Employee Shifts — Software for Scheduling Employee Shifts

So I did some research and put together this comparison for you so that you can make an informed decision.

1# RotaScheduler (£6.99/month — but free right now)

(https://rotascheduler.com/)

Rota Scheduler is an app you will fall in love with at first sight. Not because of its look and feel. But because of the ease of use, it provides.

When I registered my interest with them. They notified me instantly about their plan for releasing the app in near future. But they have also given me access to its beta version.

After using it for a while, I realise that it has some small bugs. But it does the job and the best thing is; it does not cost me anything :)

You can easily:

1. Copy schedules from one day to another.
2. Add as many staff members as possible
3. You can chat with your staff members easily in real time
4. And many more features like this. Hence, I have ranked this app on top of this list.

You should also try it by just applying for early access.

Totally worth it.

2# Connecteam ($29/month)

Connecteam is one of the biggest players in the human resource spectrum of the hospitality industry.

CT app will enable you to not just schedule your staff rota, but also tons of other features like:

1. Employee Communication
2. Employee Time Clock
3. Employee Scheduling
4. Checklists & Forms
5. Employee Task Management
6. HR & People Management

This means that not just you, but your employees, can also communicate with each other on this platform.

Connecteam is one of the oldest players in this field. They rank for employee scheduling and employee scheduling apps both keywords. So you can imagine already how much time and effort they have put into their SEO.

There are multiple scheduling software available in the market, but unfortunately, not all of them have employee scheduling app features. Because employee scheduling software or app needs specific features which general scheduling software does not have. For example, some scheduling apps just have appointment scheduling. Which is far away from the employee scheduling feature.

3# mHelpDesk (≈$129/month)

If you have a small business which operates in the open field i.e., if you are into construction, cleaning or waste disposal business.

Then mHelpDesk might be a better choice. This platform not just help you schedule your employee shifts but also keeps you informed with its automated features about their work.

This will also enable your employees to define their availability, which in return makes your life easier because you will be able to figure out whom to align with your business at what time.

It does have a free trial for a limited period of time. But I could not find any pricing available on their website.

Although, when I read some support questions online, I found out that you could end up paying around $250 per month.

4# Shiftboard (≈$449/month)

Shiftboard is one of the top players in the industry.

Reason: they have very precise accountability for critical staffing features for health and clinical clients.

If you run a big organisation with more than 100+ employees, who need precise instructions for work as well as keep everyone informed. I believe shiftboard will be the best suitable option for you.

Not just staff scheduling, but it also looks after your recruitment process. So if you do a lot of recruitment in your organisation and look after the whole application management process.

Then look no further, Shiftboard can resolve most of your process bottlenecks.

One of my favourite features I like on SB is calendar management. It is just the best because it helps to notify all the employees 3 times in a row.

1 day before, 3 hours before and 10 minutes before. So I do not need to worry about it.

5# Homebase ($19.95/month)

(try homebase)

Homebase is an amazing app for companies that deal with supply chain operations. Because it helps you to be in sync with your team.

Some of the features in Homebase will blow your mind, like:

You can publish your schedules as well as your team’s schedules and instantly notify them.

It has a mobile app which helps you to update your rota on the go.

You get instant notifications about your plan and schedule.

You even get to know if your employees saw the schedules.

There are some shortcuts which could optimize your overall experience, like:

For auto-scheduling, you have templates available.

Your employees can provide their availability, which they could make visible to you.

If you have some sales forecast or labour targets, you can build your schedules in line with it.

You can schedule some shifts without assigning it to your employees, and they can claim them.

6# QuickBooks ($20/month + $8/per user)

QuickBooks is one of the biggest players when it comes to accounting and business management.

As your business expands, it will need more comprehensive and robust functionality from its bookkeeping and accounting software. QuickBooks is a versatile option that can serve as the backbone for such operations, boasting robust features geared towards businesses of all sizes.

QuickBooks has often been met with criticism from many comparison engines, even by those who have previously used the product. However, thousands of small businesses that converted to it attest to its efficacy in meeting the unique needs of mid-sized businesses.

So if you decide to go with Quickbooks, you need to be aware that it will cost you a lot, but it’s very reliable and matured.

7# Deputy ($2.5/per month per user)

Deputy is an amazing app if you use desktops a lot. Because most of its feature works seamlessly on the browser.

Although, you just have to remember one thing. Each staff or employee you will add to your business or company. You will be billed $2.5 per month.

So just to explain it further with an example. I run a small bar in the south of London. I have 9 staff working in shifts for 5 days a week. And I have a few temporary staff who join hands on the weekend.

So in total about 15 members in my team. Now if I use deputy to manage my staff shifts then I have to create their accounts. That means for each member/staff, I will end up paying $2.5 per month.

So overall, I will end up paying: $2.5 x 15 = $37.5 per month.

But I guess it’s OK if you really like the app and your employees are already trained to use it.

But if you are just starting up, then you might want to re-think it.

8# Sling ($2/per month per user)

I personally really like Sling.

Why? Well, I am a huge fan of good user interfaces. And sling is one of the apps done this very well.

On top of easily scheduling your employee rota and making it super easy for you to provide a mobile app. Sling also has some amazing features.

Sling Eliminate Conflicts: Sling lets your employees choose the timing as per their convenience, this enables them to provide clear availability for their manager, hence removing conflicts.

