Recommended Employee Scheduling Software Providers
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Software simplifies employee scheduling. Gone are the days when managers and HR personnel would spend hours building staff rotas. Now, automated scheduling software does the job in mere minutes — and the rotas come out even better than if they were done by hand.
So common is employee scheduling software nowadays, that it can be difficult to decide which product is right for your business. Your options all serve the same key purpose of automating your schedules, so any decision will likely come down to what additional features they offer.
To support your research, we’ve reviewed four of the best employee scheduling products on the market. Whether you’re in the browsing stage or ready to buy, careful analysis of each product’s strengths in line with your own requirements is what’ll ensure the best outcome for your team.
Comparing the Best Employee Scheduling Software Products for Your POS System
Hands-on experience with a wide range of employee scheduling software tools led us to identify Planday, Agendrix, Push and 7shifts as the four best products on the market.
You can see each product’s basic functionality at a glance in the comparison table below. This is followed by a detailed analysis of key features and selling points to help you make the most informed purchasing decision.
| Product | Scheduling | Time tracking | Team communication | Labour forecasting | Integrated payroll |
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PlandayEmployee scheduling software serving businesses of all sizes and industries.
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AgendrixEmployee scheduling software serving businesses of all sizes and industries.
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PushWorkforce management software serving businesses of all sizes and industries.
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7shiftsEmployee scheduling software serving restaurants of all sizes.
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Planday
Planday is a versatile staff scheduling software packed with handy features to help you better manage your team. Intuitive schedules, precise time tracking and payroll forecasting combine to provide full transparency of your labour management processes.
Key Selling Points
Covering the basics well, Planday goes a step further in the following two areas:
1. Rota customisations
While Planday does the hard graft with your rotas, the software still gives you full control to organise your schedules as you see fit. For instance, you can break down your rotas into different subsections and assign tasks based on specific employee skills.
Once supplied with information about your demand patterns, employee hours and workplace regulations, Planday will build smart, labour-efficient rotas in an instant. You can then view said schedules one week, two weeks or a month in advance for a clear overview of your outlook.
2. Payroll forecasting
Cost management is a key part of employee scheduling, and Planday offers all the tools needed to perform this side of the job effectively. Detailed reports and forecasts allow you to track the cost of wages against revenue to ensure the books continue to read favourably.
Planday’s payroll forecasting will take into account employee working hours, overtime and scheduled vacation to calculate payroll costs that are always on the money. These insights are key to creating labour-efficient schedules that maximise your business’ profitability.
key Features
Planday’s functionality goes well beyond scheduling. Here’s a look at six of the software’s finest features:
- Employee scheduling.
The main purpose of the software, Planday excels at creating perfectly balanced staff rotas. - Time tracking.
Let your staff clock in via Planday’s mobile app for simple time tracking and timesheet management. - Team communication.
Provide group updates and send individual messages using the software’s communication tool. - Reporting.
Planday’s payroll forecasting helps you capture salary costs weeks in advance. - Leave management.
Provide team members with an easy way to process leave requests directly through the Planday app. - Shift swapping.
Quickly fill gaps in your schedules with Planday’s smart shift swapping feature.
Want to learn more about Planday? You can read about the product in greater detail here.
Agendrix
Agendrix is an intuitive employee scheduling and time tracking software that helps keep tabs on your team no matter the size. With rota automation, time clocks, communication tools and timesheets, Agendrix is with you at every stage of your workforce management process.
Key Selling Points
Agendrix comes with several fairly unique features, including:
1. Clock-in options
With no less than six different options for clocking in your staff — including mobile, tablet, barcode and computer — you retain full control over how you track your team’s hours. You can even use a combination of these methods across different locations.
Using this data, Agendrix automatically fills in your employees’ timesheets with the precise number of hours worked. This leaves you with the simple task of reviewing your timesheets for any irregularities before exporting to your payroll software.
2. Job sites
Agendrix is an especially useful tool for businesses with mobile employees working across different job sites. With the relevant addresses on the system, you’ll be able to manage your mobile staff with the same ease as your fixed-location employees.
Mobile schedules come with GPS coordinates and other necessary information for helping staff find their way to the job site. Upon arrival, employees can start their shift using a number of clock-in options, with their hours worked sent straight to the timesheet at the end of the day.
key Features
Let’s take a look at Agendrix’s main features:
- Employee scheduling.
Build automated staff schedules that meet customer demand while conserving labour costs. - Time tracking.
Choose from a wide range of clock-in methods to track your staff’s hours worked. - Timesheets.
Agendrix fills in your timesheets with clock-in data ahead of payroll export. - Team communication.
Share documents and key updates with your team through the Agendrix app. - Overtime tracking.
Let your staff accrue overtime and use these hours to fill missing time entries when needed. - Job sites.
Create smart schedules for your mobile employees and assign different job sites to them.
If you’d like to read about Agendrix in greater detail, you can do so here.
Push
Push is a full-service workforce management platform with excellent staff scheduling tools. Boasting dedicated features for onboarding, time tracking, payroll, reporting and more, you’ll find Push’s functionality to extend well beyond employee scheduling.
