When I Work

Newsletter, Payroll Resources

How To Do Payroll Yourself: A Step-By-Step Guide

If you want to learn how to do payroll yourself, here are the key things you need to know first: Learning how to do payroll yourself can save money. You’ll also enjoy greater control over your business finances. Are you a small business owner handling payroll yourself? Our guide walks you through the process step […]
Newsletter, People Management

The 4 Biggest Employee Retention Problems And How To Solve Them

The last few years have been tough on employers trying to keep great workers on staff. Small businesses have been facing employee retention problems since before the pandemic, but the Great Resignation really showed how much workplaces can struggle without enough labor. Key takeaways From reduced operating hours to long customer wait times to closures, […]
People Management, Scheduling Strategy

Shift Swapping: How It Works & Tips To Manage

Every manager has been there. You just finished next week’s schedule, and two employees came to you with concerns about their assigned shifts. Now, you have to reconfigure the whole schedule, or you could let the two team members trade shifts and easily solve the scheduling headache. Enter shift swapping, the secret weapon to solving […]
For Your Industry, Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Flexible Scheduling In Healthcare: Key Benefits

The pandemic placed a huge spotlight on the healthcare worker labor shortage and the difficulty in staffing hospitals and clinics with top-quality candidates. Yet there are some healthcare organizations that don’t struggle as much—and their secret is flexible scheduling in healthcare. These hospitals stand out for their ability to hire top talent, whether those candidates […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Shift Bidding: 5 Best Practices That Actually Work

The hardest part of employee scheduling isn’t building the schedule. It’s filling open shifts in a way that’s fair while keeping your team happy and your business fully staffed. That’s quite the balancing act. Shift bidding puts managers in the driver’s seat while taking some of the pressure off them. Your management team won’t have […]
Human Resources, Newsletter, People Management

7 Best Practices For An Effective Employee Performance Review

Gain a comprehensive understanding of an effective employee performance review process. Explore its significance, best practices, and the potential impacts these reviews can have on both employees and the overall workplace.  Equip yourself with strategies to make performance reviews more effective and beneficial for all involved. Try When I Work free for 14 days, no […]
Newsletter, People Management, Scheduling Strategy, Small Business Blog

Contribution Margin Ratio: What Is It & How to Improve It

Tracking your contribution margin ratio (CMR) shows you how much of your sales revenue is available to cover fixed costs and drive profits. You might have great sales, but certain factors can make it tough to stay profitable. Rising labor costs and unexpected expenses are especially challenging these days. The good news is that you […]
Scheduling Strategy

What Is Advanced Scheduling? Here’s What To Know

Advanced scheduling is the practice of planning and publishing shifts weeks in advance. This approach allows you to account for employee preferences and changes in availability. Employees will have several weeks to make arrangements for child care or address family obligations. By providing ample notice, you reduce the risk of conflicts or last-minute changes.  Did […]
Newsletter, People Management

6 Ways To Handle Employee Conflict

Conflict is expensive. It leads to employees who, instead of working, are participating, avoiding, or trying to manage pointless conflicts with others. Employee conflict in your workplace affects productivity, morale, retention, and customer service. Learning how to handle conflict in the workplace before it escalates helps you protect your team, improve communication, and keep employees […]
Payroll Resources, Small Business Blog

What is payroll processing?

Any business owner or HR professional understands how time-consuming payroll processing can be. However, with so many laws governing it, employers can’t afford to make mistakes. Using an automated solution can help you avoid errors while saving you time and money in the process. Payroll processing involves much more than paying your employees on time. […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

5 Best Free Rotating Shift Schedule Generator Apps

Manually creating employee schedules can be time-consuming and error-prone. A rotating schedule generator free app streamlines the process, saving managers time and resources.  The best free rotating schedule generator apps offer user-friendly interfaces and robust features. They allow quick schedule creation, accessible employee communication, and real-time updates. This guide explores the five best free rotating […]
People Management, Scheduling Strategy, Small Business Blog

What Is Labor Forecasting? Definition, Examples, & More

As a manager, one of your biggest challenges involves ensuring you have enough people at work to keep things running smoothly, which requires effective labor forecasting.  That’s easier said than done. If you don’t schedule enough workers, your shift will be overwhelmed. Too many employees, and you’re paying for idle time. Overstaffing is especially concerning […]
People Management

Small Business Human Resources Guide

Key takeaways Human resources is one of the most important parts of running a small business because it affects almost every employee-related decision you make. Hiring, training, scheduling, time off, payroll records, workplace policies, and employee performance all fall under the HR umbrella in some way. For many small business owners, HR can feel complicated […]
Newsletter, Payroll Resources, People Management