Democratizing Scheduling: As I mentioned above sling let your employees provide their available timings. This feature democratizes the scheduling process very easily. Another way around this is the rota manager could provide the available shifts and the staff choose the timings suitable for them. Then the manager can easily approve the request.

Another important feature I like is enabling businesses to create templates for schedules. Let’s say for example if you have repeating staff for Monday, Tuesday and Saturday in your business. You can easily create a template and copy the rota from one day to another.

Although sling is similar to Deputy in terms of cost. You end up paying $2 per user per month.

9# Fourth (≈$200/month)

Fourth is a workforce management system which has features related to inventory management too. So basically, if your business is operating in a warehouse or you have a big hotel to manage. This software will be perfect for you.

The only caveat is it is very expensive for small businesses. Although to justify the cost, if you do have a big business then it could actually save you money.

Because you save a lot of time and effort to streamline things in a business.

10# Jolt (≈$300/month)

Jolt is primarily focused on restaurant businesses. So if you are thinking to utilise this software for any other kind of business. You might struggle.

Although if you are a restaurant owner/manager. Jolt could potentially remove 65% of your overload by just streamlining the whole process.

It is available on mobile, desktops as well as iPads. But not just that it also helps restaurants achieve team accountability, and digital food safety compliance, and boosts employee performance.

Obviously in order to get food safety compliance you need some external device to measure temperature etc., but once you have them in play it works seamlessly.

Cost-wise it is quite expensive. As you can imagine they have all infrastructure to support them.

11# Skedulo ($59/month/user)

The tag line for skedulo is scheduling for the modern workforce. That simply tells us that, if you operate in a modern world with modern technology and high tech employees.

This is the platform for you. Starting from healthcare to construction, IT to infrastructure etc., Skedulo has all features you require for your workforce management.

That is why it is not just a scheduling platform but actually, it is a workforce management platform.

This is one of the best solutions for desk-less employees. Let’s say for example you are a company which installs roofs.

You need your staff to visit onsite — your customers and help them out understand how the roof will look once it is installed.

This feature is inbuild in skedulo, hence for a fieldwork management process this is the best suitable platform.

The only problem is its pricing. It is so costly that if you have anywhere around 50 employees, you might end up paying around $5000 per month to use this software.

What to Look For in an Employee Scheduling App?

Here are the Comparison Criteria I used to evaluate Free Employee Scheduling Software:

1. Time-saving capabilities

2. Inconsistency flagging

3. Shift instructions

4. In-app features like chat, notification etc.

Is there a free app for scheduling employees?

Yes, there is one it’s called RotaScheduler. You can download it from Ap Store for your iPhones and Google Play for your android devices.

It’s free to schedule, notify and make a democratic scheduling process in your team.

Here is the link (https://rotascheduler.com/)

How Do Employee Scheduling Apps Work?

Mostly the employee scheduling apps are based on the fact that you import your employees into their platform and then you can create schedules for upcoming days.

These records will be stored in a cloud and then propagated to all your employees.

So basically a platform where all your scheduling data is recorded and propagated back to the employees for better transparency and understanding.

Why Should I Use Employee Scheduling Apps?

If you run a business where you have to manage staff, you must use an employee scheduling app. The reason is this will make your life very easy.

Because you can schedule shifts anywhere, sitting with your friends for a beer, or even listening to news podcasts in your bathroom.

Once you have an employee scheduling app on your smartphone. You have it everywhere all the time.

Benefits Of Using An Employee Scheduling App

1. Increased Productivity and Efficiency

2. Reduced Administrative Cost

3. Streamlined Communication

4. Accurate Scheduling

5. Improved Employee Satisfaction

6. Real-Time Insights

What can an employee scheduling app do for my company?

If you use an employee scheduling app, it could do wonders for your business. Following will be the benefits it could provide your business:

1. Streamlined Shift scheduling
2. Well informed staff
3. Democratise the shifts
4. Next to none conflicts
5. More Control
6. Better visibility of work for you

Is an employee scheduling app a good fit for both small and large businesses, or even those who have deskless or mobile workers?

It depends upon which solution you are using with your business. If you have a small company and have less than 50 employees. The Rota Scheduler app could be the best fit for your business.

On the other hand, if you have a big workforce and running a clinic then you might need something like skedulo.

But in both cases, it will always help you to use an app over a spreadsheet.

Is a free employee work schedule app a good choice for my business?

Well, there is nothing you are losing to trying a free work scheduling app. Because you can do A/B testing. Basically, you can try it out and see if there is an improvement in your business operations.

If not you can move back to your original way of operating it.

The Bottom Line on Online Employee Scheduling Apps

The bottom line of online employee scheduling apps is basically depending upon your business you can use the best fit for it.

If you are a small business like a car wash company, a bar, a restaurant or even a retail store you can rely on a rota scheduler.

Make Employee Scheduling Simple

If you are making an employee scheduling app. You must add the following features to make it easy for employers. This will not just get your staff schedules organized, but also it will save you tons of hours, basically a time-saving employee scheduling experience.

1. Streamline Shift Management
2. Automate Scheduling Tasks
3. Make Scheduling Easier by providing Templates
4. Affordable to all
5. Let employees choose the shifts
6. Notify each employee about new schedules.