6 Benefits of Using a Restaurant Employee Management System

There are so many day-to-day processes that restaurateurs have to deal with. From scheduling employees and managing HR processes to monitoring employee attendance and preparing for payroll, you likely have a lot on your plate — no pun intended.

With an employee management system, these must-do human resource tasks become a bit easier on you as a restaurant owner. And finding a point of sale system that offers an all-in-one experience can be a game changer.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your restaurant operations, check out these six features of an employee management system that can streamline your workforce management process.

1. Quick & easy scheduling

Making a schedule that balances employee availability, maintains labor law compliance, prevents “clopens” (a term for when a restaurant staff member closes the restaurant, then opens it the next morning), and ensures your top performers are working on your most popular shifts can be enough to make you want to pull your hair out.

Say goodbye to the old-fashioned manual process of using spreadsheets and taking up hours of your week trying to accommodate employee shift requests. With an employee management system, you can schedule your employees with a click of a button and easily edit on the fly, if need be. You can then send out these schedules to your employees via email so that they can easily keep track of their hours worked and future shifts.

Some employee management systems are cloud-based, so you can view your schedule in real time by using a laptop, computer, tablet, or smartphone. A simple and easy-to-use interface is also essential to make this task intuitive rather than a burden on your time.

2. Control costs & stay on budget

By using an employee management system, you can control costs by getting access to labor data tied with your weekly schedules. Also, by seeing what hours your employees actually worked, you are paying them accurately and reducing labor costs. Plus, scheduling software can lead to worry-free overtime management. With a labor tool such as Sling by Toast, you're alerted of overtime when building your weekly schedules, and can easily monitor actual costs compared to the budget you've set.

By using a system that simplifies the overall staff management process, you can save both valuable management time and money.

4. Keep staff up-to-date

A cloud-based employee management system allows your staff to access their schedules from the comfort of their own home or on the move through a variety of smart devices. This functionality is key for a restaurant business, as employees may be working multiple jobs or juggling other priorities — such as family or school.

It also means that you can keep them up-to-date with real-time notifications on any upcoming events, such as a big catering order or an upcoming party so that they can be aware in advance and prepare if they need to. This means that your staff will always feel in the loop and well-informed.

5. Share staff between multiple locations

Do you have multiple restaurant locations and struggle with finding the right employees to work in each location?

Well, you guessed it — an employee management system can help.

As previously mentioned, most employee management systems are cloud-based which it makes it extremely easy to change employees’ locations and schedules. Both managers and staff can easily keep up-to-date with any changes made so there is no confusion or mistakes. This keeps the right people in the right place at the right time – vital for your demanding restaurant environment.

6. Easily manage time off requests and shift changes

Manually managing time off requests as a restaurant owner or manager can be a burden. Between the “I can’t make it today,” text message an hour before a shift starts or the in-passing reminder that someone will be on vacation in three months, restaurant management software makes it easy to keep all of this information in one central location.

With some employee management software, such as Sling by Toast, managers can release new shifts to their team at any time, and team members can easily swap shifts independently while managers handle approvals remotely. Plus, real-time communication features allow your team to stay updated on their latest shifts and any changes made by the restaurant. Timesheets don’t have to be stressful when you’re using a user-friendly management tool.

Managing your restaurant employees effortlessly

These six reasons are only a few of the many benefits of an employee management system. Whether you are starting a new restaurant or you just want to improve your current restaurant operations, an employee management system can be a great addition to your business.

Throw out the pen and paper and invest in a system that will not only save you time, but can also save you money.

Interested in learning more about Sling by Toast? Request a free demo here. Already a Toast customer? You can add Scheduling to your account here.