Microsoft Excel is used by many companies to manage their personnel. It’s a very nice service, but it’s not the best tool for making work schedules. Schedules can be arranged completely according to one’s own wishes in Excel, but this can also be accomplished much more easily with a standard personnel planning package. Additionally, free shift planner packages often provide even more scheduling options and benefits.

• The Free Shift Planner Gives Access to Work Scheduling for All Employees

 A major issue with using Excel to construct a work schedule lies in the fact that it is sent to personnel. Oftentimes, the designated times or days on the document don’t reflect when all of them can be present, leaving staff unsure what version is accurate. By taking advantage of online work scheduling software, one consistent schedule stays true no matter any changes, and employees are able to stay well informed of alterations.

• Global Access to the Work Schedule with a Free Shift Planner

 It is often difficult for employees to open work schedules sent in Excel because Excel is a paid program and not everyone has it. Microsoft used to offer a free Excel viewer for opening Excel documents, but that program is no longer available. With a good online staff planner, the work schedule can be viewed on a computer or on a mobile device.

• Swapping Scheduled Shifts

 The planner does not want to have to search for replacements for employees who cannot work at the scheduled times all the time. Employees can typically search for replacements themselves using a scheduling program. Once this is found, a planner can still give approval to keep an eye on the schedule, but this does not waste valuable time searching for replacements.

• Invite Employees to Open Shifts Using a Free Shift Planner

 The task of finding a replacement for an employee who is ill is often time-consuming since several employees must be contacted. An easier way is to invite selected employees to a shift, which they receive via email and push notifications. Employees can accept the shift immediately from this reporting, and the free shift planner notifies the planner immediately.

• A Look at Availability

 Good online personnel planning software allows employees to easily submit their availability via computer or mobile app. This allows the planner to have real-time control over this, making it much less difficult to create a schedule that satisfies everyone. Conversely, using Excel can be time-consuming and inefficient due to having to switch between programs when receiving availability updates via email or text message.

• Absence Insights

 Employee absences must also be considered while creating a schedule. It is highly practical for the planner to be able to see the absences right there in the calendar so that plans may be made to accommodate them while a holiday is in session.

• Labor Cost Insight

 Most scheduling programs allow employees to enter their hourly wages so that the expected personnel costs are visible immediately, enabling the planner to create the most optimal schedule.