Employee scheduling apps are a clear-cut solution to messy manualized schedulers that always result in lost time and money. Find here the 11 best employee scheduling apps that will completely improve the efficiency of your current workflows.
Every single business owner knows how difficult and time-consuming the task of creating a well-rounded employee schedule is. And this responsibility is especially difficult when you’re stuck in the dark ages using pen and paper or manually adding hours on an Excel spreadsheet.
What’s a quick, easy, and life-changing solution to all this? The answer to your problems is an employee scheduling app. But before getting into that, you should know just how much time is wasted on manual job scheduling:
- 3.14 HOURS lost every week by managers creating schedules via spreadsheets
- 20% OF TIME of a manager’s time is wasted
- 174% MORE TURNOVER is experienced due to errors associated with manual job scheduling
- 140 HOURS A YEAR are lost on manual job scheduling
This is why many managers are turning to an employee scheduling app solution. For one, it saves you, as a manager, more time and money. Not to mention, automating the scheduling process offers you consistent results, lessens mistakes, reduces costs, boosts productivity, and improves employee satisfaction.
If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.
Our Top Picks
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Best all-in-one employee scheduling app with smart tools.
Learn more
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Good for appointment scheduling.
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Good for calendar management.
What to Look For in a Employee Scheduling App
A star employee schedule app will function differently than one that’s just average, and
here’s how:
- Functionality: flexibility to customize & save templates, drag & drop, alert notifications.
- Cost: the point is to save money, not waste more of it. Find fixed pricing, not per user.
- Scalability: for all SMB sizes, that can support growth without a change in operation.
- Easy Integration: an intuitive all-in-one, that has everything you need in one place.
- Customer Support: reachable at all times and has a top rating from customer reviews.
The 11 Best Employee Scheduling Apps of 2022
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Best for: all-in-one employee scheduling app with smart tools
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web
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ios
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android
With Connecteam’s all-in-one employee scheduling app, you can easily save time and money on schedule planning and oversight. In fact, Connecteam offers the most intuitive and easy-to-use schedule board that saves time and effort on planning and dispatching schedules. Its straightforward approach leaves no room for error on the recorded timesheets and the payroll that is processed from it. Additionally, payroll is simple and made to trust through its integration with Quickbooks and Gusto Payroll.
With Connecteam’s robust scheduling app, you can reduce labor costs, improve employee satisfaction, and avoid the chaos of ensuring a shift is covered. There’s even an in-app chat feature with a company directory so employees can easily reach anyone with just a click of a button if there are any scheduling issues or confusion.
Key Features
- Automated scheduling
- Automated notifications and reminders
- In app-chat
- Employee directory
- Drag & drop
- Customizable templates
- Recurring shifts
- Quick reference availability
- Access via desktop or mobile device
- Attach images, videos, files, notes, maps and shift-tasks
- Overtime notifications
- Real-time feedback
Pros
- Real-time feedback
- Requires little-to-no training to start using
- Easily manage the schedule of multiple sites & departments
- All-in-one solution for employee management and scheduling
- Quick response and helpful customer support
- Easy integration with Quickbooks and Gusto Payroll
Cons
- Free plan available for up to 10 users only
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users
Free 14-day trial
Free plan available14-day free trial, no credit card required
Start your free trial
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Best for: appointment scheduling
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ios
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android
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web
mHelpDesk is very similar to Google Calendar and Outlook, but was designed especially for those in the field service business. A few core features of this work schedule app include: quickly see everyone’s availability, easily schedule field technicians, automated assignment notifications, view job, and customer details, and eliminate overbooking and underbooking. mHelpDesk can also integrate with Google Calendar, Home Advisor, and QuickBooks.
Learn more about mHelpDesk
Key Features
- Quick reference employee availability
- Several integrations
- Automated features
- Appointment scheduling
Pros
- User friendly
- Responsive customer service
- Simplified billing and invoicing
Cons
- Slow loading times
- Some integrations don’t work very well
- Cannot remove old users
Pricing
Contact for quote
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: calendar management
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ios
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android
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web
When it comes to scheduling, Shiftboard has a few features that can be highly beneficial when you have hourly workers. For example, automated scheduling, schedule distribution, shift swapping, push notifications, two-way texting, mobile clock in and out, and more. In addition, Shiftboard can integrate with numerous software solutions such as Oracle, Dropbox, ADP, Paycor, and more.
