6 Best Work Schedule Software To Help You Manage People

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Running a business means managing people as well. If you want business operations to go smoothly, you need to specify each person’s task for every workday of the week. Without the proper scheduling, you can’t expect them to reach their individual and team work goals. That means you can’t expect to reach your business goals either.

Sure, you can do the scheduling yourself manually. But according to Connecteam, that would mean you wasting 140 hours each year.  Manual scheduling, after all, takes time. You’d have to collect paper time-off requests and find ways to fix schedule issues yourself. 

Here’s where employee scheduling software can help you. The right work scheduling software helps you divide the labor among your employees with just a click. Since it’s automated, it’s less prone to mistakes. That means you can always get the most out of your team.

Convinced and now you want to make a purchase? Don’t worry. Here’s what you should look for in work schedule software.

What Should You Look for From Employee Scheduling Software?

There are many employee scheduling software solutions in the market. Not all of them, however, will be the best fit for your business. Here are some features to keep in mind when choosing your tool:

Employee self-service

Don’t just choose a tool only you can use. Your employees, after all, should benefit from your tool as well. That means with your employee scheduling software, they, too, should be able to manage their schedules on their own. 

Your employees should also be able to clock in and out with ease wherever they are. If they decide to swap shifts with someone else, they should be able to do so with the tool so you can see the changes.

Payroll Monitoring

You want a tool that can tell you automatically how much you need to pay each employee for their hours worked. An employee software solution may not be worth your investment if it only tells you the time an employee rendered for the business. Think about how much time you’d have to spend computing the wages you’d need to pay every week or month, depending on your arrangement, if the employee scheduling software doesn’t have this feature.

Mobile-friendly

It helps if your employee scheduling software is mobile-friendly. After all, that would mean you can just fix your employees’ schedules even when you’re on the go. That goes for your employees, too. 

Overview of the Best Work Schedule Software

Now that you know the features you need to look out for, let’s take a look at some of the best work schedule software solutions in the market. You’ll find each of them, the best things about them, and their drawbacks in the table below:

SoftwareStarting FromBest Thing About ItBiggest Problem
Zoomshift$2 per team member per monthEasy to useCustomer support could be better
ShiftNote$34.95 per feature per monthGood communication featureOnly for enterprises
actiPLANS$1.5 per user per monthAccurate data and reportsLimited functionality
Snap Schedule$1.5 per user per monthWith employee scheduling feature No shift history log
Humanity$3 per user per monthUser-friendly mobile versionOccasional bugs
When I Work$2 per user per monthGood customer supportClocking-in/out issues

Now, let’s discuss them one by one.

1. Zoomshift

Employees can stay informed about their shifts and work-related appointments using Zoomshift. You can edit the schedule, update timesheets, and communicate with employees using your phone with this simple app.

You can drag and drop shifts into the calendar in minutes and email the schedule to your staff. On mobile, the app is very functional, too. 

Zoomshift is an excellent option if you need shift scheduling software for hourly staff. It can generate work schedules in minutes and save money on payroll. Some users say customer support could be better, although some say the tool is so easy to use you might not even need to ask for help. 

Best features include:

  • GPS location.
  • Schedule Conflict Warning.
  • Performance Metrics.
  • Automatic clock-in reminder.
  • Work Schedule Templates.
  • Mobile Access.
  • Time Clock.
  • Supervisor and Management Permissions.

Zoomshift offers a robust Starter plan ideal for small businesses looking to get started with scheduling software. They charge $2 every month for every active team member in their annual plan. They also have two paid plans: Premium ($4 per person) and Enterprise, both of which include additional features.

2. ShiftNote

ShiftNote is a shift-based industrial employee scheduling software and management logbook for restaurants, retail establishments, and hotels.

Some of the best features include:

  • Manager’s Daily Logbook.
  • Approval Workflow for Shift Swaps/Pickups.
  • Time Off Request Management.
  • Multi-location Dashboard.
  • Mobile Apps.
  • Event Calendar.
  • Task Management.
  • Group Messaging.

Managers can use ShiftNote to make employee schedules faster while also lowering overtime and boosting communication capacity. Users love the tool’s communication feature for this second one, in particular, as it enables them, among others, to send targeted messages to specific people. 

ShiftNote also comes with free training and set-up! They offer a free trial of two of their packages: Standard and Essential. Prices start at $34.95 per feature per month.

3. actiPLANS

actiPLANS is an excellent software for staff scheduling since it allows for both short- and long-term planning.

The desktop edition of actiPLANS allows employees to keep track of their current and new PTO balances. It also allows them to pick and mark any time as vacation or any applicable sort of leave.

