Employee scheduling software

Last updated

Employee scheduling software automates the process of creating and maintaining a schedule. Automating the scheduling of employees increases productivity and allows organizations with hourly workforces to re-allocate resources to non-scheduling activities. Such software will usually track vacation time, sick time, compensation time, and alert when there are conflicts. [1] As scheduling data is accumulated over time, it may be extracted for payroll or to analyze past activity. Although employee scheduling software may or may not make optimization decisions, it does manage and coordinate the tasks. [2] [3] Today's employee scheduling software often includes mobile applications. Mobile scheduling further increased scheduling productivity and eliminated inefficient scheduling steps. [2] It may also include functionality including applicant tracking and on-boarding, time and attendance, and automatic limits on overtime.[ citation needed ] Such functionality can help organizations with issues like employee retention, compliance with labor laws, and other workforce management challenges.

Contents

Purpose

A theoretical underpinning of an employee scheduling problem can be represented as the Nurse scheduling problem, which is NP-hard. The theoretical complexity of the problem is a significant factor in the development of various software solutions. This is because systems must take into account many different forms of schedules that could be worked, and allocate employees to the correct schedule. [4] Ultimately, optimization of scheduling is to minimize costs, but also often requires a reciprocal approach from management instead of complete reliance on software. [2]

Transitioning to employee scheduling software

Prior to employee scheduling software companies would use physical mediums for tracking employee hours and work schedule. This then gave rise to data storage forms that later by the 80s were compatible with computer programs and software. These forms however never actually scheduled the employees, it just kept track of the employees work week, hours, and prior work schedules. This then gave way to the idea of employee scheduling software, which would be an all-inclusive system that would store and track employee work history, along with actually scheduling the employee's work week.

Punch cards

The earliest form of automated employee scheduling and managing of employee hours was the punch card. The idea first created by Basile Bouchon developed the control of a loom by punched holes in paper tape in 1725. Herman Hollerith improved the design. [5] IBM manufactured and marketed a variety of unit record machines for creating, sorting, and tabulating punched cards, even after expanding into electronic computers in the late 1950s. IBM developed punched card technology into a powerful tool for business data-processing and produced an extensive line of general purpose unit record machines. [6]

Magnetic tape

During the 1960s, the punched card was gradually replaced as the primary means for data storage by magnetic tape, as better, more capable computers became available. Mohawk Data Sciences introduced a magnetic tape encoder in 1965, a system marketed as a keypunch replacement which was somewhat successful, but punched cards were still commonly used for data entry and programming until the mid-1980s when the combination of lower cost magnetic disk storage, and affordable interactive terminals on less expensive minicomputers made punched cards obsolete for this role as well. [7] However, their influence lives on through many standard conventions and file formats. [8]

Auto-scheduling and intelligent rostering

In the 2010s, the wide adoption of mobile devices and the rise of 3G, 4G, and 5G networks [9] worldwide has made it possible to approach the task of scheduling differently. In the last decade, many software solutions have sprung up to make the lives of business owners and managers easier and less burdensome.

The first wave of solutions helped small business owners to schedule, manage, and communicate with their employees in a more streamlined way. The newer way of solutions go a step further, leveraging machine learning and are being built on even newer cloud technologies.[ citation needed ] The need for automation and intelligent rostering in workforce management will continue to grow as society's heads into a gig economy. [10]

Complexity

Algorithms are used within the employee scheduling software in order to determine not only who is working, but also the specific jobs and tasks required of the workers. The system still must be monitored, and any further issues with assigning of specifics is done manually. [11] Within the context of roster problems and models, there are three main factors to work out the differences: the integration of days off scheduling with line of work construction and task assignment, roster construction, and demand type. [2] These complexities thusly require that each and every workplace must optimize employee scheduling software based on their own unique set of rules, issues and needs. [11] Additionally, it is difficult to determine optimal solution that minimize costs, meet employee preferences, distribute shifts equitably among employees and satisfy all the workplace constraints. In many organizations, the people involved in developing rosters need decision support tools to help provide the right employees at the right time and the right cost while achieving a high level of employee satisfaction. [2] Due to constant change within work environments, new models and algorithms must be created in order to allow for flexibility as needs and demands arise. For example, when a large number of new employees are hired, as in the total workforce is increased, the scheduling software likely will need to be updated in order to allow for such a change. [4]

Features

Although employee scheduling software won't necessarily improve business practices by itself, it does automate typically tedious business administration. It can also have positive effects on aspects of the business indirectly, including employee engagement, employee retention, [12] and lowered labor costs. By providing management with large amounts of data, this software can assist management in making decisions and automatically create a work schedule that fits as many constraints as possible. [13] Also, the software may be a part of an ERP package or other human resource management system. [14] [15] [16]