Key Selling Points
There isn’t much that Push can’t do. Here are two of the software’s crowning features:
1. Labour forecasting
Push works with you to cut down on labour costs where possible. When organising your schedules, automation tools allow you to view projected labour costs against revenue and even highlight areas where savings can be made.
Requests for shift swaps and time off also come with cost analysis, supplying you with all the information you need to make the most informed scheduling decisions. These insights are key to finding that elusive middle ground between customer demand and staff availability.
2. Integrated payroll
Unlike many other employee scheduling tools, Push comes with a built-in payroll solution. Rather than exporting your timesheets to a third-party provider, Push’s integrated software makes the transfer of employee hours to the payroll as seamless as possible.
Not only does Push’s payroll automation save time, but it also ensures your staff get paid the correct amount. The payroll tool is fully compliant and even calculates your tax obligations, giving you full peace of mind over your business’ salary expenses.
key Features
Push is a one-stop shop for employee management. Here are six of the software’s best features:
- Employee scheduling.
Simplify your scheduling and save on labour costs using Push’s intuitive tools. - Time tracking.
Allow staff to clock in in a way that suits them and track shift patterns in real time. - Team communication.
Share broadcast updates with your team or message employees individually with requests. - Payroll.
Automate your payroll process while also meeting compliance and tax commitments. - Labour forecasting.
Collate labour forecasts and sales reports for holistic insights into your business’ profitability. - Onboarding.
Streamline the hiring process with a fully paperless, self-service onboarding system.
Interested in Push? Check out our in-depth review here.
7shifts
7shifts is a robust employee scheduling tool catering to restaurants of all sizes. A host of value-added features, including time tracking, internal communications and employee engagement, help cut down on labour costs and manage your team more effectively.
Key Selling Points
7shifts boasts several innovative features, such as:
1. Task management
Working in tandem with the employee scheduling platform, 7shifts’ task management tool allows you to add more detail to your rotas by allocating specific tasks to staff. This is a great way to manage your team, even if you’re not around.
You can draw on pre-loaded task templates or create your own using custom parameters. Whether they need to be performed daily, weekly, monthly or only on a one-time basis, 7shifts makes task allocation easy, helping to optimise your operational efficiency.
2. Employee engagement
7shifts offers detailed reporting on the performance of your team across a number of metrics like attendance, punctuality and engagement. A two-way feedback system allows both managers and employees to share their thoughts on how to make improvements.
These tools are key to keeping your employees engaged and ensuring that they feel heard. When combined, staff feedback and analytical data provide actionable insights that can be used to uncover issues early and strengthen the support for your team.
key Features
7shifts is packed with great features. Here are six of the best:
- Employee scheduling.
Automate your scheduling and create labour-efficient rotas in minutes. - Time tracking.
Let staff clock in from any connected device and easily export timesheets to payroll. - Team communication.
Keep everyone in the loop using a centralised messaging platform. - Task management.
Create, duplicate and assign tasks to bring added accountability to your team. - Onboarding.
Post job ads, contact applicants and streamline your onboarding process from within the 7shifts platform. - Engagement tracking.
Stay up to date with staff engagement and provide feedback to improve performance.
We explore 7shifts in greater detail here.
How to Choose Which Employee Scheduling Software Integrator is Best for Your Business
All of the software products outlined above offer excellent employee scheduling automation. To find the right one for your business, you’ll have to think carefully about your unique requirements and consider which product best aligns with these needs.
Here are some important factors for you to bear in mind when assessing your options:
- Budget. The first step is to set a budget. Most software products charge monthly or yearly subscription fees, so budget accordingly.
- Industry. Some software providers (like 7shifts) cater exclusively to specific industries, such as retail or hospitality. Ensure that your chosen software is fit for the purpose of your line of work.
- Features. Besides employee scheduling support, consider what additional features your business could benefit from. As we’ve seen above, these could be linked to onboarding, internal communications, reporting or payroll.
- User Experience (UX). Given that your chosen software will be used on a daily basis by your team, you’ll want to make sure that it’s easy to use and has only a shallow learning curve for new users.
- Expansion. Some software products perform best within small companies, while others cater to big businesses. Take into account your potential for expansion, selecting software that can grow with your team in the short and medium terms.
Once you’ve mapped out your software requirements, you can proceed to learn more about the products available through reviews and free trials. If you’re still in doubt, a conversation with a software consultant will help to establish the best product based on your needs.
What are the Benefits of Employee Scheduling Software?
Employee scheduling software allows you to automate the scheduling process to create labour-efficient rotas in mere minutes. The best tools will help you cut down on labour costs while still meeting customer demand. Many scheduling tools will also support other areas like time tracking, internal communications and payroll.
What are the Best Employee Scheduling Software Products?
Our research has identified Planday, Agendrix, Push and 7shifts as the best employee scheduling products. Planday and Agendrix are best for retail businesses, while 7shifts is great for restaurants. Push is an excellent option for businesses looking for workforce management support in other areas like onboarding, reporting and payroll.
Which Employee Scheduling Software is Best for My Business?
When investing in employee scheduling software, there are five key factors to consider: budget, industry, features, UX and expansion. The right employee scheduling software will fit the needs of your industry and offer additional features that benefit your business. It should also be fairly easy to use and provide a platform for scalable growth as your business expands.
