The Evolution of Employee Scheduling

THE EV OLUTION OF Employee Scheduling No matter the type of business you run, keeping track of the comings and goings of your employees will always be one of your major priorities. Without a well-organized schedule, your business cannot function efficiently – you'll have employees not showing up or having scheduling conflics. The means of solving this problem began off rudimentarily, with the simple use of pen and paper, but over time, the software used for employee scheduling has undergone a remarkable evolution. THE NEED FOR EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING The shortcomings Inadequate scheduling accounts for employees wasting up to 36% of their time Scheduling conflicts, can result in too many employees showing up or others not arriving for their shifts Employers spend vast amounts of time tracking employees' movements Mismanaged schedules accrue high administration costs The goals Increased productivity Prevention of overtime costs Reduction of staff costs Avoid miscommunication Motivation of employees Reduce Absenteeism HISTORICAL EVOLUTIONS OF SCHEDULING Pen and paper For the longest time, pen and paper was the only means available for scheduling employees Employers would have to painstakingly record schedules by hand, wasting many hours on a menial chore These schedules are difficult to edit and not as environmentally friendly when many drafts are being dispensed to employees Time clock machine The first punch clock machine was invented in 1888 OS00 The first docks were very basic, but gave employers the ability to print the time and date on an employee's card, and sound an alarm to signal breaks In the late twentieth century the time clock machines began utilizing a magnetic strip to dock in rather than pieces of paper Today, time dlocks have evolved into "smart docks" with multi-touch screens, full color displays, and dloud-based software Spreadsheet Software First launched by Microsoft as “Multiplan" in 1982, Excel was not initially as popular as Lotus 1-2-3 The software is divided into rows &columns, making tabulation a simple process DEC JAN JUL Spreadsheets offered employers the opportunity to design templates, which could be used each month Schedules could be drafted and easily edited The more widespread digital communication became, the easier The use of formulas made it This was the first time that possible to easily make various mass calculations, like the numbers of hours worked by each employee previous drafts of schedules could be easily saved in one location it was to send drafts of schedules to employees via the internet Point of Sale Systems By the late 1990s/early 2000s, POS systems in retail stores and restaurants began to integrate their own rudimentary scheduling software This was only visible via the POS system itself and could not be easily dispersed amongst staff Data could be easily inputted but not easily altered and was not user-friendly STOP Data was entered by the individual, required manual re-keying, and often led to many user errors. Also kept track of things like inventory, financials and warehouse management The machines themselves were costly, with prices ranging up to $4,000/- /checkout lane The Advent of Online Systems Since 2004, more and more companies have begun offering online alternatives These early doud systems worked to combined data centrally and compile more efficient work schedules Input was very simplistic and minimal The systems, however, were not very user-friendly, and could be particularly complicated for the computer illiterate THE FUTURE: MOBILE EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING TOOLS Highly developed software is now being produced by a multitude of companies Like many online systems, the scheduling is all done by computer These systems are usually accompanied by some form of training or tutorial system Newer systems can take many factors into account, including: workload, the number of employees needed during poorer weather conditions, and employee work preference. Benefits Employees can trade shifts Using the software Reduces unauthorized Individual shift schedules can be absences managed by team leaders Managers save up to 80% of their time previously used on scheduling Text message and email notifications can be used to keep employees informed of shift changes Wide market availability The schedule is always available to everyone reduces costs in software Streamlines employee Increases transparency within the corporation rotations ....... Allows employee performance comparisons Centralizes staff communication Conclusion Although employee scheduling had humble beginnings, this aspect of human resource management has finally fully embraced the 21st century. This collaborative, functional technology now enables employees, employers, and managers to work as a cohesive and efficient unit. Ultimately, this technology can help promote productivity, increase employee morale, and maximize profits. Source E When I Work link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-642-01009-5_20#page-1 | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_scheduling_software en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schedule_(workplace) | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Excel / en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_sale www.speedlinesolutions.com/portals/0/resources/ebooks/Ebook_Employee_Management.pdf david.heinemeierhansson.com/arc/000079.html | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_dock