The more employees a retail business employs, the more complicated it can be to schedule. It sounds like a straightforward concept to make a schedule based upon employee availability and skill set but there are several hidden little pieces of a massive puzzle that all need to be put together. An Excel sheet seems like an easy alternative but whenever there is a shift change or call-out, the schedule will have to be updated manually which can be disastrous to fix and reassemble.

In an industry where plasticity is the norm, are you getting the most out of your scheduling efforts? Probably not. But, there are ways to minimize the hassle with employee scheduling software.

Overtime

Schedule changes can become a nuisance for managing overtime.  If an employee calls out sick, then you'll need to immediately find another employee to take that shift. But what do you do when the only employee who is willing to help is the one who is due overtime pay? It can end up costing your company more money to have someone work overtime. Instead of tracking every employee down, employee scheduling software can provide information on who is available to take the shift and what hours he or she are at for that pay period. This will effectively help you schedule while providing you the ability to keep an eye on payroll.

Shift Swaps

Comprehensive scheduling software will allow for employees to interact together to come up witht the best possible version of a particular week's schedule. They'll have access to their schedule online or through their mobile devices where they can drop or pick up shifts. This cuts back on manager involvement, which can improve employee satisfaction with a 31% increase because managers can spend more time driving sales and working with customers. Some software even allows for employees to communicate with each other through an emailing system instead of having to release any personal information. Also, they can receive text notifications of what shifts need to be picked up instead of having to call.

Security

With retail employee scheduling software, you have the ability to know who has access to employee information, payroll, or company reports and be able to assign who you want in charge of these responsibilities. It can be a mess to have papers everywhere with employee information and paperwork and, honestly, somewhat difficult to know who is able to view these if they are left unattended. Scheduling software will allow for you to have virtual copies where you can set security levels on who you want to have access to them. All the hard copies can be stowed away in a safe place and you’ll have peace of mind that all of your secure documents are taken care of.

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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