The Transformative Impact of Automated Scheduling

Are we still leaving hourly workers behind?

According to recent research, workplace dissatisfaction is on the rise among the hourly workforce and, unsurprisingly, inflexible scheduling is a primary contributing factor. The same survey found that while 81 percent of salaried workers are satisfied with their flexible work options, just 67 percent of hourly employees report that same level of satisfaction. This data aligns with findings from my own company’s annual survey of hourly employees, which found that increased schedule flexibility would persuade 57 percent of hourly workers to take a new job.

Scheduling challenges will always be inherent to the hourly work model, but that doesn’t mean scheduling practices can’t improve. With the evolution of artificial intelligence, the tools that help companies offer greater schedule flexibility are becoming more advanced and adaptable, making it easier to match employee preferences with business imperatives.

Through the intelligent automation of scheduling, organizations that employ hourly workers can effectively balance labor efficiency and employee experience simultaneously, which will provide better employee and customer experiences and drive greater business value that positively impacts the bottom line.

Related story: Rethinking Employee Benefits: Flexible Pay and Schedules

Advantages for Employees

The primary draw of automated scheduling is that it affords workers more flexibility, which research shows can improve their mental health and overall well-being, ultimately leading to greater engagement, productivity and satisfaction in their jobs.

Greater flexibility starts with giving employees more control over their schedules. Team members should be able to seamlessly self-report their availability, ideally through the same AI-powered workforce management (WFM) platform that both determines and delivers their schedules. The WFM platform will then incorporate their inputs, automatically generating schedules that fit their preferences while meeting projected demand.

There are also training-related advantages to automated scheduling. Using AI to account for numerous parameters, intelligently automated scheduling ensures newer employees have adequate support from management during busy shifts. Additionally, automatically tracking clock-ins, clock-outs, and meal breaks can remove another step from employees’ daily workflows, making it easier for them to do their jobs without worrying if they’re tracking their time correctly. Not to mention, it also gives managers more time to focus on coaching their teams.

Automated scheduling can even make the workplace more equitable by reducing biases and promoting fair treatment. When schedules are determined based on employees’ self-reported availability and precise demand forecasts, rather than managers’ gut feelings and personal opinions, there's less potential for tension among teams. It’s also more likely that workers will get their preferred schedule, boosting overall employee satisfaction.

That said, to unlock these opportunities for employees, leaders must address a few key challenges:

• Implementation: Today’s employers of hourly workforces will likely have vast technological ecosystems; the HR, payroll and workforce management functions alone can amass a hefty tech stack. Implementing automated scheduling might involve integrating with your existing HCM and task management solutions.
• Adoption: Making the tech work is half the battle — the other half is getting people to use it. When making software decisions, leaders should prioritize ease of use and accessibility of highly rated mobile applications as key evaluation criteria. Platform onboarding and training should be employee-centered so teams have a full understanding of how the technology or policy change will benefit them directly.
• Communication: Even with the right tools and tactics in place, employees and managers may still struggle to communicate their scheduling needs. A combination of seamless communication technology and clearer processes can help break down barriers.

Advantages for Customers

Customer-facing establishments must deliver exemplary service to keep people coming back to the store, especially when competing against ultra-convenient e-commerce and food delivery. However, a good in-store experience is impossible without an engaged and motivated workforce to serve as the face of the business. A customer’s experience with an in-store associate can make or break their opinion of the brand, and those opinions accumulate into real business impact.

Automated scheduling enables the flexibility that workers desire without compromising the needs of the company. Rather, it uses employees’ skills and preferences to their employer’s strategic advantage. With AI enhancements, automated scheduling puts the right team members in front of customers at the right time, ensuring employees with specialized skills are available to help customers with specific needs. For example, a restaurant will need more bartenders on staff during a busy happy hour than they would a slow lunch period.

Optimizing schedules for projected demand also prevents understaffing, which can leave customers unsatisfied and workers stressed. Meanwhile, the automation aspect keeps managers out of the backroom and out on the floor, liaising with customers and building a reputation of good service that will help sustain the business.

A better customer experience ultimately leads to better conversion rates, and therefore stronger financial performance for the business. And it all starts with giving people the flexibility that will empower them to do their jobs well.

The AI Difference

As access to AI expands, companies that employ hourly workers should be harnessing this technology to improve their teams’ experience.

AI-powered scheduling tools have the ability to digest large amounts of information across various touchpoints, identify trends, and create schedules based on specific parameters that would take a human hours — even days — to puzzle out. AI can do this in seconds, which saves time and effort, allows for faster execution of labor strategy, and eliminates the perception of bias and favoritism. These scheduling tools can also be powerful planning tools, delivering actionable insights from AI analyses of past performance, customer flow, and operational needs.

However, scheduling will never be fully outsourced to AI. This technology exists to empower humans, not replace them, and employees should be able to take control at any time. After all, autonomy and control are precisely what make flexible, intelligently automated scheduling so impactful.

Michael Spataro is senior vice president, partnerships and employee value solutions at Legion Technologies, a workforce management platform that maximizes labor efficiency and employee engagement simultaneously.