Employee scheduling is more than just assigning people to a time slot. It's about using a work scheduler to balance the most effective use of the labor force and the contentment of that group. Efficient scheduling is great, but if your employees aren't happy, it can lead to higher new employee training costs and a loss of experienced workers. Therefore, you should leverage the advantages of labor scheduling software, but not at the expense of your employees.

With employee scheduling basics, it takes equal parts psychology and statistics to properly utilize your worker scheduling. For example, good employees don't come without their own needs. The staff scheduling program may say it's best to have an employee work in the afternoon, but it doesn't take into account that the employee may have a child and need to pick them up after school. Prior to implementing any employee scheduling process, there are a few items to consider, such as:

1. Differentiate between optimal and real world employee schedule challenges.

2. Employ a consultant to incorporate flexibility into your employee schedules.

3. Use employee scheduling software in combination with the need of your staff.

Action Steps to Efficient Employee Scheduling
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Contrast the most cost effective employee scheduling with workplace reality

There are many challenges that an employee schedule provides. However, if you balance the basics of time, costs and human resources elements, it'll make for a much more proficient company.

I recommend: Evaluate the employee scheduling guide at Core Practice for a basic view from the cost saving perspective. Examine the real world implication of computerized employee scheduling from Productivity Today.

Hire a consultant to help you balance the employee scheduling basics

One of the best ways to manage cost and people at the same time is to institute a flexible scheduling program. If you haven't implemented such a program before, it's best to hire an outside consultant to at least help get the program started. Some of the flexible options include job sharing, permanent part-time, telecommuting and contracting.

I recommend: Speak to the flexible scheduling experts at WFD Consulting or Flexible Resources to help your company establish a more flexible program.

Choose basic staff scheduling programs to improve efficiency

Work scheduling software enables you to staff your company and to block out time for your employees' personal responsibilities. That way, you won't have to write it down or remember that a shift worker needs every Tuesday afternoon off. The software takes care of it for you. Software programs that incorporate online employee scheduling, take it one-step farther by being able to send email and online updates of the schedule to your employees.

I recommend: Contact Atlas Business Solutions about its employee scheduling applications. Purchase the online software at WhenToWork that lets your employees choose the best schedule within a set parameter. Get a basic idea of the best scheduling applications by examining some of the top ones at TopTenREVIEWS.

Tips & Tactics on Staff Scheduling Requirements

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Contact the Better Business Bureau before hiring any employee scheduler consultant or purchasing a software program. Just because they have a legitimate website, doesn't make the company reputable.
• •  Remember that even though eliminating employee overtime during the scheduling process may save you money, it also eliminates a monetary objective for your employees. Just a few hours of overtime per week can have a dramatic effect on employee workplace satisfaction. This satisfaction can't be measured in mere dollars and cents.

When first starting out, many small businesses rely on such tried and true employee scheduling solutions as paper calendars and mechanical time clocks. Even in the high-tech world of today, many businesses continue to find that such tools are sufficient. Yet other businesses may face difficult employee scheduling challenges that demand the latest innovations, particularly when experiencing rapid growth. To address this need, a broad range of employee scheduling software applications have been developed. When diligently used, the right such system can yield distinct benefits, including efficiency gains that go straight to the bottom line.

Depending on the employee scheduling system you choose, it will enable you to:

• Confidently schedule appointments and meetings
• Coordinate multiple schedules among employees
• Keep accurate records on how prompt and reliable your best employees are, and which ones have a history of lateness and absenteeism
• Maximize use of your facilities and supply chain
• Efficiently handle vacation requests
• Comply with any applicable labor, tax, and insurance rules, including union and insurance regulations
• Anticipate and handle the challenges of seasonal changes and business growth

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Try out some Web-based solutions

Companies which work on a project basis, especially those with outsourced tasks and freelancers to consider, can find a web-based employee scheduling solution particularly beneficial. Another selling point for this option is the fact that many of these web-cased employee scheduling solutions are available for immediate sign-up and can have you up and running within hours. Some even offer a temporary password and free trial period, allowing you try out them out with no commitment.

I recommend: WhenToWork offers an unlimited 30-day free trial, and boasts a full feature set, including automatic shift scheduling based on your employees’ preferences and availability. WorkSchedule.net also offers a free 30-day trial, and was designed to allow for easy customization, including the creation of your own fields. You can view a flash demo of ScheduleAnywhere.com anytime, or set up a time for a live demo. It was created by Atlas Business Solutions, makers of Visual Staff Scheduler Pro.