Learn more about Shiftboard
Key Features
- Automated scheduling
- Budgeting and budget forecasting
- Calendar management
- Applicant and candidate management
Pros
- Good variety of features and tools
- Good for managing complex employee schedules
Cons
- Hard to use and requires training
- No training material or tutorials
- Some users complain the software looks old and outdated
Pricing
Contact for quote
Free trial: No
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: small businesses looking for flexible scheduling
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web
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ios
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android
TSheets, now Intuit QuickBooks, has similar features as most employee scheduling apps in the market. Schedule by shift or by job, use drag & drop, send notifications about shift changes, easily copy the previous week’s schedule and more. Receive alerts about overtime or missed shifts so you can reduce labor expenses. TSheets has a cool “Who’s Working” feature, so you can immediately see who is available for urgent jobs.
Learn more about TSheets
Key Features
- Accounting integrations
- Simple employee scheduling
- Budget tracking and forecasting
- Asset management and tracking
Pros
- Easy to use
- Good variety of features
Cons
- Lacking customer support
- User report many bugs
- Hard to get software up and running
- Can get expensive for large teams
Pricing
Starts at $20 monthly base fee + $8/month per user
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: pre-made scheduling template choices
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web
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ios
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android
With Homebase, it’s easy to drag & drop team schedules, make changes from your mobile phone, easily copy last week’s schedule, or use automatic scheduling (takes into account team availability and roles). Employees can simply update their availability or request shift trades, which is sent to management for approval. Additionally, Homebase can total hours and overtime, plus it is capable of subtracting break times. Homebase also integrates sales data from Clover, Toast, Square, and more.
Learn more about Homebase
Key Features
- Schedule templates
- Automated scheduling
- Overtime alerts
- Availability tracking
Pros
- Easy to use
- Easy to track employee hours
Cons
- Less expensive plans lack important features
- Requires some training before use
- Setting availability is problematic
Pricing
Starts at $19.95/month
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: Yes -
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Best for: tech-savvy people in need of complicated scheduling solutions
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web
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android
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ios
When using Deputy, you really need to be tech-savvy and Deputy knows it – that’s why they request all of your pen and paper timesheets and scheduling ahead of time so that they can customize the work schedule app to meet your business needs.
Some of their scheduling features include auto-scheduling with lunch and rest breaks. You can create, copy, or publish schedules, shift swapping, and shift replacements. Also, Deputy integrates the software with POS and HR systems like Gusto, Xero, QuickBooks, Lightspeed, and more.
Learn more about Deputy
Key Features
- Automated scheduling
- Alerts and notifications
- Employee database
- Drag & Drop features
Pros
- Good time management feature
- Several integrations
Cons
- Some bugs and technical issues with breaks
- Difficult to use
- There are more features and functionalities on the iOS app as opposed to Android
Pricing
Starts at $2.50/month per user
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: notification alerts for shift conflicts
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web
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android
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ios
Sling makes it easy to create employee schedules, manage time off, availability, and shift swapping. Schedule overtime, reduce absenteeism, and late arrivals, and you can also receive notifications of overlapping shifts or double-booking. Save scheduling templates so creating new ones is a breeze.
Learn more about Sling
Key Features
- Employee directory
- Payroll reporting and management
- Alerts and notifications on overtime or double-booking
- Reporting and analytics
Pros
- Easy to use work schedule app
- Filter fields to view specific schedules
Cons
- Not great for large teams
- Private messaging
- Not the best user experience on the mobile version
Pricing
Starts at $2/month per user
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: Yes -
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Best for: complete visibility into scheduling changes
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ios
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web
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android
HotSchedules, now Fourth, has a simple interface that makes employee scheduling easier to manage. Employees can request to swap, release, or pick up shifts right from their mobile phone. As a manager, you have total visibility over this and can approve or deny the changes. From your POS system, you can receive labor and sales data which makes it simpler to create an accurate schedule.
Learn more about Fourth
Key Features
- Automated scheduling
- Budgeting management and forecasting
- Employee management
- Employee database
Pros
- Easy scheduling feature
- Easy to use
Cons
- Lack of customer support
- Poor scheduling templates
- Frequent software updates
Pricing
Contact for quote
Free trial: No
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: easy to replicate previous schedules
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web
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ios
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android
When I Work is a good solution as it’s totally free for less than 75 employees and you aren’t limited to one company location. However, it doesn’t let you schedule weeks in the future so that’s something to be aware of. You can create a template so it’s easy to replicate the next week’s schedule. Use drag & drop options and see who is available and qualified for a shift. Management can send notifications on shift changes. In addition, everything can be managed from a desktop or mobile device.
