Automatic staff scheduling: 7 ways to have scheduling software do your job for you
Workforce scheduling is not an easy job. It takes a lot of time and thought to create an efficient schedule that makes everyone happy. Fortunately, you can now call in the help of excellent software to assist you. With a workforce scheduling tool, you can automate a large part of your workforce scheduling efforts, saving time, optimising staffing levels and reducing staffing costs. Here are 7 ways in which workforce scheduling software can make your life easier.
1. Default schedule: complete your staff schedule with one click
With a workforce scheduling tool, you can create one or more default schedules and generate a new schedule every week. In your default schedule, you can specify recurring shifts and link them to employees. Is one of your mainstay employees ill or on holiday? Is a shift staffed by different employees? You can see which shifts are still open at a glance.
2. Capacity prediction
With online workforce scheduling software, you can easily create forecasts using historical data and weather forecasts. With our smart links, you can import valuable data from your other systems into booq Staffplanner to accurately predict the required capacity and guarantee optimal staffing rates. As soon as you assign someone a shift, booq Staffplanner will automatically calculate your staffing costs based on their hourly wage, so you’ll always know whether you’re still on budget.
3. Employee participation: give employees control over their schedule
The popularity of self-scheduling is skyrocketing, and with good reason. Self-scheduling takes a lot of work out of the hands of your scheduler, as employees get to bear (some of) the responsibility themselves. What’s more, self-scheduling improves employee engagement, because they feel more in control and have a better view of the bigger picture. Besides, when employees have more grip on their work-life balance, you’ll find absenteeism drop significantly.
With our staff planner app, employees can influence their own schedule in a variety of ways. For example, you can ask them to indicate when they would like to work and when they’d rather not, or you could invite them to sign up for open shifts and swap shifts between themselves. Finally, employees can also use the app to track their leave balance, overtime and allowances. Of course, as an employer, you are free to mix and match whatever elements of self-scheduling appeal most to you and your employees.
4. Track work time automatically and export data to payroll with one click
Online workforce scheduling software automatically tracks work time, either via our app or with the NOA, our smart time-tracking system. Using a personal card (like an OV chip card or debit card), employees clock in and out quickly. Overtime, bonuses and leave are calculated and processed automatically, helping you collect all the data you need for payrolling in one place. Thanks to our smart links, you can even export them to your payroll software with a single click.
What’s more, our software automatically warns you when you’re non-compliant with legislation such as the Working Hours Act. Our booq Staffplanner also automatically takes collective labour agreement rules into account. You can even select different CLA rules for different employees, avoiding mistakes, fines and other problems.
5. Automate all leave processes
In booq Staffplanner, all leave-related proecsses are automated. Your employees can use the app to request leave. If you grant their request, the schedule will be adjusted automatically. The shifts assigned to the employee while they are on leave will open up, showing you exactly which gaps you still need to fill. Our software will also automatically update leave balances and automatically generate reports to show you who requested leave at a glance.
6. Automatic insight into useful scheduling information
During the scheduling process, you need quick access to valuable information. With booq Staffplanner, you’ll always have access to key data such as your expected turnover, budget, weather conditions and information exported from other systems. You’ll also have important workforce information right at hand, such as availability, certificates, and overtime balances, to help you effortlessly create an optimal schedule.
7. Workforce scheduling powered by AI
Artificial Intelligence is booming. And our automatic scheduling software harnesses it to full effect. More and more companies are approaching us about AI, but for many, it is still one step too far. After all, before you can make the most of everything AI has to offer, we have to make sure that you’re collecting the right data. We are still working on this. More about this later.
