Shift planning has become more streamlined with the advent of cloud-based scheduling software and workforce management tools. Moving away from the tedious task of manual scheduling, modern shift planning software offers robust features that make it easier to plan, control costs, and communicate efficiently with team members.

Table of Contents

• What is Shift Planning Software?
• The Benefits of Using Shift Planning Software
• How to Use Shift Planning Software
• Shift Planning Software for Restaurants

What is Shift Planning Software?

Shift planning (or scheduling) involves assigning employees to work specific jobs during particular periods. For example, in a restaurant, this means organizing cooks, wait staff, and support staff to cover all necessary hours from prep to clean-up.

The Benefits of Using Shift Planning Software

1. Saves Time: Creating a perfect schedule in minutes rather than hours.
2. Improves Access: Accessible from any device, anywhere, at any time.
3. Minimizes Errors: Detects scheduling errors and provides notifications for changes.
4. Integrates with Other Areas of Your Business: Syncs with payroll, invoicing, and more.
5. Can Help You Grow Your Facilities: Optimize labor budgets, cut costs, and redirect savings into growth.
6. Provides Data Security: Ensures strong security and encryption for sensitive data.
7. Supports Employee Productivity: Cloud storage for easy access to necessary tools and data.
8. Reduces Risk of Non-Compliance: Monitors compliance issues and provides alerts.
9. Helps You Maintain Work-Life Balance: Enables more flexible scheduling to support work-life balance.
10. Makes Transparency Possible: Facilitates clear communication and scheduling transparency.

How to Use Shift Planning Software in Your Business

1. Build Shifts the Right Way: Structure shifts around your best employees to ensure peak efficiency.
2. Plan for the Worst: Have a backup plan for no-call, no-show situations and other emergencies.
3. Set a Labor Budget: Keep labor expenses under control with a set budget.
4. Create a Template: Use scheduling templates tailored to your business needs for faster scheduling.
5. Make the Schedule Easy to Read: Simplify schedules so employees can quickly understand their shifts.
6. Use the Right Format: Format schedules as a table for easier readability.
7. Color Code for Easy Data Retrieval: Utilize color coding for quick identification of shifts and hours.
8. Allow Plenty of Time for Changes: Post working copies of schedules in advance to allow for conflict resolution.
9. Take Advantage of Automation: Use software that automatically schedules based on set parameters.
10. Allow Employees to Do Some of the Work for You: Enable self-scheduling with managerial approval.

Shift Planning Software for Restaurants

If you manage a restaurant, cafe, or other food-service business, choosing shift planning software tailored to your industry's unique needs can make a significant difference. Look for solutions that offer advanced employee scheduling, integrated time clocks, comprehensive communication tools, and useful integrations.

The best shift planning software simplifies even complex scheduling, allowing you to create, distribute, and adjust schedules effortlessly. Sling, for example, offers all the tools you need to optimize your workforce, control labor costs, and facilitate seamless communication.

For more resources and tips to manage your business more effectively, visit Sling today.