Learn more about When I Work
Key Features
- Activity/social feed
- Automated employee scheduling
- Alerts and notifications on overtime and clocking in
- Employee database and management
Pros
- Easy to use and intuitive
- Works well for small teams and businesses
Cons
- Lack of customization
- Templates can be hard to use
- Hard to see entire schedule
- Lack of customer support
Pricing
Starts at $2/month per user
Free trial: Yes
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: easy-to-use shift swap capabilities
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web
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ios
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android
A few features on Jolt that can help with employee scheduling include schedule distribution, shift swapping, mobile access, messaging, reports, and an in-app time clock. Jolt makes it easy to achieve team accountability, compliance, and boost employee performance.
Learn more about Jolt
Key Features
- FDA compliance
- Employee scheduling
- Desktop and mobile access
- Time clock management
Pros
- Easy to use
- Good customer support
Cons
- Setting availability is hard to do
- Not able to request PTO or vacation days
- The app interface is not as good as the desktop
Pricing
Contact for quote
Free trial: No
Free-for-life plan: No -
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Best for: healthcare industries looking for HIPAA compliant software
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web
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ios
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android
Skedulo is a good scheduling software tool for a mobile workforce. It is intended to increase productivity and streamline day-to-day operations of employees who do not sit behind a desk. With Skedulo businesses can manage scheduling and dispatching, oversee their deskless employees through a mobile app, and analyze the data gathered by the app for reporting purposes.
Learn more about Skedulo
Key Features
- Alerts and notifications
- Automated scheduling
- Drag & Drop
- HIPAA compliant
- Employee database
Pros
- Good for appointment booking
Cons
- Can get a bit pricey as they charge by feature per user, per month.
- Is really only an ideal solution for the healthcare industry
Pricing
Starts at $59/month per user
Free trial: No
Free-for-life plan: No -
Compare the Best Employee Scheduling Apps
Topic
Reviews
4.8
3.9
3.8
4.1
3.8
3.9
4
3.8
3.9
3.8
4.2
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for up to 30 users
Contact for quote
Contact for quote
Starts at $20 monthly base fee + $8/month per user
Starts at $19.95/month
Starts at $2.50/month per user
Starts at $2/month per user
Contact for quote
Starts at $2/month per user
Contact for quote
Starts at $59/month per user
Free Trial
yes
14 days
yes
14 days
no
yes
30 days
yes
yes
yes
no
yes
no
no
Free Plan
yes
Yes, up to 30 users
no
No
no
no
yes
no
yes
no
no
no
no
What Is An Employee Scheduling App?
Finances Online explains this in detail, “Employee scheduling software is a workforce and scheduling management platform that helps owners and managers administer their hourly workers. Automating the process of creating schedules produces consistent results, manages labor costs, increases productivity, and improves workforce satisfaction.”
How Do Employee Scheduling Apps Work?
Each employee scheduling app will be different based on catered services, but the general idea of automated scheduling should be present. Once you pick your choice of software, you’ll generally be taken through a set of directions that are designed to make everything as seamless and easy as possible. You’ll set up control preferences for both you and your employees so that the employee scheduler app is customized to your liking. Preferences can include maximum hours worked per week, alert notifications, and claiming rights of shift openings.
Once your daily, weekly, or monthly schedule is in order, you can clearly track everything, and if cancellations or other sudden changes come into the mix, you can use this software to quickly recover and update all relevant staff members.
Why Should I Use Employee Scheduling Apps?
As mentioned earlier, approximately 140 hours a year are lost when manually taking care of job scheduling. Time is money. For this reason alone, you should switch to employee scheduling apps to have more spare time and money in your pocket. On another note, statistics show that manualized scheduling can hike up turnover, and that’s because when scheduling is in chaos, this can exhaust your entire team.
Employee scheduling apps take the work out of your hands and maintain work hours that honor labor law, reduce overtime costs, and utilize your entire team so that work is dispersed equally and fairly.
With software like this, the endless hours you normally have to put into reaching out to employees about availability, constantly re-doing print-out schedules or pen and paper ones, and sweating over calculating your timesheets, can all be redirected to more important aspects of your business.
Benefits Of Using An Employee Scheduling App
The benefits of a staff scheduling app are endless, but we want to focus on the most important aspects that will directly impact you, as a manager.
Collaborative Scheduling Is Easy
Employees who have the power to set their own availability and manage shift trades are known as collaborative scheduling. Why does this matter? Because it allows managers to make sure that all shifts are covered and can approve time-off requests and input. When managers can share scheduling responsibilities with employees, they free up almost 80% of their time.
