Managing over 460 members of staff across 85 locations is a challenge in itself. But when rotas and timesheets are entirely paper-based and (in care charity Imagine, Act and Succeed’s case) have been that way for over 30 years, it’s even more difficult to manage… and to break out of those habits.
Emma Hobbs, Payroll Officer at Imagine, Act and Succeed, grew increasingly frustrated over the inaccuracies and errors of their cumbersome paper process – especially when it led to wages. The system was often outdated, and staff frequently missed shift changes. This led to lost time, money, and patience for both managers and employees.
So, how can turning to digital systems like RotaCloud improve this?
“The information is accessible to us in payroll straight away, which is an absolute godsend. Being able to see instantly where someone is working, what shift they’ve actually done, the clock-in and clock-out records are just – it’s made our payroll side so much more streamlined to what it was beforehand.” – Emma Hobbs, Payroll Officer
Accuracy is the biggest benefit for Emma and her team. There’s no more chasing people for paperwork or last-minute runs for payroll. Managers can instantly access live reports, from labour costs to attendance, with clocking-in data automatically feeding to timesheets. When clocking in and out is as simple as a click or tap via mobile, web, or a terminal, employees (and Emma) can trust that all wages are correct.
Communication has also improved. By having everything at their fingertips, from shifts to requests, everyone works from the same page. It has made staff’s lives much easier and saved managers’ time. Enabling notifications also means any updates to the rota, annual leave requests, or available shifts are immediately sent to the appropriate staff. No more sending out WhatsApp updates, missed messages, or stress trying to find cover.
Before RotaCloud, Imagine, Act and Succeed managers sat down for two days to create rotas – before any changes were made! It now takes less than two hours to complete, and any changes are as simple as a drag-and-drop on the rota, which instantly notifies staff. They have saved time and costs this way and can even track labour costs while scheduling shifts. This saved time and money can now be better spent on service users and staff training!
All of this contributes to improving the work-life balance of all staff. Simply offering staff the ability to view rotas far in advance allows them to plan their lives accordingly. They can even input their availability into the app, from specific hours to days, meaning they feel in control of what they work and when. With the option to pick up additional shifts, too, employees have that flexibility to plan work around their lives – not the other way around.
“Everybody has said how much it’s improved everything for them, from rotas to timesheets to recording annual leave. Everybody’s commented on how much easier it’s made those jobs to do. Now they’re used to it and they understand how it works and why it’s good for the company. They’re all happy with it.” – Emma Hobbs, Payroll Officer
“Everybody has said how much it’s improved everything for them, from rotas to timesheets to recording annual leave. Everybody’s commented on how much easier it’s made those jobs to do. Now they’re used to it and they understand how it works and why it’s good for the company. They’re all happy with it.” – Emma Hobbs, Payroll OfficerStaff are happier when they feel in control, whether it’s transparency or trusting that their wages will be correct. Managers are happier when they have more time and money to spend on more important tasks. Happy staff, happy service users.
When one digital system creates all of this… Well, you understand why so many care services are reaching for the recycling bins.