How To Pay Employees In A Small Business

Knowing how to pay employees in a small business is one of the most critical, and most error-prone, parts of running a team. When it comes to finding the best way to pay employees, small business owners often feel like they don’t have many options. The good news is that’s simply not true. You can […]
For Your Industry, Newsletter, People Management

How To Manage A Restaurant: 13 Proven Restaurant Management Tips

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn how to manage a restaurant with practical insights. You’ll also get proven restaurant management tips to help you manage your restaurant effectively.  You’ll find out how to maintain consistency in decision-making, proactively handle staffing needs, learn the operation by doing the work yourself, prioritize staff retention, and keep customer […]
Newsletter, People Management, Small Business Blog

How To Deal With A Toxic Work Environment

Learning how to deal with a toxic work environment is one of the most important skills a manager can develop. In this article, you’ll uncover the subtle signs of a toxic work environment and learn how it can be detrimental to both employees and the overall business. More importantly, you’ll be equipped with nine actionable […]
Business Growth, Newsletter, Small Business Blog

How To Improve Project Management Skills: 18 Ideas For Small Business Owners

Learning how to improve your project management skills, especially as a small business owner, is one of the best moves you can make.  Effective project management isn’t about working harder but smarter, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. Explore 18 actionable ways to improve your project management skills and drive your small […]
Leadership, Newsletter, People Management, Scheduling Strategy

9 Proven Ways For Reducing Overtime

Building an overtime reduction plan isn’t just about cutting hours, it’s about protecting margins and your team.  At When I Work, we focus on employee scheduling and time tracking. But we also offer ways to help you use forecasting and labor budgets, as well as overtime alerts, to help you keep labor costs under control.  […]
For Your Industry, Scheduling Strategy, Templates & Resources

Top 10 Police Officer Scheduling Systems: 2026

Choosing the right police officer scheduling system can feel like logistical gymnastics. Communities expect 24/7 protection, but you have to keep in mind things like Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime requirements, contracts, union agreements, training needs and requirements, staffing shortages, and tight budgets. Let’s not forget how emergency situations can easily shred the best […]
Newsletter, People Management

Free Employee Availability Template 2026

An employee availability template is the simplest way to stop scheduling conflicts before they start. We’ve built a free one you can download in seconds. Do you have a tough time keeping up with the availability of your team? If so, then you are no stranger to scheduling nightmares. Booking team members for shifts they […]
For Your Industry, Newsletter, People Management

How To Run A Hospital: 5 Effective Hospital Management Tips

Hospital management is the magician behind the curtain. It deals with hospital administration, building, staffing, and legal compliance. When management gets it right, patients have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes. But making that happen takes a lot of work. You can make your hospital management easier. Understand the most common challenges in how […]
Newsletter, People Management, Templates & Resources

On-Demand Pay: How It Works & Benefits For Your Workplace

On-demand is changing the game for hourly workers and their employers, in ways that benefit both. Because of the way paydays have always worked, many Americans live with constant financial stress and instability. Today, 37% of all adults would have difficulty paying for a $400 emergency expense.  This means in tight times, millions turn to […]
Newsletter, People Management

Staffing Issues: Common Problems + 4 Attainable Solutions

Staffing issues are some of the most frustrating challenges you’ll encounter when running a business. Managing no-shows, coverage gaps, and overtime is a high-stakes balancing act.  One misstep, and things will start to spiral. In fact, you’ve probably seen how a single no-show can derail an entire shift at a late-night diner.  It’s okay to […]
Business Growth, Newsletter

How To Reduce Labor Costs: 9 Strategies

Learning how to reduce labor costs is one of the fastest ways to protect your bottom line. And with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be complicated. You’ll be able to quickly see how much overtime you’re using, and make changes on the fly to reduce your labor costs, right within the schedule. In […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy, Small Business Blog

Swing Shift: What Is It & How It Could Work For Your Business

Swing shifts help businesses extend their operating hours without burning out staff, but only when scheduled correctly. If your business runs 24/7 and you find it hard to cover shifts, you’ll find that the swing shift could be the answer you’ve been looking for.  In this guide, we’ll break down what a swing shift is […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Night Shift Schedule Guide: Examples, Challenges, And Tips

Managers handling night shift scheduling know the challenges that come with staffing businesses during late nights and early mornings. Decreased employee performance, low morale, and difficulty maintaining fairness are just a few of the issues you may be facing. Keeping your operations running smoothly and your employees happy requires the right night shift schedule. Here […]
Newsletter, Payroll Resources, Small Business Blog

Payroll Software vs. Payroll Services: 5 Key Differences

Payroll software and payroll services both aim to help business owners run payroll. Payroll software vs payroll services both aim to run payroll, but the two boast stark differences regarding cost, control, and security. When manual payroll is not an option, comparing these two alternatives will help. Here are five key characteristics to keep in […]
Newsletter, Small Business Blog

