Although hybrid workplaces have been around for a while, they are becoming the norm recently due to pandemic restrictions. So, employees now have the freedom to work from their homes or office as they please- theoretically. The problem? Here, the synchronization between remote and in-office employees becomes difficult.
Hence, managers have to keep track of employee clock-in hours and make employee schedules so that work runs smoothly. But often, this becomes a tiring task. This is where employee scheduling software comes into the picture.
What Is Employee Scheduling Software?
Simply put, employee scheduling software automates a lot of routine employee scheduling tasks like allocating shifts. It also keeps track of work hours, managing requests, and more to make the lives of managers easier.
Now that you know what employee scheduling software is, wondering why hybrid workplaces need them? Let’s take a look.
- Manage In-Office Employees
The pandemic ushered an era of in-person meeting restrictions and physical distancing safety measures in office spaces. And to keep up, organizations first resorted to fully-remote work. However, as the restrictions have eased, they have begun calling employees in shifts into the office as per health safety norms.
Naturally, only a fixed number of employees are allowed into the office premises every day. Employee scheduling software can help ensure this.
These days, employee scheduling software allows managers to schedule employee visits in advance. This ensures the health guidelines are being followed to the T, including the physical distancing norms.
- Automate Scheduling Requests
Depending on the type of office schedule your organization opts for, employees can choose their remote working and in-office days. Since such requests are approved on a case-by-case basis by managers, the approvals take a lot of time. With employee scheduling software, the entire approval process can be automated. In fact, along with scheduling requests, some employee scheduling software even automates sick leave approvals, time-off requests, and more. Sometimes companies use separate leave management software for this. But scheduling software also works in this case.
- Minimize Scheduling Conflicts
The last thing managers want is to put employee schedules into complete disarray because of a missed time-off request. Using employee scheduling software helps successfully avoid this situation, thanks to automation. This, in turn, minimizes conflicts and increases employee satisfaction, and boosts employee productivity.
- Accommodating In-Office Teams and Employees According to Schedules
A shift to a hybrid working environment means a reduced footfall within the office. Hence, facility managers recalibrate office space requirements and change seating to optimize space usage. But this poses another problem.
Organizations now have to ensure enough dynamic seating available for sudden office needs to avoid conflicts. And employee scheduling software can help with it.
Basically, employee scheduling software allows managers to manage employee schedules according to the available seating. In fact, it also allows managers to allocate desks, meeting rooms, and other resources through the software.
- Manage Scheduling Effectively
Setting up employee schedules need you to consider goals, requirements and remote work schedules. It is a complicated and time-consuming task. What’s more, often managers have to make changes to prepared schedules as per new staffing requirements. Naturally, they don’t want to start on a blank slate.
These days employee scheduling software comes with pre-made templates with drag and drop capabilities to make scheduling easier. This saves the time required to fill in shifts that don’t change often. Additionally, they also help incorporate feedback from previous scheduling issues.
- Provide Remotely Accessible Schedules
Since some employees work remotely in a hybrid setup, employee schedules must be accessible remotely too. Employee scheduling software, these days, provides 24*7 mobile accessibility.
Some scheduling software even comes with built-in alert systems that send an SMS notification at the start of the shift. So, remote workers never have to worry about clocking in extra hours or forgetting shifts. All of this is because the software keeps you accountable at every step.
- Promotes Seamless Coordination Between Remote and In-Office Workers
A change in schedule in a remote setting can be relayed to employees across levels through instant messaging. But what about employees working in an in-office setting? In this case, the message takes much longer to reach employees across various levels.
A synchronous communication tool to connect with in-office and remote workers can make the process much easier. Naturally, many employee scheduling software today have a built-in communication integration. This reduces communication mishaps.
- Enable Staffing Based on Accurate Analytics
Employee scheduling app can help managers keep track of working trends, staffing requirements, employee working trends, and more. Some software even notifies managers during an understaffed shift. This helps them plan company work schedules accordingly and prevent disasters due to short-staffing.
Parting Thoughts
An employee scheduling software ensures all employees know their schedules and have no qualms. At the same time, it makes it easier for managers to develop, analyze and change employee schedules as per company requirements. No doubt, it is an indispensable addition to make your hybrid workplace transparent.
If you’re planning to buy an employee scheduling software, choose WorkInSync. It is a leading hybrid workplace solution that offers real-time scheduling feature like time and attendance. You can also see your shift schedules.
And once you purchase the software, ensure all company stakeholders are in the loop and know how to use the software. This helps you get the best value for your purchase. WorkInSync offers employee scheduling solutions tailored to your workplace needs. Get a demo today!
