Gone are the days of manual schedules with index cards, strips, magnets and the like! In the digital age, it's time for sophisticated, high-performance software to manage your teams' schedules. There are hundreds to choose from, and all you need to do is adapt them to your business. Let's take a closer look at the planning tools you can use, and their usefulness.
What is good planning?
The ideal schedule is one that saves time for business owners and provides employees with the best possible work-life balance. It combines efficiency and profitability for the company with flexibility and satisfaction for staff members.
In an exemplary organization, planning plays a key role. It is indispensable for managing manpower requirements, especially during busy periods.
The availability, unavailability and even preferences of each individual must be taken into account. Taking them into account means that employees are listened to and understood by their managers.
Flexible scheduling has become an imperative in recent years. Good working conditions are one of the factors, along with salary, that most builds staff loyalty. Happiness at work inevitably boosts productivity. It's a win-win situation.
On the other hand, the company must not lose sight of the cost of labor. Managing schedules in line with the budget is essential. So, even if the calculations to achieve this are long and complex, it's well worth the effort.
Good schedule management meets the needs of both the company and its employees, without forgetting to comply with the law.
Which tool should you choose to manage your schedules?
There are many different types of scheduling software, both free and fee-based. The choice depends on the company's needs and budget.
A good scheduling tool gives you an overview of your activity. It must enable :
- manage unforeseen events (sick leave, unjustified absences, etc.)
- organize schedules
- allocate tasks
- check individual workloads
Spreadsheets like Excel aren't always a good solution. They may be suitable for very small businesses, but are not really adapted to the professional world.
As soon as a company has several employees, it's best to opt for more specific software.
Free online software generally offers only basic functionality. It would be a shame to miss out on certain options that could help optimize human resources management. However, open source systems such as OrangeCRM or Jorani can be quite satisfactory, even if they are relatively complex, or you may prefer software such as Zenefits, Teamdeck (Windows) or Smartizio, OffDays (Mac), all of which are totally free.
Before buying any software, it's a good idea to compare prices and features, as well as ease of use. Among the best software on the market today are Monday, Trello, Asana and Skello, among others. These are planning tools designed to simplify the organization of working time.
In any case, effective scheduling software must meet several criteria:
- quick to learn
- fluid, intuitive operation
- easy access on multiple platforms
- interaction between different employees
- compatibility with other tools
- customization options
- comprehensive features
Companies' personnel management requirements are many and varied. Software is there to meet these requirements. Demos and trial periods are often offered to test which software is best suited to a company's sector of activity, size or way of working.
It may need to create several schedules (annual, monthly, weekly, daily) to plan for long-term manpower needs, or on the contrary, manage more urgently, on a day-to-day basis. Integrated time and attendance software enables you to track staff attendance times, check rest periods, arrival and departure times, and account for overtime. Dashboards show the situation in real time. Payroll software and many other functions can also be integrated. Many tasks can be automated.
Finally, you need to ensure that the number of hours worked complies with social legislation or agreements, and that the hours worked are consistent with the indications in the employment contract. For all employees, this means specifying start and end times, rest periods and the work period concerned. By law, the schedule must be quickly and easily accessible by the employees concerned. Software is regularly updated to comply with labor law.