Employee Scheduling Software

Guide to Employee Scheduling Software and Policies

You have lots of leeway to make rules that work best for your business
By Holly Ocasio Rizzo

Employee scheduling is one of the most important aspects of your daily operation. Not only do you need to ensure the work gets done, but you don't want to ruffle employees' feathers. The good news is that most aspects of policy-making are up to you rather than the law. The bad news is that you have lots of decisions to make: Will you allow telecommuting, part-timers, split shifts, job sharing? How will you handle holidays, vacations, leaves and sick days? How can you accomplish scheduling and track attendance quickly and easily? You'll need to zero in on the three main strategies of staff scheduling:

1. Cover shifts effectively while minimizing overtime.
2. Keep employees happy – and productive – by accommodating requests such as time off.
3. Stay within the law, insurance rules or union provisions regarding work limits.

Here are the best solutions today for employee scheduling that works for your business:

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Put your employee scheduling policies in writing A clearly stated employee time schedule policy in the employee handbook keeps everybody on the same page.

I recommend:  Business & Legal Reports Inc. offers sample policies on work hours, leaves, absences and other staff scheduling issues.

Know when to bend on employee scheduling In general, you can set your own staff scheduling policies. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act establish some work schedule policies you must follow. In addition, states' labor laws vary.

I recommend:  The federal Department of Labor gives compliance assistance on many work schedules topics; refer to their links to state labor departments.

Use employee scheduling software Sure, you can match employees to jobs, ensure shifts are covered and calculate employee costs to manage payroll expenses — but employee scheduling software can do it faster.

I recommend:  Try Web-enabled employee scheduling programs at When To Work.com. Get employee scheduling software at Celayix Software and Atlas Business Solutions Inc. Find more employee scheduling software vendors at Business.com.

Move the time clock to the phone or employee scheduling software Having employees clock in and out by phone or online with employee scheduling sofware allows you to keep accurate records that you can see anytime online.

I recommend:  Try the Chronotek phone-in system free for a month, or get quotes from Buyer Zone on employee scheduling software software and Web-enabled employee scheduling programs. Find time and attendance software and solutions at Business.com, as well as solutions for flexible work schedules.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Your business is covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act if you have at least 50 employees living within a 75-mile radius.
• A leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act need not be consecutive; it can be part-time or intermittent if you and the employee agree to it.
• The Fair Labor Standards Act offers no provisions regarding an employee time schedule except for child labor.
• Although federal law does not require extra pay for night or weekend work or any pay for vacations, keep in mind the old adage that employee satisfaction and productivity go hand in hand.