How to Use Employee Availability Forms Efficiently

You’re trying to schedule upcoming shifts, but you’ve had a problem with employees who inform you, at the last minute, that they can’t work a shift. You’ve also noticed employees dropping and swapping shifts. If scheduling has become a headache of last-minute call-outs and shift swaps, an employee availability form is the fix you’re missing. […]
Newsletter, People Management

Employee Discipline In The Workplace: 9 Steps To Discipline Employees Fairly

Employee discipline is one of the hardest parts of managing a team. Problems rarely appear all at once, they build over time. An employee starts arriving late, a shift gets missed, standards slip, and no one addresses it early enough. Left unchecked, these issues affect performance, morale, and trust across the team. React too harshly, […]
Newsletter, People Management

32 Employee Rewards To Motivate Your Team (Without Breaking The Bank)

Employee rewards are one of the simplest, most effective ways to boost engagement, morale, and retention. And they don’t have to cost much.  It’s more important to spend a minute showing your team members that you value the contributions they give to your company, every single day. You can start small—just make sure you do […]
People Management, Productivity, Small Business Blog

7 Proven Tips For Labor Cost Optimization

Labor cost optimization is one of the main ways business managers can boost profitability. If your labor expenses are rising and eating into your bottom line, you can get them under control.  You’re not the only manager dealing with this issue. There are proven strategies you can use to streamline your labor costs without compromising […]
Newsletter, Payroll Resources

Direct Deposit For Small Businesses: A Guide

Direct deposit for small businesses is easier than you might expect. Here are the key things you need to know: Thanks to modern tech tools, setting up direct deposit for small businesses isn’t just attainable—it’s pretty easy! You can pay your employees in a way that is more convenient for everyone. Explore the ins and […]
Newsletter, Templates & Resources

Labor Cost Calculator: Free Excel Template To Calculate Employee Costs

You need a labor cost calculator if you find yourself wasting hours every week trying to calculate employee labor costs? Or if you’re trying to figure out how to decrease overtime. However, you might not have the time or Excel know-how to build your own. Fortunately, you can take the hassle out of creating a […]
People Management

Best Motivational Books For Employees: 12 Picks

Finding the best motivational books for employees is one of the simplest ways to show appreciation for your team. You’re also investing in their personal and professional growth. As a small business owner, you know how important your employees are to your success. Recognizing your top employees is an important part of retaining the best […]
Human Resources, Newsletter, People Management, Templates & Resources

How To Calculate Vacation Pay For Hourly Employees

We’ve put together a guide to help you understand how to calculate vacation pay for hourly employees—and make sure you and your employees get the time off everyone deserves.
Scheduling Strategy

11 Work Schedule Types To Consider For Your Business

Choosing between work schedule types and creating a consistent and effective work schedule for your staff is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face as a business leader.  Here’s a deep dive into 11 of the best work schedule types. Discover which are worth considering for your business.  Here’s what you need to know about […]
Newsletter, People Management, Scheduling Strategy

Employees Not Showing Up For Work? 5 Ways To Handle No-Call, No-Shows

When an employee is not showing up for work and doesn’t get prior approval for missing a day off, that’s called a no-call, no-show. In some cases, there’s a good excuse, such as a car accident. However, in most cases, employees not showing up for work requires attention from leadership. If you’ve found yourself frequently […]
People Management

What is Timesheet Approval? Tips & Examples

Timesheet approval is an important but often frustrating part of shift planning. You don’t want to waste hours of your week sifting through numbers and logging each worker’s time. There are so many more productive things you could be doing. If you’ve ever thought, “There’s got to be a better way to handle timesheet approval,” […]
Newsletter, People Management

Google Calendar For Employee Scheduling: 3 Free Methods

Google Calendar for employee scheduling is one of the most accessible free options for small businesses. WhatsApp and When I Work are also great calendars for work schedule options with their own respective strengths.  Dive into the step-by-step processes, benefits, and potential disadvantages of each, and learn how these tools can transform the task of […]
For Your Industry, Scheduling Strategy

Everything You Need to Know About Nurse Self Scheduling

An overburdened nursing department kills your nurses’ work-life balance. That leads to burnout and compromised patient care. Nurse self scheduling and workforce flexibility holds the key to preventing all that. 87% of nurses consider self scheduling the best solution for creating a flexible workplace. Nurses, nurse managers, and healthcare executives agree that more flexibility at […]
People Management, Templates & Resources

How To Write An Employee Handbook (Step-By-Step Guide)

What if there was one tool that could keep all of your employees on the same page, knowing exactly what you expected from them? That’s exactly what an employee handbook does. Your handbook is your uniform message and your all-purpose tool. Table of contents What is an employee handbook? An employee hand book is a […]
Leadership, Newsletter, Productivity

