Example App: Employee Shift Coverage Process

New low-code and no-code (LC/NC) tools make it possible to quickly create custom apps designed to tackle the unique challenges of your business. If you haven’t seen these tools in action, it can be difficult to fully understand the time and cost savings they provide. The example below shows what’s possible for one challenge at a grocery chain, and you can see additional examples from a variety of industries. If you’d like to explore how these tools can help with your specific business, please share one of your own challenges below.

Challenge

A grocery store chain has employees who frequently want more hours, and they also face an ongoing need to cover shifts when employees become unavailable. However, department managers often struggle to match available workers with the shifts that need covering, especially since they lack visibility into employees from other departments or stores in the area.

Solution

An LC/NC app could allow employees to register their availability and the geographic areas where they are willing to work, as well as the departments they are interested in. When a shift needs to be covered, the app would notify employees in the relevant area and department via text or email. If an employee is interested, they can reply to the message, and the department manager will automatically be sent the employee information. If the manager approves, the employee would be automatically scheduled for that shift within the store’s time tracking system.

Benefits

This solution could reduce the time department managers spend scrambling to fill shifts, improve employee satisfaction by making it easier to find extra hours, and prevent the need for workers to seek additional employment outside the company. It also allows employees to become cross-trained in multiple departments, increasing their value to the company. The app promotes collaboration between stores and departments by offering new opportunities for knowledge sharing and flexibility.