Features vary depending on software vendor, but some typical features include:

As the modern workplace becomes more complex, it is likely that rostering will need to be more flexible to cater to more individualistic preferences. [2] Artificial intelligence also looks to play a bigger role in scheduling software, requiring less oversight by management to correct issues. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logistics automation</span> Application of computer software or automated machinery

Logistics automation is the application of computer software or automated machinery to improve the efficiency of logistics operations. Typically this refers to operations within a warehouse or distribution center, with broader tasks undertaken by supply chain engineering systems and enterprise resource planning systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time clock</span> Device that records working hours

A time clock, sometimes known as a clock card machine, punch clock, or time recorder, is a device that records start and end times for hourly employees at a place of business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timesheet</span> Record of the amount of time a person has spent on a particular job

A timesheet is a method for recording the amount of a worker's time spent on each job. Traditionally a sheet of paper with the data arranged in tabular format, a timesheet is now often a digital document or spreadsheet. The time cards stamped by time clocks can serve as a timesheet or provide the data to fill one. These, too, are now often digital. Timesheets came into use in the 19th century as time books. To record time in a more granular fashion, time-tracking software may be used.

Field service management (FSM) refers to the management of a company's resources employed at or en route to the property of clients, rather than on company property. Examples include locating vehicles, managing worker activity, scheduling and dispatching work, ensuring driver safety, and integrating the management of such activities with inventory, billing, accounting and other back-office systems. FSM most commonly refers to companies who need to manage installation, service, or repairs of systems or equipment. It can also refer to software and cloud-based platforms that aid in field service management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zebra Technologies</span> American technology company

Zebra Technologies Corporation is an American mobile computing company specializing in technology used to sense, analyze, and act in real time. The company manufactures and sells marking, tracking, and computer printing technologies. Its products include mobile computers and tablets, software, thermal barcode label and receipt printers, RFID smart label printers/encoders/fixed & handheld readers/antennas, autonomous mobile robots (AMR’s) & machine vision (MV), and fixed industrial scanning hardware & software.

Time-tracking software includes programs and applications that allows its users to record time spent on tasks or projects. Multiple industries utilize this type of software, including those that employ freelancers and hourly workers. These include lawyers, freelancers and accountants.

Systems management refers to enterprise-wide administration of distributed systems including computer systems. Systems management is strongly influenced by network management initiatives in telecommunications. The application performance management (APM) technologies are now a subset of Systems management. Maximum productivity can be achieved more efficiently through event correlation, system automation and predictive analysis which is now all part of APM.

Workforce management (WFM) is an institutional process that maximizes performance levels and competency for an organization. The process includes all the activities needed to maintain a productive workforce, such as field service management, human resource management, performance and training management, data collection, recruiting, budgeting, forecasting, scheduling and analytics.

Appointment scheduling software or meeting scheduling tools allows businesses and professionals to manage appointments and bookings. This type of software is also known as appointment booking software and online booking software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Workforce productivity</span> Concept in economics

Workforce productivity is the amount of goods and services that a group of workers produce in a given amount of time. It is one of several types of productivity that economists measure. Workforce productivity, often referred to as labor productivity, is a measure for an organisation or company, a process, an industry, or a country.

Expense management refers to the systems deployed by a business to process, pay, and audit employee-initiated expenses. These costs include, but are not limited to, expenses incurred for travel and entertainment. Expense management includes the policies and procedures that govern such spending, as well as the technologies and services utilized to process and analyze the data associated with it.

Business process management (BPM) is the discipline in which people use various methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and automate business processes. Any combination of methods used to manage a company's business processes is BPM. Processes can be structured and repeatable or unstructured and variable. Though not required, enabling technologies are often used with BPM.

Workforce modeling is the process by which the need for skilled workers at a particular point in time (demand) is matched directly with the availability and preference of skilled workers (supply). The resulting mathematical models may be used to perform sensitivity analysis and generate data output in the form of reports and schedules.

Inventory management software is a software system for tracking inventory levels, orders, sales and deliveries. It can also be used in the manufacturing industry to create a work order, bill of materials and other production-related documents. Companies use inventory management software to avoid product overstock and outages. It is a tool for organizing inventory data that before was generally stored in hard-copy form or in spreadsheets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TimeClock Plus</span>

TCP Software is a cloud-based time and attendance workforce management system founded in 1988 to serve the time tracking needs of the restaurant industry. Developed as a DOS application, the system developed into a Windows application, and transferred to be a web application. The software is available under a SaaS and serves 30,000 customers, overseeing millions of customers on the public and private scale.

