Employee Scheduling
Create optimized schedules with AI-powered labor forecasting.
Overview
The scheduling system provides:
- Visual schedule builder - Drag-and-drop interface
- AI optimization - Demand-based staffing recommendations
- Shift management - Swaps, pickups, drops
- Compliance - Automatic labor law adherence
- Labor cost tracking - Real-time budget monitoring
Schedule Builder
Accessing the Schedule
- Go to Staff > Schedule
- Select week (defaults to current/next)
- View daily or weekly layout
Schedule Views
| View | Best For |
|---|---|
| Week | Full schedule overview |
| Day | Detailed daily staffing |
| List | Employee-by-employee view |
| Coverage | Staffing levels by hour |
Schedule Interface
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SCHEDULE Week of Jan 20, 2026 [Publish] │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Employee Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Sarah M. 10-6 OFF 10-6 10-6 4-Close OFF OFF │
│ James K. OFF 10-6 10-6 OFF 4-Close 10-6 OFF │
│ Maria L. 4-Close 4-Close OFF 4-Close OFF 4-Close 10-6│
│ Carlos R. 10-6 OFF OFF 10-6 10-6 10-6 OFF │
│ Kim P. OFF 4-Close 4-Close 4-Close OFF OFF 4-CL │
│ │
│ ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ COVERAGE 4/5 5/5 4/5 5/5 5/5 4/5 3/5 │
│ ⚠️ Sunday understaffed - 2 positions open │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Creating Shifts
Manual Shift Creation
- Click empty time slot or + Add Shift
- Select:
- Employee (or leave open)
- Role (Server, Host, etc.)
- Start time
- End time
- Break (auto-calculated or manual)
- Click Save
Quick Actions
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Copy shift | Right-click → Duplicate |
| Extend shift | Drag edge of shift |
| Move shift | Drag to new time/day |
| Delete shift | Right-click → Delete |
Using Templates
Save time with templates:
- Create schedule for a typical week
- Click Save as Template
- Name it (e.g., "Summer Schedule")
- Apply later: Load Template
Copy Previous Week
- Click Copy Week
- Select source week
- Adjust as needed
- Publish when ready
AI Schedule Optimization
How It Works
AI analyzes:
- Historical sales data
- Weather forecast
- Local events
- Day of week patterns
- Holiday impact
Getting Recommendations
- Click AI Optimize
- Review suggested staffing levels
- Accept suggestions or modify
- AI explains each recommendation
Optimization Display
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AI RECOMMENDATIONS Friday Jan 24 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Forecasted Covers: 245 (+18% vs typical Friday) │
│ Reason: Local concert event + good weather │
│ │
│ RECOMMENDED STAFFING │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Position Current Recommended Difference │
│ Servers 4 6 +2 ⚠️ │
│ Bartenders 2 3 +1 ⚠️ │
│ Hosts 1 2 +1 │
│ Kitchen 3 4 +1 │
│ Bussers 2 3 +1 │
│ │
│ [Accept All] [Accept Selected] [Ignore] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Cost vs Coverage Mode
Choose optimization priority:
| Mode | Optimizes For |
|---|---|
| Balanced | Service + cost (recommended) |
| Coverage | Maximum service level |
| Cost | Minimum labor cost |
Shift Management
Open Shifts
Post shifts that need coverage:
- Create shift without assigning employee
- Mark as Open Shift
- Eligible employees notified
- First to accept gets the shift (or manager approves)
Shift Swaps
When employees want to trade:
- Employee requests swap in app
- Target employee accepts
- Manager approves (if required)
- Schedule updates automatically
Shift Drops
When employee can't work:
- Employee requests drop
- System posts as open shift
- Manager may require replacement first
- If covered, drop approved
Call-Outs
Handle same-day absences:
- Receive call-out notification
- System suggests replacements (by availability)
- Contact available employees
- Assign replacement or leave open
Employee Availability
Setting Availability
Employees set their availability:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MY AVAILABILITY │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Day Available Preferred │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Monday 6AM - 11PM 10AM - 6PM ★ │
│ Tuesday Not Available - │
│ Wednesday 6AM - 11PM 4PM - Close ★ │
│ Thursday 12PM - 11PM 4PM - Close ★ │
│ Friday 6AM - 11PM Any │
│ Saturday 6AM - 11PM Any │
│ Sunday Not Available - │
│ │
│ Max Hours/Week: 32 │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Viewing Availability
As manager:
- Click on employee name
- See their availability
- System warns if scheduling outside availability
Time-Off Requests
- Employee submits request
- Manager receives notification
- Approve or deny with notes
- Employee notified of decision
Labor Compliance
Automatic Enforcement
System enforces:
| Rule | Action |
|---|---|
| Overtime | Warns before scheduling 40+ hrs |
| Breaks | Auto-schedules required breaks |
| Rest periods | Prevents clopening violations |
| Minor restrictions | Blocks prohibited hours |
| Max hours | Enforces weekly limits |
Overtime Prevention
Overtime Alert
The system warns you before scheduling any employee past 40 hours. Unapproved overtime increases labor costs and may violate employment agreements. Always review the options before approving overtime.
