7 minute read
Technology Aids in Scheduling
TECH FOR REC
How technology has changed the way we work.
New Brighton EdVentures Summer Day Camp staff members Shae Morsfield and Samuel Anderson demonstrate the WhenToWork app.
Technology Aids in Scheduling & Hiring of Part-Time and Seasonal Staff
Q&As with Minnesota Recreation Professionals
By Todd Pernsteiner, Pernsteiner Creative Group, Inc.
There are hundreds of smart phone apps and computer software systems that aid in scheduling and staffing, which makes deciding what’s right for your team a tedious and tough decision. We interviewed three Minnesota recreation professionals to see what technology they’re using to aid in managing part-time and seasonal staff.
Lori Hokenson
Recreation Supervisor City of New Brighton
Q: Do you use a staffing app or
software program to manage parttime and seasonal staff? If so, which product(s) do you use?
A: Yes. We use WhenToWork. Q: Which features of your scheduling
app/software do you utilize for your team?
A: We use the scheduling calendar, trade board, time off request and Employee Notice page.
Q: What made you choose this
product over competitors’ products?
Q: Do you use your app(s) on your
smart devices only, or on both smart devices and computers?
A: I used this product in a previous position and liked the functions and price point.
A: Both - managers mostly use it on their desktops, but most part-time team members use the mobile app.
Q: What types of employees
do you all use this product for?
A: We use this with our part-time and seasonal team members including: guest service, managers on duty, building assistants, aquatics, youth sports, group fitness, and EdVentures Summer Day Camp.
Q: How did you manage
part-time and seasonal staff schedules in the past?
A: Team members would email their schedule and I would create a calendar from a word document. Q: What do you like about the
WhenToWork app?
A: I like the ability for team members to post and pick up shifts though the app. Supervisors can then approve or deny the trade request.
Team members who have the same position code or certification level can be grouped and will receive an email notification when a shift is posted or picked up. Staff can set their work time preferences (prefer, dislike, cannot work and no preference) for shifts. I can also view co-workers contact information and email directly from the app.
Photo ©WhenToWork Q: Is there anything you don’t like
about this app/software?
A: In my opinion, the app is harder to navigate than the desktop version.
Q: Do your staff and employees find
this easy to use?
A: For the most part yes, some team members are not as tech savvy as others and find the tool to be tedious.
Q: Is it easy to pull reports from the
app/software?
A: I have never used this function.
Q: How is customer service and support for this app/software if you need it? A: I have never needed to use customer service or support for the app/software.
Recreation Coordinator City of Bemidji
Q: Do you use a staffing app or
software program to manage parttime and seasonal staff? If so, which product(s) do you use?
A: Yes. We use When I Work to manage full-time, part-time and seasonal staff.
Q: Do you use your app(s) on your smart
devices only, or on both smart devices and computers?
A: The software can be used on both smart devices and computers.
Q: What types of employees do you all
use this product for?
A: We use the software for all paid staff; for volunteers we use the Volunteer Bemidji website created by the local United Way.
Q: Which features of your scheduling app/
software do you utilize for your team?
A: With When I Work, we use the time clock, scheduling, and time off requests. It’s also a great way to communicate to staff. Q: What made you choose this product
over competitors’ products?
A: This one was really easy to use and had all of the features we were looking for – scheduling and a clocking in/out system.
Q: What do you like about this app/
software?
A: It’s really user-friendly, can be used on a wide variety of devices, and the scheduling feature works really well.
Q: Is there anything you don’t like
about this app/software?
A: It is limited to how many employees you can have in the system. I believe you pay for every 50 employees.
Q: Do your staff and employees find
this easy to use?
A: Yes, it’s very easy to use.
Q: Is it easy to pull reports from the
app/software?
A: It does create summary reports for each of the pay periods. Q: How is customer service and support
for this app/software if you need it?
A: There is a help feature, a live chat and a way to contact customer service if you need help beyond the quick searches. They have been extremely helpful.
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Recreation Manager City of Owatonna
Q: Do you use a staffing app or software program to
manage part-time and seasonal staff? If so, which product(s) do you use?
A: Yes. We use WhenToWork for scheduling, NeoGov for hiring through the city’s HR department, and UKG Pro for payroll. Staff remotely punch in and out on the UKG Pro app’s timeclock feature. We also use CivicRec for scheduling, registration, and point-of-sale.
Q: Do you use your app(s) on your smart devices only, or on
both smart devices and computers?
A: We use the WhenToWork app on both smart phones and computers. We can launch the full version of the app on smart phones if we need to.
Q: What types of employees do you all use this product for?
A: We use it for part-time and seasonal waterpark, fitness center, senior/social commons, and Lake Homer Beach staff. The city is looking to expand for additional use in the future.
Q: What made you choose this product over competitors’
products?
A: I had a staff person that interned somewhere else and was familiar with the program. She sold me on its benefits and I really liked it. Q: What do you like about the WhenToWork app?
A: Both my staff and I like that it’s mobile with an app for smart phones and tablets. I can set parameters on the scheduling software that block out certain days that staff can’t take off. There are also preferences for knowing who should be scheduled first, second, etc. I can block certain areas out that restrict staff at scheduling at certain times. I can do an auto-schedule where you can plug people into the schedule based on preferences and availability. It has a lot of flexibility – for staff and managers. Staff can go into the calendar to indicate days they are and aren’t available. The built-in trade board shows what shifts are open to pick up. We can customize employees to different positions and staff groups so we can see roles in which they can be scheduled. If someone isn’t designated to be in a specific position, you can see that and it won’t allow you to consider them for a certain jobs.
Q: Is there anything you don’t like about this app/software?
A: WhenToWork works great for the pieces we need it and use it for – I can’t think of any tools that we are missing. One downfall is you only have one main manager for your account, so that manager needs to create accounts for other supervisors – they have to edit and allow supervisors to have admin rights. You also can’t send text messages to individuals who don’t use major phone carriers.
Q: Do your staff and employees find this easy to use?
A: Yes. It’s easy for them to use the app to find subs for a shift, trade schedules, and ask for time off. They can also go into the time off window and see what they’ve requested and if it’s been approved.
Q: Is it easy to pull reports from the app/software?
A: We can print schedules if we need to. We don’t print anything very often. We use the WhenToWork app primarily for schedules and the capabilities of people to be able to pick up trades and see their schedules.
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