Payroll automation refers to the use of computers to produce paychecks and manage benefit payments for a company or community. Often, payroll automation is integrated into the company's enterprise resource planning system that provides an overall view of the company's or community's finances; in addition to payroll, it can manage customer relationships, production, personnel resources, invoicing and accounting.

CEITON is a web-based software system for facilitating and automating business processes such as planning, scheduling, and payroll using workflow technologies. The system is used by several media companies such as MDR, Yle, RAI and Red Bull Media House. In December 2018, the first CEITON User Group Meeting took place in Leipzig, Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APS Payroll</span>

APS Payroll, also known as Automatic Payroll Systems, is an American company that provides cloud-based payroll and human resources software for mid-sized businesses. The company was founded in 1996 as a licensed DOS-based software to process payroll locally. The company's headquarters is located in Shreveport, Louisiana.

A human resources management system (HRMS) or Human Resources Information System (HRIS) or Human Capital Management (HCM) is a form of Human Resources (HR) software that combines a number of systems and processes to ensure the easy management of human resources, business processes and data. Human resources software is used by businesses to combine a number of necessary HR functions, such as storing employee data, managing payroll, recruitment, benefits administration, time and attendance, employee performance management, and tracking competency and training records.

Digital banking is part of the broader context for the move to online banking, where banking services are delivered over the internet. The shift from traditional to digital banking has been gradual, remains ongoing, and is constituted by differing degrees of banking service digitization. Digital banking involves high levels of process automation and web-based services and may include APIs enabling cross-institutional service composition to deliver banking products and provide transactions. It provides the ability for users to access financial data through desktop, mobile and ATM services.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pattie, Maes (2000). "Agents that Reduce Work and Information Overload". MIT Media Laboratory. 37 (7): 30–40. doi:10.1145/176789.176792. S2CID   207178655.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ernst, A. T; Jiang, H; Krishnamoorthy, M; Sier, D (2004-02-16). "Staff scheduling and rostering: A review of applications, methods and models". European Journal of Operational Research. Timetabling and Rostering. 153 (1): 3–27. doi:10.1016/S0377-2217(03)00095-X.
  3. ↑ Glover, Fred; McMillan, Claude; Glover, Randy (1984-02-01). "A heuristic programming approach to the employee scheduling problem and some thoughts on "managerial robots"". Journal of Operations Management. 4 (2): 113–128. doi:10.1016/0272-6963(84)90027-5.
  4. 1 2 Weber, N.; Patten, L. (2005). "Shoring Up for Efficiency". Health Management Technology. 26 (1): 34–36.
  5. ↑ Trogemann, Georg (eds.); et al. (2001). Computing in Russia. Verlag. pp. 47–49. The article is by Gellius N. Povarov, titled Semen Nikolayevich Korsakov- Machines for the Comparison of Philosophical Ideas
  6. ↑ Essinger, James (2004). Jacquard's Web: How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-280577-0.
  7. ↑ Aspray (ed.), W. (1990). Computing before Computers. Iowa State University Press. p. 151. ISBN   0-8138-0047-1.
  8. ↑ Lubar, Steven (1993). InfoCulture: The Smithsonian Book of Information Age Inventions. Houghton Mifflin. p. 302. ISBN   0-395-57042-5.
  9. ↑ "eMarketer Updates Worldwide Internet and Mobile User Figures - eMarketer". www.emarketer.com. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  10. ↑ "The Future of Work: The Rise of the Gig Economy". NACo. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  11. 1 2 Robidoux, L.; Donnelly, P. (2011). "Automated employee scheduling: Welcome to the future". Nursing Management. 42 (12): 41–43. doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000407580.30932.ce . PMID   22124301.
  12. ↑ "Study Finds Nearly Half of U.S. Hourly Workers Would Take Pay Cut for Influence Over Work Schedule". Business Wire May 2019.
  13. ↑ Maes, Pattie (July 1, 1994). "Agents that reduce work and information overload". Communications of the ACM. 37 (7). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): 30–40. doi:10.1145/176789.176792. ISSN   0001-0782. S2CID   207178655.
  14. ↑ IDC. "Mobile Technology: Transforming Workforce Management". July 2011.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. ↑ Aberdeen Group. "Workforce Scheduling 2011: Automation Drives Accuracy, Efficiency and Business Outcomes". April 2011.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  16. ↑ Nucleus Research. "Research Note: Mobile Technology Meets the Frontline Workforce". April 2011.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  17. 1 2 Steven Greenhouse (October 27, 2012). "A Part-Time Life, as Hours Shrink and Shift". The New York Times. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 Disselkamp, Lisa (2013-03-20). Workforce Asset Management Book of Knowledge. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN   9781118420508.
  19. ↑ Stedman, C (1999). "Retail Scheduling Systems Get Makeovers". Computerworld. 33 (2): 14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.