This is the most comprehensive ranking of the top free employee scheduling programs for 2022. It includes some additional free employee scheduling apps in addition to the top 10 free employee scheduling programs. I also address a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) about free employee scheduling software. Overall, by rapidly comparing the best free employee scheduling software options and choosing the one that best matches their needs, this article will assist small business owners, and HR managers save money.
You’re always looking for methods to cut costs and manage overhead as a business owner. Finding a solution to manage your personnel scheduling requirements without hiring a third-party service is one approach to achieve this. You’ll have more money in your pocket if you do this. Additionally, effective personnel management results in a happier work environment and more productive teams, which translates into more money in your pocket. Cha-ching!).
You may manage your workforce and do duties like shift scheduling, staffing, operating labor costs, swapping schedule adjustments, and distribution with free employee scheduling software. This article will discuss ten cost-free staff scheduling tools, improving team management, and reducing workload.
What is employee rostering software?
Using a single device, a rostering app is a force management application that enables you to manage, share, and organize your staff roster electronically. The software allows you and your employees to plan and exchange shifts, track time, handle overtime, compare timesheets and payroll, and project delivery costs.
These programs automate the rostering process, saving you the time and money you would have otherwise spent managing employee shifts by hand. Most SaaS solutions can be used on a desktop, smartphone, or laptop and are cloud-based.
The Top 10 Employee Roster Apps for 2023 are as follows:
Here is an explanation of the top 10 employee roster apps.
1. Sling:
Managers, supervisors, and employees can all benefit from Sling’s scheduling software and workforce management tools when deciding how to increase productivity. It offers functions including managing time off, creating unique staff timetables, and group scheduling for significant events.
You can build shift templates with the Sling app’s free edition to save time while creating repeating shifts. You can also set up shift alerts to stay on schedule with your deadlines. Employees can request time off, and you can view real-time shift availability. Native iOS and Android apps are included with Sling. Support is offered through a help center with a tonne of documentation. They are also reachable through email. Shopify, Gusto, Square, and other applications all have Sling integrations.
Sling is available for unlimited users at no cost. However, some services, such as shift switching and time clocks, are only available with subscription contracts.
Key characteristics:
- project management
- group texting
- calendar templates
- data on the labor market
Pros:
- utilizes several places
- intelligent learner
Cons:
- Essential plan achievements include time tracking.
- Fewer integrations than alternatives to workforce rostering software
2. Google Workspace:
Users of Google Workspace can access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and calendars in the cloud. Google Workspace is an online productivity package. With end-to-end encryption, it supports data syncing across all platforms and devices and adds further protection and privacy for your files. Workspace is based on Gmail integration, just like all other Google products, making it simple to distribute and share an unlimited number of staff schedules.
By controlling employee schedules and shift assignments, the product also serves as an employee scheduler. It provides consolidated access to all shift assignments and programs, making it more straightforward for managers and staff to make adjustments immediately. You can email notifications to different employees using Google Workspace. It allows you to make, schedule, and distribute Google Slides presentations to other people. You can use it as a free scheduling tool by creating your own collaborative spreadsheets and using scheduling templates from online HR groups.
You can create your collaborative spreadsheet and download online HR communities’ scheduling templates. The capability of Google Workspace can be enhanced using add-ons from the marketplace, such as Shift Scheduler. Shift Scheduler will automatically construct and maintain the schedule for your company in a single spreadsheet, creating events for your users’/employees’ Google Calendars. Additionally, it will build and support a different spreadsheet view that reorganizes the schedules by shifts so that you can identify who person is in charge of what duties.
Key characteristics:
- Send worksheets to staff members through email.
- Options for conditional formatting, pivot grasslands, and built-in formulas
- Automatically commits changes and additions
- templates already created for quick rostering
Pros:
- Easy to make simple rosters
- Free remedy
Cons:
- elementary rostering features
- For maximum benefit, you should be familiar with Google Sheets.
