How Digital Shift Scheduling Software Improve Efficiency in Employee Scheduling

Shift plans are required in many different types of companies and can be a real challenge. Solutions create special tools for shift planning that create a clear, transparent and time-efficient shift plan taking into account the working time models used . You can read what you as an employer should know about this shift planning option and what advantages a Shift Scheduling Software offers in this encyclopedia article.

Definition: What is a Shift Scheduling Software?

Software for creating shift schedules (also known as a Shift Scheduling Software) is an instrument for personnel deployment planning . After entering important data such as personnel availability, the digital tool automatically takes over many tasks so that personnel planning can be carried out quickly and easily.

What is the goal of shift planning software?

The main goal of professional shift planning software is to enable and ensure the smooth running of company processes through the use of a suitable online shift planner .

The software also serves as a platform on which employees can find all relevant information about their working hours and schedules at any time, regardless of location and in a transparent manner. In addition to the tool for digital time recording , the tool for creating a functioning shift plan is the most important tool in personnel deployment planning.

What data is needed for shift planning?

Successful shift planning using roster software usually requires the input of certain details about the current team and shift model . By entering this information and answering relevant questions, personnel deployment planning can be optimized. The following options for using a digital tool for shift planning are available, among others:

Entering staff availability: Enter into the team calendar which employees are on vacation or absent for other reasons and when. Additional personal information on part-time employment and other special conditions of the staff should also be integrated into the tool if necessary.
Entering relevant customer requirements: For example, are there customers who always visit the company on a certain day of the week? Is a customer always looked after by the same employee? Do adjustments to the roster need to be made in this regard?
Entering the individual skills of employees: Enter which employees have which skills and abilities into the shift planning program. This way, your staff will be deployed where their strengths are needed. (Keyword: Skill Management )

In which industries is a digital Shift Scheduling Software needed?

A tool for digitally creating shift schedules is relevant in all industries where extensive shift schedules with different shifts and teams are the order of the day. The following business sectors are particularly affected:

gastronomy and hotel industry
Care
retail
production and logistics

Which other software tools are a useful addition to the digital shift plan?

A shift planner regulates the optimized creation of a deployment plan . In this context, there are the following two additional tools that usefully complement shift planning:

Time recording system

Time recording software regulates the recording of the working hours completed by employees. Using a digital time clock on their PC or smartphone, employees can clock in at the beginning of their shift and clock out automatically at the end of the shift. The tool also makes payroll easier , as the collected data can be easily output and documented.

Tool for entering absences

An absence plan (such as the Papershift vacation planner ) is the central place for entering vacation days, maternity leave , parental leave , illnesses or other circumstances that lead to the absence of certain employees. Content such as the calculation of available vacation days and the display of overlaps are integrated directly into the tool.

What advantages does an online shift planner offer for employers and employees?

Compared to other solutions for creating duty rosters, a digital shift planner offers several advantages. Here are the most important benefits for the company, the employers and the employees:

Benefits for employers and companies

Time saving: The duty rosters are created within a very short time, which can save several hours per month.
Reducing the risk of errors: Manual scheduling provokes errors such as accidental overlaps and thus leads to time-consuming corrective measures. Digital software thus directly prevents many causes of errors, which can noticeably increase the efficiency of the company.
Improvement of time management: Work processes are optimized during planning using a tool. Disruptions caused by understaffing and overstaffing are prevented, so that personnel requirements are always ideal for the company.
Automatic consideration of all applicable laws: When organizing a shift schedule, many labor laws and agreements with the works council must be observed. All regulations are therefore automatically taken into account by the tool.
Paper and cost savings: By digitally transmitting shift schedules to all employees’ PCs and smartphones, it is no longer necessary to finance paper resources and printer systems for duty rosters.

Benefits for employees at a glance

Increased transparency: The current shift plan can be viewed at a glance and can be accessed via an app on a mobile device or on a PC. Real-time synchronization of the data simplifies communication within the team.
Direct entry of absences: Short-term changes to working hours can be entered into the system immediately by each employee via smartphone or PC using their profile and are directly visible to all relevant employees and the employer.
Clear views: Within the tool, it is possible to subdivide different work areas, which also allows the views of the respective shifts to be individualized for each employee.

Why is online shift planning software better suited for personnel scheduling than other programs?

There are many different providers on the market for shift planning, whose applications promise optimized shift work . The often free Excel program in particular seems to be suitable for personnel planning. On closer inspection, however, using the software leads to a number of problems. For example, a clear shift plan can be created using the spreadsheet, but all the steps required for this must be carried out manually. This also includes all the calculations that are required, for example, to determine the perfect personnel requirements in a meaningful way.

Manual work steps are required and cost time

In addition, despite the digital tool, the deployment of personnel has to be carried out manually. Furthermore, changes can only be incorporated into the existing shift plan with difficulty using a provider such as Excel. Excel is therefore only partially better than planning with pen and paper. Ultimately, a sensible solution for optimizing ongoing operations in terms of time and cost is only possible with the help of a professional Shift Scheduling Software.