3 Ways Scheduling Software Helps Schools
TMS proudly works with a number of schools, so we know that scheduling and reporting employees presents unique challenges for school systems. That’s why we’ve calibrated our time and attendance software to help with these issues. Here are three ways that scheduling software can help.
1. Manage irregular hours ahead of time and on the go.
School employees don’t always work a standard 8–5 schedule. Whether it’s bus drivers coming in early or after-school employees staying late, schools need to handle a range of complex schedules. You could manage this manually, but scheduling software can save you from a ton of hassle.
If employees regularly come in at specific hours, you can set weekly or monthly schedule patterns with their start and end times—even if they’re outside of standard school hours. There’s no limit to the number of schedule patterns you can set up, and they can easily be applied to individuals or groups.
Employees with truly irregular hours can be scheduled using flex scheduling options based on total hours. If they work in different departments, you can easily allocate their time across departments and jobs. Plus, our on-the-go time clocks can let your employees track their time easily online with a smartphone or tablet—even if they’re in the field. This helps eliminate paperwork and prevent misreporting.
2. Schedule substitutes smarter.
When we’re dealing with classrooms, someone has to be there—no matter what. If someone calls in sick, you can quickly search your available substitute workforce for a replacement. Scheduling software can match their availability instantly, so you get a quick list to call upon. For planned absences, the same process helps you approve leave ahead of time and ensure a substitute is lined up. It also monitors how much each substitute has already worked, so you can be aware of payroll status.
3. Maintain Affordable Care Act compliance.
The Affordable Care Act makes it even more important to properly track your part-time workforce. For example, employee absences can cause shift changes for substitutes that can (sometimes unknowingly) transition a part-time employee’s status to full time. If that happens, you’ll need to worry about ACA compliance and other state and federal regulations.
Scheduling software can alert you in real-time when employees approach the full-time threshold, so you can make adjustments before these status changes occur. If you’re scheduling a substitute who is near this threshold, you can easily choose another employee instead—or at least be aware that you will need to handle this employee’s payroll status differently. Accurate and easily accessible information also makes sure you are prepared to respond to audits.
Over the years, TMS has refined our scheduling platform to comply with the issues we’ve heard from our school customers. We’ve seen firsthand how scheduling software can save you time and prevent mistakes. If you want to learn more, contact us for a no-obligation demo.