Consider your specific needs.

Every business is unique, and not every employee scheduling solution is right for everyone. You may be most interested in scheduling for multiple locations. Maybe printable schedules is your key need. Perhaps you want to be able to import and export your data, or be able to easily back it up or restore it. Some business owners most value password protection, while others require robust reporting features, or the ability to view their employee scheduling information by day, week, month, employee, shift, or project.

I recommend: TechWeb's research library includes white papers on a wide variety of business topics, including employee scheduling.

Keep your employee scheduling on your desktop.

A web-based solution isn't right for everyone, particularly those looking to integrate their employee scheduling application with other software already installed on their desktop PC or network.

I recommend: TimeCurve was designed specifically to meet the employee scheduling needs of small and mid-size businesses, particularly service businesses, and to integrate with the popular QuickBooks accounting application. A limited free trial is available through their website. Kronos, Inc. offers a variety of employee scheduling software options, including an application dedicated to retail businesses. Their website also provides downloadable white papers covering absence management, analytics, and other human resources management issues, and a video with a detailed overview of their products.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider an upgrade. If your business is already established and you have a system in place to handle your employee scheduling needs, you may not want to start from scratch. It may be possible to retain some elements of your current configuration while adding some new ones.
• •  Time really IS money. For many business, employee scheduling is tied direction into their cost distribution plans. If this applies to you, make sure that you select a system that allows you to allocate your employee scheduling resources in the way you want, whether by location, job, or project.accounting: The ability to apply your own rules on overtime, breaks, etc.
• •  Money is money, too. There are significant advantages in integrating your employee scheduling software with your payroll application or service. Consider making this a requirement for any system you choose.

Before you begin to set an employee schedule, there are some issues that require consideration. First, the process should be cost effective and not become so cumbersome that you spend more time with staff scheduling than you do running your business. Second, a business needs to make it cohesive and effective. You don't want to waste manpower with sloppy scheduling. The various forms of labor scheduling software can be of great value with both of these issues.

Whether the employee schedule comes from existing software such as Excel, specialized scheduling software or online technologies, they're all viable options depending on the needs of your company. In making the most of employee scheduling, you'll needs to concentrate on what works best for you and your employees. For instance, if most of your employees have access to the Internet then a web-based work scheduler could be your best option. Nevertheless, before you alter the way you schedule employees, there are a few items to consider, such as:

1. Try using Microsoft Excel for staff scheduling.

2. Seek out labor scheduling software to maximize company efficiency.

3. Employ the Internet to help with employee scheduling.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Take advantage of existing software in worker scheduling

Most companies already have Microsoft Excel on their computers. Therefore, you can use this application to schedule with a quick download. This option is best for companies that can't afford to purchase new software platforms, so you can still make the most of employee scheduling without paying for an extra program.

I recommend: Download a free trial of the Shift Scheduler for Excel from Download3000, however, it does require that you purchase the software after 30 days. Conversely, you could install Excel Solver from the Microsoft website for free on your computer to design a shift schedule.

Purchase specialized employee scheduling software

Another option is to purchase stand-alone software, which has the sole function of scheduling employees. This software is generally more expensive, but has much more functionality. You should also know some of the common guidelines that should govern your company's scheduling in order to make the most of any software application.

I recommend: Contact the specialized employee schedules software makers at HotSchedules to manage your staff. You can also examine the employee scheduling tips from the Human Resources Directory.

Integrate the Internet into your employee scheduling process

Obviously, this software requires Internet access and to utilize it properly, your employee must have access to it as well. There are also features that enable you to email or text message your employees their schedules and to automate the process of filling in for a missing shift worker. However, you must be comfortable working with the Internet as well to maximize the viability of the application.

I recommend: Contact the scheduling professionals at WhatTimeDoIWork.com to evaluate this company's application. You can also visit the Shiftboard website and compare the two scheduling options to learn which would be best in helping you make the most of scheduling employees.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make certain that all of your employees are okay with the new scheduling software prior to purchasing or changing the system. If they don't feel comfortable with the process or the schedules, it could end up being a waste of time and money.