HotSchedules

Hotschedules is a scheduling tool used by restaurants and other facets within the hospitality industry. It is used to schedule shifts and can be utilized by managers and staff alike. It has a variety of features, including the ability to pick up shifts, automatic scheduling, the ability for managers to approve shifts, the ability to sync with other calendars, and more.

Users of the program have repeatedly praised its easy-to-use interface. The program has been noted to be highly intuitive and does not require an intensive technological understanding. It is easy to learn, even for the most technologically challenged managers. Indeed, the program's simple interface makes the program look basic, but the truth is that it can accomplish a variety of very labor-intensive goals without much additional effort. This program can save hours of time, and thus money, by helping users easily set up their calendars. 

There are many programs like this, but Hotschedules offers some features often not found in standard scheduling modules. For example, Hotschedules allows you to welcome a new team member and conduct onboarding. You can also use the program to train new team members to your various procedures. 

It is also worth noting that Hotschedules comes with other modules that can be added. This includes payroll processing, a manager logbook, labor forecasting, and more. These add-ons can dramatically enhance the usefulness of this program. You can even add a module that tracks inventory and can make it easy for you to know when it is time to order more of a certain product. 

One potential pitfall is the lack of compliance with state or local labor laws. While this would be extraordinarily difficult for any program like this to accomplish, it is worth noting that you do have to manually track these laws in order to avoid inadvertently violating them. This can be a challenge, given that so many other facets of this program are automatic, so it is something of which you need to be aware. 

Pros:

• Easy to use and easy to learn, with a point-and-click interface that managers of any technical level should be able to understand. 
• Comes with other add-ons that can be used to expand the usefulness of the program. Indeed, this program goes well beyond your standard scheduler and delves into a variety of other human services functions. 
• The program is constantly being updated in order to increase functionality and in response to concerns expressed by users.
• Comes with features beyond normal scheduling, as you can also use the program to conduct training and orient new team members.

Cons:

• While the constant updates show that the program's developers are constantly seeking to improve their product, this can get frustrating for users, who have to relearn certain facets of the program. 
• Compliance with local or state labor laws is not automatically integrated with this product, so you have to keep an eye on this potential issue.