Better scheduling tools: A proven way to engage frontline workers, experts say

It’s no secret there are too few workers to fill all the open jobs in the United States. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, this ongoing labor shortage is particularly acute in the food service and hospitality industries, and “jobs that are fully in-person and traditionally have lower wages have had a more difficult time retaining workers, even prior to the pandemic.”

Despite the constant challenges in filling hourly and frontline roles, only 50% of these workers feel they are treated equitably with corporate staff, according to a study of 3,000 global frontline workers conducted in 2023 by Lighthouse Research and Advisory.

Better tools, happier workers

At Rippling, our goal is to simplify and streamline your workforce management, bringing together all the tools you need to manage and pay your hourly workforce in one place. Rippling's new scheduling tool further enhances our ability to both streamline your workforce management and enhance your employees' experience. 

With Scheduling, your employees are empowered to take more control of their own schedules with the flexibility to request and manage shift swaps directly with colleagues. With Rippling's configurable rules, you can set up automatic guardrails, alleviating yourself from approving every employee's schedule changes.

We also allow you to create company-specific policies, such as flagging consecutive weekend shifts, to promote a healthier work-life balance for their team.

Mobile scheduling access: A game changer

Like the rest of Rippling, Scheduling is available for all workers on their mobile devices, allowing them to submit time off, view paystubs, and request schedule changes all  in one place.

This isn’t a marginal advantage. Ben Eubanks, the Chief Research Officer at Lighthouse, found that those employees are 50% more likely to agree that their company gives them access to the right tools and technology at work if they have those resources on a mobile device. The research also shows that when frontline employees have access to the right tools to manage their work, such as schedules or mobile punch, they are less likely to have plans to quit their job.

On Rippling’s mobile app, the scheduling experience extends to include requesting shift swaps, seeing their team’s schedule, or submitting their availability. When they work is the number one priority for frontline workers when it comes to workplace flexibility, and a critical enabler of that is mobile access to schedules and shifts, according to Eubanks. 

With Rippling, managers can easily create schedules that align with workers’ preferences, ensuring a happier and more productive team. 

Not only can you save time and cut costs with Rippling, but our scheduling tool also keeps employees happy, boosting worker engagement and decreasing turnover. 

Scheduling doesn’t have to be a nightmare. See how you can make scheduling your strategic advantage—schedule a demo with our team today.