TCP Software Unveils Shift Bidding Functionality For Aladtec Scheduling Users

TCP’s Aladtec enables shift bidding to award fair, compliant, and error-free schedules in a fraction of the time

Dallas, TX – November 30, 2023–TCP Software, a leading provider of employee time, attendance, and employee scheduling solutions, today announced powerful, purpose-built shift bidding capabilities available for Aladtec customers. Many public safety agencies use shift bidding to help provide equitable scheduling practices and drive employee engagement. While some offer it as a privilege, shift bidding is often included in collective bargaining agreements (CBA) or other union agreements. Aladtec’s Shift Bidding module is designed to help organizations automate their shift bidding process to award fair, compliant, and error-free schedules in a fraction of the time.

Using software to automate shift bidding saves a significant amount of time for employees and schedulers as many public safety agencies have been using pen-and-paper or spreadsheets to facilitate these complex shift bidding processes. Replacing manual processes which are prone to error, and therefore compliance risk, Aladtec is eliminating hours, if not days, of communication and manual work to complete all while delivering a more accurate solution for shift bidding.

“Aladtec’s shift bidding feature makes the shift bidding process a lot more manageable and efficient. It has saved me days of work that I can now spend on more meaningful responsibilities,” said Jonathan Moxley, Senior Manager for Crew Scheduling at Atlas Air. “Aladtec gives me peace of mind by eliminating the human error factor that was a potential when I was manually collecting the bids.”

Many solutions take a single shift approach to shift bidding, where individual shifts and immediate schedule needs are targeted. Though this functionality offers value to schedulers, this approach misses the core intent of shift bidding: creating a fair, long-term schedule free of errors and bias and one that is in compliance with applicable CBAs. Instead of just covering individual open shifts, Aladtec’s shift bidding feature is purpose-built for shift bidding and accommodates obligatory long-term shift bidding processes while dramatically reducing time spent on the process. With shift bidding, Aladtec allows employees to indicate their preference for longer-term schedules, facilitating and simplifying the shift bidding process by collecting employee bids online, enforcing a bidding period, ranking bids automatically, and awarding shifts upon completion of the process.

Automating shift bidding provides autonomy and fair schedules for employees. Additional benefits of automated shift bidding include:

• Reduce time and manual effort spent:Submitting and collecting bids online offers both schedulers and employees the flexibility to engage in the shift bidding process without being physically present in the office. Submitting bids simultaneously also eliminates bottlenecks from passing papers or in-person bids. The one-click approval feature, after bidding completion, spares schedulers the trouble of individually reviewing and approving bids and automatically constructing the actual schedule.
• Minimize human errors:Shift bidding automatically ranks bids, reducing manual interventions and eliminating ranking mistakes. With one-click approval, bids are validated based on preset criteria, such as seniority, ensuring bids are resolved in the correct order and avoiding potential discrepancies.
• Adhere to union rules and CBAs:The system log provides a documented record of the shift bidding process, which can be referenced during union audits to ensure adherence to CBAs and prevents violations of labor requirements.
• Remove bias and perceptions of favoritism:The system log maintains a detailed record of the shift bidding process, serving as evidence to affirm the fairness of the procedure when needed. Establishing clear rules and bidding orders, whether based on seniority or other criteria, promotes impartiality and provides transparency to all participants during the shift bidding process.

For more information about shift bidding for public safety agencies, please visit www.tcpsoftware.com.

About TCP Software

TCP is the world’s singular authority and innovator on Time & Attendance and Scheduling solutions. Purpose-built to suit the needs of companies and organizations across a range of industries, only TCP’s best-of-breed solutions embed the deep expertise and operational rigor required to ensure time integrity. With TCP, companies can finally tame the hidden chaos caused by the growing complexities of a rapidly changing world of work and get time right, every time.

For more, visit www.tcpsoftware.com or follow us on LinkedIn,Twitter or Facebook.