The ripple effect of outdated employee scheduling tools
Effective employee scheduling is a multi-faceted challenge for the modern enterprise. The process and its employee scheduling tools need to balance dynamic business demands, transparent communication, and flexibility to drive business value and keep employees loyal synchronously.
Still, many enterprises rely on legacy workforce management systems based on manual scheduling tools, such as spreadsheet software. Although it might seem simple to use, the primary purpose of this tool isn’t shift scheduling, which is exceptionally not dynamic but flexible scheduling based on fluctuating employee availability and business demands. The shortfalls of manual scheduling are evident not only in lower productivity, with unexpected absences and missed shifts, but also in the bottom line, through costs of overtime work and employee turnover.
The costs and pitfalls of manual employee scheduling
Firstly, static scheduling tools fail to give insight into the labor budget and employee availability, so managers must consult multiple employee data sources before assigning shifts. Regardless of how thorough the supervisors are, making mistakes is almost inevitable, as there’s no way to resolve scheduling conflicts or unexpected absences instantly. Considering that the employees have limited capability to participate in the scheduling process or even view the latest changes, it’s no wonder that last-minute schedule updates go unnoticed, resulting in missed shifts. Moreover, manual scheduling often results in chronically over- and understaffed shifts without accounting for business dynamics. The labor costs are artificially inflated, with staff working overtime or employees being assigned to shifts without actual business necessity. Worse yet, the resulting poor schedule isn’t the effect of managers’ lack of commitment—static tools steal hours from their work day—but the method itself is inefficient.
Worse yet, the resulting poor schedule isn’t the effect of managers’ lack of commitment—static tools steal hours from their work day—but the method itself is inefficient.
On the administrative side, decentralized, manual scheduling makes keeping complete and accurate employee attendance records difficult. These inconsistencies put companies at risk of being penalized for labor law violations—another hidden cost of poor scheduling, but one that can result in both financial repercussions and a damaged reputation.
How poor employee scheduling affects morale
Each time an employee must face overtime or cover an understaffed shift, their engagement drops as they feel they’re unfairly carrying the weight of the business. Actively disengaged workers not only lack commitment and loyalty toward the organization’s goals, but they also undermine the entire team. In customer relations, they can act detached and borderline unkind, which keeps potential buyers away and does a disservice to the company’s reputation.
Actively disengaged workers not only lack commitment and loyalty toward the organization’s goals, but they also undermine the entire team.
For employees relying on multiple part-time jobs or short-term projects, irregular shift schedules significantly strain their work-life balance. If they don’t have control over their working hours, they will sooner or later be forced to miss work, even if they’re dedicated to the job.
Conversely, the “hire and fire” policy comes at a high price in the long run— replacing an employee can cost 30 to 400% of their annual salary, depending on seniority. Scheduling optimization is a wiser investment, particularly in industries struggling with employee retention.
Better tools, better employee schedules
Deploying a cloud-based software specialized for employee shift scheduling can sidestep these issues. Humanity offers a system that accounts for employees’ skills, preferred working hours, and absences so managers can create conflict-free schedules more efficiently and keep employees in the loop in case of changes. Real-time monitoring of the labor budget ensures effective cost control, while instant warnings about regulatory requirements enable supervisors to keep their schedules compliant. Humanity is also integrated with the industry-leading Human Capital Management companies, so all key employee data is available in a single record system.
TCP Software’s employee scheduling and time and attendance solutions have the flexibility and scalability to suit your business and your employees, now and as you grow.
From TimeClock Plus that automates even the most complex payroll calculations and leave management requests, to Humanity for dynamic employee scheduling that saves you time and money, we have everything you need to meet the needs of your organization, no matter how unique. Plus, with Aladtec, we offer 24/7 public safety scheduling solutions for your hometown heroes.
Ready to learn how TCP Software takes the pain out of employee scheduling and time tracking? Speak with an expert today.