3. 7Shifts:
A piece of software called 7Shifts links employees and small enterprises. The SaaS offers tools for managing employee schedules, receiving in-line approvals, and requesting time off. Additionally, the solution creates simple-to-understand bespoke reports. They can help you optimize the way you schedule your employees. The option to generate shift schedule templates is another pretty fantastic feature. Why develop something from scratch? (No one has time for that!)
A smartphone app is included with the package. All of the devices can sync the data. This assists in keeping your team current.
With apps like Google Calendar, Evernote, Slack, and others, 7Shifts is compatible.
Key characteristics:
- Drag and drop templates and a simple roster
- Information right away for issues with overtime or labor compliance
- Accept or reject requests for time off or shift changes.
- Quickly calculate labor costs.
Pros:
- Quick and straightforward to set up
- integrates with a wide range of company management applications, including Toast, Clover, CAKE, &
Cons:
- For restaurants with several locations, prices can pile up.
- Only paid programs offer templates and budgeting features.
4. Homebase:
The program for scheduling employees, called Homebase, is simple to use and intuitive. Staff members’ schedules, including their work shifts and vacation days. Programs for the Shifts can be made for full or half days. Employees can view upcoming shifts and view available hours through Homebase. You can add overtime and switch shifts. You can create various weekly timetables and make last-minute changes to them.
Homebase is free for unlimited employees (at one location), unlike rivals in the field of free employee scheduling. It includes POS and payroll integration options—yes, even on the free plan! Numerous additional capabilities found nowhere else are included in Homebase’s free plan, including options for shift feedback and open job postings, essential applicant monitoring, and workplace safety warnings.
Google Calendar, Evernote, Gmail, IFTTT, DropBox, and more apps are all integrated with Homebase.
Key characteristics:
- Employees access the archives via email, text messages, and smartphones.
- automatic reminders for shifts
- Monitor worker availability, holidays, and overtime
- integrated with online engagement tools such as Clover, Toast, and others
Pros:
- pleasant user interface
- incorporates payroll operations
Cons:
- Limited features are provided with the Basic plan’s free tier.
5. Fourth:
A full suite management software crucial for the hospitality sector comes in fourth. Various workforce administration capabilities include a scheduling tool formerly known as HotSchedules.
Employees can use this application to examine their roster in one location, request time off, exchange shifts, and interact with other team members. In turn, the app gives managers complete visibility of their employees’ actions. Check out daycare applications, too.
One of the critical features of rostering software is a forecasting function that helps managers create appropriate schedules and reduce overtime. The fourth check is that rostering complies with applicable labor rules and team availability.
Key characteristics:
- predicting device
- health monitoring for COVID-19
- Monitors battle for law compliance
- integrates with other applications with a hospitality focus, such as Toast, Restaurant Manager, and Upserve POS
Pros:
- Simple design
- Use of the health-monitoring feature to comply with COVID-19 restrictions
Cons:
- Learning features could take some time.
- The website doesn’t provide a price range.
6. Paycor:
By creating efficient staff rosters, Paycor Scheduling (previously Ximble) makes it simple to manage labor costs and increase team efficiency. Use the rostering application to develop and optimize enrollments, connect with personnel, and operate while on the go.
Thanks to its contemporary, clean layout, it is simple to view rosters and personnel availability on Paycor. Real-time availability editing by employees understates the likelihood of missed shifts. These scheduling tools simplify the roster creation process while lowering the possibility of mistakes. Another roster app is this.
Paycor Scheduling, one of Paycor’s HCM software tools, is a suitable option for businesses looking for a comprehensive solution that addresses payroll, talent leadership, and employee experience.
Key characteristics:
group chat
automatic recollections
Artificial breaks
Create reports to understand costs and hours.
Pros:
- Plans can be modified to include different features.
- Staff and employees can discuss and share documents through team chat.
Cons:
- Pricing examples for larger businesses can add up
- Cannot frequently subscribe to scheduling features.