⚠️ OVERTIME ALERT
Sarah M. is scheduled for 42 hours this week.
Current: 38 hrs | Adding this shift: +6 hrs = 44 hrs
Options:
• Shorten this shift to 4 hours (40 hrs total)
• Assign to different employee
• Approve overtime (requires reason)
[Adjust Shift] [Change Employee] [Approve OT]
Predictive Scheduling Compliance
For locations with predictive scheduling laws (SF, NYC, OR, etc.):
- 14-day advance notice required
- Premium pay for last-minute changes
- Right to rest between shifts
- System tracks and alerts automatically
Clopening Prevention
info
The system automatically prevents "clopening" -- scheduling a close shift followed by an early open with less than the required rest period (default: 11 hours). In some jurisdictions, this is legally required and violations carry penalties.
Labor Cost Tracking
Real-Time Dashboard
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ LABOR COST Live │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ TODAY │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Scheduled Labor: $1,240 Scheduled %: 26% │
│ Actual Labor: $892 (so far) Actual %: 24% ✓ │
│ Projected Labor: $1,180 Projected %: 25% ✓ │
│ │
│ THIS WEEK │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Budgeted: $7,500 Target %: 25% │
│ Scheduled: $7,240 Scheduled %: 24.5% ✓ │
│ Actual (so far): $4,120 Actual %: 24.2% ✓ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Budget vs Actual
Compare planned to reality:
| Metric | Budget | Scheduled | Actual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Hours | 450 | 438 | 412 |
| Total Cost | $7,500 | $7,240 | $6,890 |
| Labor % | 25% | 24.5% | 24.2% |
Cost by Department
| Department | Hours | Cost | % of Labor |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOH | 245 | $3,920 | 54% |
| Kitchen | 156 | $2,808 | 39% |
| Management | 37 | $1,110 | 15% |
Publishing Schedules
Before Publishing
Checklist:
- All shifts covered
- No compliance violations
- Within labor budget
- Reviewed AI recommendations
Publishing
- Click Publish Schedule
- Choose notification method:
- Push notification
- SMS
- All of the above
- Confirm publish
After Publishing
- Employees receive notifications
- Schedule visible in their app
- Changes require re-notification
- Track who viewed schedule
Employee Mobile View
What Employees See
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ MY SCHEDULE Jan 20 │
├─────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Monday, Jan 20 │
│ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM │ │
│ │ Server │ │
│ │ 8 hrs (30 min break) │ │
│ └─────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Tuesday, Jan 21 │
│ OFF │
│ │
│ Wednesday, Jan 22 │
│ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM │ │
│ │ Server │ │
│ │ 8 hrs (30 min break) │ │
│ └─────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ [Request Time Off] │
│ [Update Availability] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
Calendar Sync
Employees can sync to personal calendar:
- Open schedule in app
- Tap Add to Calendar
- Choose calendar (Apple, Google, Outlook)
- Shifts auto-sync
Voice Commands
| Task | Say |
|---|---|
| View schedule | "Hey Maximus, who's working Friday?" |
| Coverage check | "Hey Maximus, are we fully staffed Saturday?" |
| Add shift | "Hey Maximus, add Sarah to Friday dinner" |
| Check overtime | "Hey Maximus, who's approaching overtime?" |
| Labor cost | "Hey Maximus, what's our labor percentage?" |
Best Practices
Scheduling Tips
- Publish early - Give 2+ weeks notice
- Use AI recommendations - Data-driven decisions
- Honor availability - Reduce call-outs
- Cross-train staff - More scheduling flexibility
- Review weekly - Adjust for trends
Labor Management
- Set budgets - Know your target %
- Monitor real-time - Catch issues early
- Track overtime - Prevent surprises
- Forecast demand - Staff appropriately
Related Guides
- Staff Overview - Staff management basics
- Labor Reports - Labor analytics
- Time Clock - Time tracking