Furthermore, the mobile version allows users to tell teammates if they are running late or departing early. Managers, for their part, can keep track of who is currently missing and why. 

Some of actiPLANS best features include:

  • Leave Requests
  • Request Approvals
  • Email Notifications
  • Corporate Schedule
  • Automated PTO Calculation
  • Reporting
  • Integration
  • Mobile App

ActiPLANS’ automated leave request approval is a handy feature.

It streamlines the absence management process, saving time for managers while increasing employee happiness by providing team members greater choice over their work schedules. The tool also gives managers accurate reports on employees. Some users, however, say there could be more functions available in the software.

actiPLANS offers a 30-day free trial with unlimited users. They charge $1.5 per user per month and offer a 20% discount for their annual plan.

4. Snap Schedule

Employees can use Snap Schedule to see their work schedules online, bid on open shifts, request time off, check in and out, update their availability, swap shifts, and more.

You can book any shift or overtime for an infinite number of employees with this software.

This tool’s interfaces are comparable to Excel’s, but it has additional functionality for schedule planning and publication. 

Best features include:

  • Automated Scheduling
  • Employee Management
  • Employee Scheduling
  • Labor Forecasting
  • Online Time Clock
  • Schedule Distribution
  • Shift Swapping
  • Skills Tracking
  • Time & Attendance

The software helps reduce labor costs and in the collection of payroll data. Employees can maintain their own schedule, too. Some users, however, complain there is no shift history log they can access.

Snap Schedule has three packages and each package has a separate “Scheduling” and “Employee” pricing. 

5. Humanity

With Humanity, you can improve employee scheduling and streamline business processes. You can also input and integrate essential business data into the scheduling software to estimate your company’s scheduling needs.

Because of how easy it is to use, Humanity is one of the best work schedule software in the market. Its features make it even easier to change and monitor schedules on your phone. The layout is user-friendly and easy to understand. There can be occasional bugs but some users report those are not as frequent.

Customer service is also a strong point for Humanity.

  • Time Tracking
  • Automated Reminders
  • Shift Scheduling
  • Time & Attendance 
  • Tracking Absence & Leave Management
  • Self-Service Capabilities
  • Mobile Shift Scheduling
  • Team Communication

You can customize the software based on your company’s size and effortlessly combine it with various business apps. iPhones, iPads, Android phones, and tablets are all compatible with Humanity’s work scheduling software.

There are three plans to choose from: Starter, Classic, and Enterprise. Their package starts at $3 per person per month under the Starter plan. 

6. When I Work

When I Work, a company founded in 2010, is an employee scheduling software with many capabilities and a user-friendly design.

However, it does not allow you to schedule weeks in advance. Employees might also have a hard time clocking in and out, according to some users.

Use the free plan to book up to 75 employees for up to one week in advance and keep track of their hours spent working. 

When I Work’s best features are:

  • One-click scheduling.
  • Shift coverage confirmation and notification.
  • Schedule sharing.
  • Labor forecasting.
  • Overtime control.
  • Schedule enforcement.
  • Labor reports.
  • Payroll integration.

There is no free trial available. The price starts at $2 per employee each month, depending on your chosen services. For an extra $1.50 per employee per month, time and attendance monitoring can be enabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

In this article, we looked at the best things and drawbacks of each of the best work schedule software solutions in the market. That information can hopefully help you make an informed decision. In this section, let’s answer some questions you might have about work schedule software solutions:

What is a work schedule software solution?

A work schedule software solution helps you assign tasks to your employees with just a click. It helps you save time because you no longer have to manually create tables and distribute them to your employees to ensure a smooth workflow.

How much does work schedule software cost?

The cost of a work schedule software solution varies. The more features a tool has, the more expensive it typically is. The work schedule software solutions on this list range from $1 per user per month to $35.

How do you pick the best work schedule software in the market?

The answer to this question depends on your company’s needs. Assess your business needs and decide on the features you think are the most important for you. Are you looking for a tool that’s mobile-friendly and has a payroll management feature? Or maybe you can forego that payroll management feature? 

Once you have a list of what you’re looking for, you can make an informed decision.

In Closing

Now it’s time to announce my own winner from the list. Overall, I have to say Zoomshift has an edge over the others.

For all the features you get, the tool is reasonably priced. Both managers and employees will also love using the tool because there’s no steep learning curve. It’s very easy to use, even the least tech-savvy will find out how to navigate the software on their own. 

In other words, you’ll get your bang for the buck with this work schedule software. It’s easily the best work schedule software in the market for me.

About the author

Nicholas Prins

I'm the founder of Launch Space. We work with global companies helping them scale lead generation through SEO and content marketing. Head over to the homepage to find out more.

By Nicholas Prins