5 Best Workforce Management Software for Restaurant Startups

workforce management
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What is a Workforce Management System?

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The term 'workforce management system' refers to a collection of computer and mobile programs that enable a company to manage its employee schedule. The term first came up in call centers where employees were paid hourly. A workforce management system maximizes employee productivity by ensuring that all resources are assigned their proper role and place in the organization. Scheduling, labor forecasting, talent management, time management, attendance tracking, and even employee engagement are all part of a workforce management plan.

Workforce management consists of five major functions.
1. Employee scheduling- This is used to manage staff skills and talent requirements for different roles and responsibilities at the workplace.
2. Time and labor data reporting- Create thorough reports on labor usage.
3. Time and attendance management- Keeps track of employee absence and attendance and checks whether they're in line with company policies.
4. Task management- It generates a full report on labor management requirements.
4. Forecasting- Predicting the future outcome of a current project.

A workforce management system is used to help restaurant owners manage and automate different employee management tasks such as time tracking, scheduling, budgeting, and payroll processing.

How Can a Workforce Management System Help a Startup?

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A workforce management system's primary function is to manage work requirements, develop and manage team schedules, and monitor duties on a daily or hourly basis.

Start-ups, as the name implies, are businesses that are just getting started. They typically have a smaller staff than huge chains. The main goal of a startup is to keep labor costs under control. This is accomplished by estimating future demand and the number of staff required on a daily, weekly, or seasonal basis. Workforce management systems help such businesses gain vital information into parameters such as the number of workers required for a specific task on a given day, week, or month. They also allow start-ups to track staff productivity on a daily or monthly basis.

In essence, workforce management is a two-way process that should benefit both, the startup and its employees. This is accomplished by maximizing staff skills, arranging shifts according to employee capabilities, and helping them achieve better work-life balance.

With all the options out there, choosing the right workforce management software for your business is hard.

Luckily for you, we've shortlisted the best workforce management software in the market.

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No. 1 Workforce Management Software - Zip Schedules

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Zip Schedules is a simple, easy-to-use program that allows small restaurants and startups to establish clear and succinct employee schedules. It's accessible on the Hub Works web store. Easy scheduling, schedule templates, automated staff availability, time-off management, and employee sharing via several channels, are all included in Zip Schedules.

Managers can use Zip Schedules to create weekly schedules for their companies by assigning individual tasks. This app also displays the available shifts for a group of employees. When an employee is unable to work a certain shift, they can exchange shifts with others. The shift will remain assigned to the original employee until the manager approves of the swap.

Zip Schedules also offers a communications platform with its free mobile app, with a team messaging feature that allows managers to communicate about employee meetings, events, and other urgent matters with their team members. This software costs $19 per location per month for 1 to 20 employees. The company also provides a package for 21-50 employees that costs $39 per month per location. It features a customized plan for companies with more than 51 employees.

No. 2 Workforce Management Software - 7Shifts

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With features that include time tracking, communication, and workforce planning, 7Shifts is a workforce management software that helps restaurants organize shifts efficiently. It has a drag-and-drop schedule generator that tracks employee availability, overtime, and time off, as well as option for POS integration, so you can see if you're meeting your labor targets.

7Shifts can also set simple shift tasks, which improves team accountability. It also has a feature that sends managers notifications when a task is accomplished. It provides employee engagement reports for each restaurant location, which helps reduce employee turnover, and has a leaderboard that displays data on staff engagement.

Managers can track employee availability requests, swap shifts, create schedules on the go, and speak with them to resolve their questions using the free app.

The 7 Shifts Comp Plan is available for a free 14-day trial period for a single location. The Entree Plan costs $27.99 a month per location and can accommodate up to 30 people. It also offers The Works, which costs $64.99 per month per location and includes limitless employees.

No. 3 Workforce Management System - Homebase

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Homebase is a cloud based Scheduling Software and time tracking application that assists managers in organizing and creating employee schedules, payroll, and timesheets. Homebase's drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to construct employee schedules in the food, healthcare, and retail industries. Employees can receive their schedules via email or text messaging.

Homebase also has a feature that allows you to track staff working hours and overtime. This helps keep track of labor costs. It also has tools for automatic error reporting and data export. Homebase works well with several point-of-sale systems.

