Running a business entails various tasks, such as time management, scheduling meetings, managing time-off requests and appointing shifts, among others. While managing all this while running a small business is doable, it starts to require more energy, time and effort as the business grows. If you have been managing these tasks using traditional methods and strategies, it is time to make a switch and let software help you out. In particular, we are talking about employee scheduling and time tracking software, which can be invaluable for scaling businesses.
Automating Mundane and Tedious Tasks
We know that scheduling shifts can get very complicated without software, especially as the number of employees increases. It can take several messages and calls that a manager would rather not make. The best employee scheduling software makes this task a lot easier as the number of employees grows. The availability and absence of certain employees as well as scheduled hours can all be gleaned from the scheduling software.
Shift swaps and exchanges have been notoriously complicated for a long time. Small businesses can make this process much easier by using employee scheduling software which allows employees to swap shifts among themselves. The only thing required is approval instead of trying to find out who wants to swap, liaising with them and then changing the schedule.
Managing the Details
It is not enough for managers to create schedules or let software do it for them; they also have to let everyone know about it. Again, this is not a complicated process for small businesses, but it can be for growing businesses with different shifts. The employee scheduling software a growing business uses should allow it to send personalised shift information. It should also create and send meeting and appointment links and meeting reminders. It should also make it easy for employees and other stakeholders to confirm or cancel meetings.
Enhancing Productivity and Punctuality
There is a practice known as “buddy punching” in the United States where an employee clocks in for another. This trend is also relatively common in Europe as well. Using employee scheduling software together with time tracking software can help stop this from happening.
The employee time tracking software creates timesheets when an employee logs in thus providing more transparency to their working hours. Some software also requires employees to punch in using their phones so their employer can know where they are when they start work. This can work particularly well in growing businesses that have remote and hybrid workers who can punch in from anywhere.
Reducing Errors and Conflicts
The complex scheduling and time tracking that happens in growing businesses can get complicated very fast. This can lead to overlapping and mistakes, unproductive hours and undeserved overtime pay. Reducing such errors using the right software is crucial for the business and employees. Importantly, it helps avoid conflicts and errors because all the data is available for all relevant parties to see.
Both employee scheduling and time tracking software are important for growing businesses. They can enhance transparency, help businesses better track time worked and ensure all employees are fairly compensated for all hours they work. They can also make managing schedules much easier, no matter how complicated.