advanced package at 3$ per month./ per user (2$ if Time Track software is not required). The fact that additional payment for Time Track software has to be made gives the software a lower position even though it is priced at the same rate as deputy.
10. Planday
Last but not least is Planday, a very powerful and useful employee scheduling software. Apart from providing brilliant adaptations of the scheduling features, the clocking in feature and real time communication, it also allows great coordination between departments by allowing messaging to specific groups of people and also facilitates employee to employee messaging. According to their statistics, their clients have saved around 75 percent of the time they normally spent dealing with these administrative tasks, while the software also saved these companies around 5 percent in staffing costs.
Apart from this Planday also has a very well developed employee database system which is a key feature of the app. It allows you to see the employee’s work history and also integrate all the data seamlessly into a payroll software. Planday offers 2 packages. The Starter package includes scheduling features and does not include the cost tracking and overtime tracking features etc and is priced at 2$ per month per user. The Plus package having all the features costs 4$ per user per month.
11. ShiftBoard
If you have a company in the hospitality or security or services industry, you will need a full-service employee schedule program that can allow you to manage the schedules of employees from multiple locations and facilities. Even if you have different locations in multiple countries, it is no issue to integrate all of the information with one program.
Write back to if you are aware of any other employee scheduling software that should be included in the list above.