Managers can track staff work hours and achieve accurate payroll calculations through its time tracking tool that automatically exports timesheets to the payroll system. Homebase also comes with a smartphone app for use on the go. Managers can track employees clocking in and out, their breaks, and overtime from anywhere via the mobile app. They also receive notifications about employee absence and can use the manager log to send messages to other managers.

The HomeBase Basic Plan is free for one location, allowing you to log hours and manage schedules. The company's Essential Plan costs $14 per month per location, while the Plus Plan costs $35 per month per location. The company's All-in-One Plan costs $70 per month per location.

You need to invest in a good WFM software, but don't know where to begin.

Don't worry, we've got you covered with our list of the 5 best workforce management software for young businesses.

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No. 4 Workforce Management System - Deputy

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Deputy is a scheduling program for Small Businesses and restaurants that allows you to manage and schedule your employees without hassle. Its roster feature calculates overtime and helps with staff scheduling. When a team member cancels their shift, managers can use the Deputy software to submit a shift request to another available team member to fill the void.

Deputy also offers a communications platform that can be used to send out announcements to all the company's employees in one place. It has tools for performance management and integrates with several payroll services.

Employees can use the Deputy mobile app to log into the work place. The app includes geolocation tagging features. The app allows managers to accept or reject shift requests from anywhere. They can also use the tool to convert virtual timesheets to cloud-based payroll systems.

The Scheduling Plan costs $2.50 per month per user, while the Time and Attendance Plan costs $2.50 per month per user. Its Premium plan costs $4.50 per user a month and includes scheduling, time and attendance, and reporting tools. A customized Enterprise package is also available. All plans come with a free trial period of 31 days.

No. 5 Workforce Management System - HotSchedules

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HotSchedules is a restaurant Work Schedule management and time tracking software that provides scheduling, talent management, and inventory tracking tools. Managers can use the software to hire, recruit, share training material, track business productivity data, and manage employee operations daily.

Managers may arrange shifts and track employee attendance using its simple scheduling function. Its Logbook feature keeps track of Employee Time, shift summaries, payroll, and other details. Its API platform includes labor management, business intelligence, and inventory data apps, among other features.

HotSchedules also has a cloud based database that can be used to store documents and employee data and can be accessed from anywhere, at any time. It offers a Recruit tool for finding and hiring personnel at a low cost, as well as a Schoox function for providing staff training.

Hotschedules costs $49 per month for a single location with up to 30 employees. More information about pricing plans can be obtained by contacting the company via email or phone.

You've been handling your staff the old-fashioned way all this time, and don't see why you now need software to tell you how to do it.

This blog tells you what the best workforce management software can do for your business and leads you to the top products in the market.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Human decision makers sometimes suffer from confirmation bias. They might refuse to change their minds or agree with others even if that is the wrong thing to do. This is where software might be better suited for some tasks than people. For example, a WFM forecasting engine uses detailed algorithms to learn from history and predict the future, which is difficult for most managers to accomplish due to confirmation bias. When selecting a workforce management software, opt for one with the following features- Labor forecasting Scheduling Time tracking Absence management Overtime management Analytics Regulatory compliance Mobile accessibility Human decision makers sometimes suffer from confirmation bias. They might refuse to change their minds or agree with others even if that is the wrong thing to do. This is where software might be better suited for some tasks than people. For example, a WFM forecasting engine uses detailed algorithms to learn from history and predict the future, which is difficult for most managers to accomplish due to confirmation bias. When selecting a workforce management software, opt for one with the following features- Labor forecasting Scheduling Time tracking Absence management Overtime management Analytics Regulatory compliance Mobile accessibility
WFM software enables businesses to manage their employees with tools for labor forecasting, time and attendance tracking, scheduling, leave management, and more. WFM capabilities vary depending on the industry and solution. An introductory level software often includes time tracking, basic scheduling and may or may not offer forecasting, advanced scheduling or real-time management. More robust solutions are more likely to provide these features as well as additional services for an optimized efficiency and minimized costs.WFM software enables businesses to manage their employees with tools for labor forecasting, time and attendance tracking, scheduling, leave management, and more. WFM capabilities vary depending on the industry and solution. An introductory level software often includes time tracking, basic scheduling and may or may not offer forecasting, advanced scheduling or real-time management. More robust solutions are more likely to provide these features as well as additional services for an optimized efficiency and minimized costs.