Time Management For Leaders: 5 Proven Strategies

Cringe when you hear the words “work-life balance?” Time management for leaders is complicated, but there are some things you can do. Half of all full-time employees work more than the standard 40 hours a week, and 4 out of 10 report working at least 50 hours a week. There isn’t a way to add […]
For Your Industry, Newsletter

How To Run A Coffee Shop: 9 Efficient Tips

Loving coffee so much that you want to open a cafe and knowing how to run a coffee shop are two very different things.  You definitely need to be passionate about what you’re doing, because running a small business is not an easy road. But small businesses are an essential part of the economy, so […]
For Your Industry, Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Restaurant Labor Cost Formula: Complete Guide

Running a restaurant is hard work. One of your biggest headaches involves managing labor costs. Runaway labor expenses can eat away at your profits and leave you in a cash crunch.  If you’ve ever looked at your payroll numbers and thought, “This seems way too high,” you’re not alone. Most restaurant managers have felt this […]
Newsletter, People Management, Productivity, Scheduling Strategy

Shift Planning: 6 Steps To Build Better Schedules

Labor costs are all over the place, with some employees not showing up and others quitting. And instead of dealing with these serious management issues with better shift planning, you’re hunched over your desk, wasting time on a spreadsheet to build a schedule that further alienates your team. Poorly-planned shifts are where a lot of […]
Business Growth

How To Get Customer Referrals: 5 Proven Ideas

Good “word of mouth” is indisputably the most effective marketing device available to small companies and customer referrals are vital. In this post, you’ll find creative, proven, and effective methods your shop can use to retain repeat buyers and, more importantly, build your business through referrals by your best customers. Retention vs acquisition costs Table […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Creating A 24-Hour Schedule: Tips, Examples, And Templates

If your doors never close and the lights never go off, you’re always on and always open.  That means you’re dealing with a 24-hour schedule, and while your customers probably appreciate the convenience of being able to come to your place of business any time of day or night, that 24-hour availability can take a […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

Deputy Vs When I Work (2026): Features, Pricing, And What Actually Matters

If you’re comparing Deputy vs When I Work, you’re deciding how your team handles the day-to-day reality of running shifts. That means building schedules, fixing gaps when someone calls out, tracking hours accurately, and making sure payroll isn’t a mess at the end of the week. Both platforms sit in the same category of employee […]
Human Resources, Newsletter, People Management, Scheduling Strategy, Small Business Blog

Labor Laws For 12-Hour Shifts: A Manager’s Guide

Managing a 24-hour workplace comes with many challenges. And creating optimal schedules is at the top of that list. One solution that can ease many of your staffing hurdles is a 12-hour shift. But before you set one up, you must know about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It sets rules for businesses that […]
Newsletter, Scheduling Strategy

1st, 2nd, And 3rd Shift Hours: Manager’s Guide

As a manager, you already know how important shift coverage is. But figuring out the right schedule for your team isn’t always simple. Your job gets even harder when you’re weighing the pros and cons of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift hours.  Do you need around-the-clock coverage? Can you get reliable staff for overnight shifts? […]
Scheduling Strategy, Small Business Blog

Employee Scheduling Statistics (2026): Shifts, No-Shows, Labor Costs, And Workforce Trends

The U.S. workforce in 2026 is shaped by slower hiring, tighter labor planning, and rising expectations around flexibility. A demand for flexibility has replaced the standard workweek, and the latest jobs statistics show that businesses failing to adapt are paying the price in turnover. The 2026 snapshot: The following table provides a high-level summary of […]
Business Growth, Newsletter

How To Grow Your Salon Business: 8 Proven Strategies

Uncover eight effective strategies on how to grow your salon business. From attracting more clients to investing in your staff, you’ll learn the nuances of each approach and how they can lead to substantial growth. Dive in to discover how to run a successful salon and  foster a loyal clientele and motivated team. While many […]
Business Growth

The Pros And Cons Of Raising The Minimum Wage

In this comprehensive article, you’ll delve into the multifaceted debate surrounding the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage. You’ll gain insights into the historical context, the current federal minimum wage, and the potential impacts on both employers and employees. By the end, you’ll be equipped with a well-rounded understanding of the implications of […]
Newsletter, People Management, Scheduling Strategy

9/80 Work Schedule: Benefits, Drawbacks, And How It Works

What if you could tell your employees they get an extra two days off each month? Not vacation days. Not counting weekends. No loss of hours. Two genuine three-day weekends each month while still hitting full-time hours. With a traditional 9-to-5 work schedule, that’s not going to happen. Even with staggered and alternating shift work, […]
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