Maintaining a fair schedule that keeps all employees satisfied is almost a full time job in itself. There are staff managers buried under piles of spreadsheets, calendars, and employee forms as they struggle to maintain a working schedule; however, employee scheduling doesn't need to be such a headache. In fact, workforce management software can solve even the most arduous of scheduling problems. Imagine a world where you can send digital schedules to employees, send employee text updates, and make last minute changes when you are taken by surprise. Sounds nice, right? Well, retail scheduling software is a perfect solution for businesses that desire flexibility in their employee schedules. In this post, we will discuss how retail scheduling tools can solve some of the most common scheduling problems.

Staff Turnover Management

Shift work can be treacherous for all involved parties. Unfortunately, in the retail industry, employees will come and go with the seasons, each of them bringing a new shift schedule along with a list of days they can and cannot work. Some employees prefer night shifts, while others savor the early morning shifts. As you know, juggling staff and their shifts can easily become quite time consuming. However, with retail scheduling software, you have the tools necessary to manage your staff members, new and old.

Empower Your Staff To Manage Aspects Of Their Own Schedules

For many retail businesses, the workforce is considered the largest controllable cost. However, as many retail companies are quickly discovering, constantly changing an employee’s schedule can make it miserable for dedicated workers. As a manager, you have two needs to satisfy; the need to create a schedule that delivers for the business, as well as the need to take care of your employees. With retail scheduling software, you can empower your staff to control their own schedules. Employees will have the ability to trade shifts and apply for time off. Working with other employees to determine the schedule that works best for everyone inspires a greater sense of team morale, as well.

Overtime Management

Software for shift scheduling can help your business to keep track of and analyze overtime, which inevitably saves a considerable amount of time. Consider this: the manager will have to spend less time providing updates and maintenance to the schedule, so you will benefit from productivity savings. There are cost savings too if you calculate the time a manager spends on the schedule each week multiplied by the manager’s hourly wage.

Using scheduling software for budgeting, you can determine the expected cost of an employee’s weekly schedule by viewing his or her scheduled hours and multiplying this by his or her wage. You can compare the employees’ anticipated expense with the actual time and wages earned as the workweek progresses. If you can analyze the fluctuations in time and wages, you can figure out who is an overtime risk, as well as who is best qualified to fill any vacant positions.

Since retail scheduling is typically in a state of flux, this capability helps to anticipate staffing issues.

VCS Software | Scheduling Software For Retail

Traditional time & attendance systems - which are still widely used today – clock the hours employees are on the job after they have worked because the hours are counted after the shift has taken place. This reactive approach breeds overspending and inefficiencies. VCS’ software systems compute data prior to shift work, so that the planned hours and positions are properly staffed. Proactive scheduling promotes a productive, compliant, and fiscally responsible workforce.

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