7. Humanity:
Humanity is a flexible rostering tool for hourly workers that serves various industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and hospitality. Another roster app is this.
The rostering app from Humanity has a reliable operation. You may view staff availability and create, amend, and check rosters from the app’s centralized platform. You can avoid overscheduling (and overspending) on labor expenditures using real-time budgeting and analytics tools.
Usability for both managers and staff is a priority in the design of the interface. Your workers should therefore find it quick and straightforward to become familiar with the app’s features and use it to manage their changes.
Key characteristics:
- Forecasted and automated rostering
- certain templates
- state and local regulatory factors
- integrates with HCM solutions like Oracle, Workday, and BambooHR
Pros:
- 24/7 customer service is offered
- can design unique rostering rules
Cons:
- A variety of features may be too much to handle.
- There are no prices on the webpage.
8. mHelpDesk:
For companies in the field service enterprise, mHelpDesk offers an all-inclusive, end-to-end SaaS solution. A few of these tools have scheduling features that are perfect for creating and managing employee rosters.
When using mHelpDesk, you can quickly monitor your team’s availability and registration field mechanics, automate task notifications and examine jobs and customer details like Google Calendar and Outlook. The tool is designed to minimize over- or underbooking and maximize your workforce’s effectiveness.
The redundant tasks typical of many field service industries are those that mHelpDesk aims to automate. Especially regarding personnel management and rostering.
Key characteristics:
- Plan everyday tasks and contracts.
- The “Assignment view” displays all available positions and personnel availability.
- View in color
- Includes Google Calendar integration
Pros:
- There are more tools for field service management accessible.
- Automatic reminders for attendants
Cons:
- There are no pricing details on the webpage.
9. Shiftboard:
The rostering applications SchedulePro & ScheduleFlex from Shiftboard are specially made for communities with complex scheduling needs, such as those in mission-critical industries or with significant workforce volumes. Product-focused firms are catered to by SchedulePro, whereas service-oriented businesses, such as call centers, that have varying staffing demands might benefit from ScheduleFlex.
Shiftboard’s scheduling keys can be customized and employ AI to generate effective rosters to achieve this. Team partners are informed in real-time of roster changes by email, messaging, and in-app notifications. Even when conducting business with a vast and flexible staff, the apps assure compliance with pertinent laws and regulations.
Key characteristics:
Organize registrations according to each department and area
Utilize flex pools for impromptu adjustments.
Attach company information for each user, such as qualifications and skills
Real-time interaction with staff
Pros:
- Scheduling automatically for effective rostering
- Adapt to the needs of your workforce’s scheduling
Cons:
- There are no pricing details on the webpage.
- Clearer calendar display
10. QuickBooks:
With scheduling and time tracking features, QuickBooks Time is an appropriate solution for workforces with complete transferability. Managers may quickly and easily construct archives with capabilities like dragging and dropping shifts and copying prior rosters. Administrators can track and approve employee hours via the app. Another roster app is this.
Over 50 more apps, like Asana, Google Drive, and Dropbox, are integrated with QuickBooks Time. Existing QuickBooks users will quickly adjust to the interface of the app.
Key characteristics:
- by job or change, schedule
- The schedule and timer are integrated
- Drag and drop shifts to quickly create registrations
- Use the mobile app to add, update, or switch shifts.
Pros:
- abilities in geotechnology
- can be used to keep track of employee spending and mileage.
Cons:
- the most exemplary available support Monday–Friday
- Pricing structures for larger businesses might add up
How Do You Feel About These Free Employee Scheduling Applications?
These are the best employee shift scheduling programs, in my opinion. Software for employee scheduling is crucial for increasing output, keeping track of time, and reducing no-shows. Check out our list of the top 10 employee shift scheduling programs for 2022 if you have the money.
What do you think of this collection of free shift scheduling tools? Please share your thoughts. Are there any in particular that I missed?