Remote Access
Virtually every single scheduling app for employees offers remote access so employees have full visibility and access to their schedule 24/7. By having instant access, employees can easily create a healthy work-life balance – catching mistakes or seizing open shifts that happen in a flash. This level of satisfaction helps lower the turnover rate and boosts employee happiness as they have control over the schedule.
Avoid Overtime
It is important that you comply with labor laws because the Department of Labor regulatory requirements and litigation spending is growing. Seyforth Shaw, LLP also reported that workplace action settlements reached a startling total of $1.75 billion and the settlement value has tripled in 2016 for wage and hour litigation.
Overtime errors are at the top of wage and hour litigation threats, moreover, for non-exempt employees, overtime is at 40 hours, and each week worked cannot be averaged over a two-week span. Therefore, overtime can’t be paid on the following week’s paycheck and you can’t exchange overtime for vacation time. That’s where an employee scheduling app makes life easier as it has alerts built in to prevent employees from working more than 40 hours a week. Some states also require you to provide a paid break and most apps have this feature programed as well.
Better Communication
Miscommunication or lack thereof can lead to serious problems in the workplace, like employees quitting, poor customer service, and more.
Forbes reported that two of the top five reasons that employees are so unhappy at work is because of communication issues. Using a scheduling app with built-in communication makes it easier for managers and employees to stay in touch by sharing updates instantly and filling open shifts quickly.
More Efficiency
When you’re juggling more than a dozen tasks at any given minute, schedule changes can really throw the day out of whack. Especially when a lot of scheduling changes can happen when you’re not clocked in. With an employee scheduling app, you can schedule and track time while on the go! This way, you can manage schedules in real-time and can avoid headaches. Additionally, your team will receive schedule updates straight away on their mobile phone so they’re constantly kept in the loop – this is so much more efficient when it comes to tracking the workflow and you aren’t bombarding your employees with phone calls to discuss schedule changes.
Tax and Labor Compliance
Make sure the employee schedule app complies with state and local labor laws, like overtime and sick leave.
Reduce Employee No-Shows
Your employees have personal lives which means that unplanned emergencies can happen so it’s important to be prepared. Using an employee schedule app makes it easy to replace the employee at the last minute.
Consistency
You can face serious backlash when you misplace, overlook or forget time off requests – doing so damages performance and morale. Online employee scheduling helps you stay on top of this as you receive all requests digitally and employees get notified as soon as you approve or reject the change.
We strongly recommend an employee scheduling app that makes it easy to create, change, and publish schedules at the click of a button. Say goodbye to piles of spreadsheets, using online employee scheduling saves you time and money so you can focus on the bigger picture.
FAQs
What can an employee scheduling app do for my company?
An employee scheduling app will definitely decrease the amount of time it takes you to schedule all your employees. In addition, it helps improve and increase employee productivity, provides management clear oversight, and reduces costs from human error. There should also be features that allow for employee collaboration and communication in real-time.
Is an employee scheduling app a good fit for both small and large businesses or even those who have deskless or mobile workers?
Yes, an employee scheduling app is beneficial for both small and large businesses no matter what industry they are in. Furthermore, they’re a great way for companies that have deskless or mobile workers to schedule their employees! A robust employee scheduling app will provide management with complete oversight and control over all aspects of employee scheduling. Employee scheduling apps help small and large businesses alike save time and money when it comes to common scheduling issues and problems.
Is a free employee work schedule app a good choice for my business?
This really depends on what the free plan includes and what features are provided. There are only a few scheduling apps for employees that are also an all-in-one solution to employee scheduling and management. One of them, Connecteam, is an all-in-one employee scheduling and employee management app that offers a free, unlimited plan for up to 10 users.
To Sum Up Employee Scheduling App Solutions
As you are aware, scheduling employees can be a long and arduous process, especially if you’re still doing it by pen and paper. Not only can it be full of mistakes, but it’s hard to disseminate to employees, papers can be easily lost or misplaced, and it’s an inefficient and archaic process.
In 2021, more and more companies of all sizes are making the technological jump to an employee scheduling app that helps streamline employee scheduling. Management can now focus on more important daily tasks as opposed to spending hours creating and executing a working schedule that fits all of your employees needs and wants.
In addition, when choosing a scheduling app for employees you should keep in mind the importance and benefits of an all-in-one digital solution. Even if scheduling is your main issue, there are so many other features such as communication, task management and training that an all-in-one solution provides and will definitely be an advantage to your business!
