MakeShift
MakeShift is a cloud-based employee scheduling software that helps you create rotas faster, track time accurately, and communicate with your team through a simple mobile-first interface.
When I Work
When I Work is a complete employee scheduling and time tracking solution designed to help you manage hourly teams, reduce labor costs, and improve workplace communication through a centralized mobile-first platform.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | MakeShift | When I Work |
|---|---|---|
| Website | makeshift.ca | wheniwork.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Starting Price | $2.75/month | $2.5/month |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 14 days free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Calgary, Canada | Minneapolis, USA |
Overview
MakeShift
MakeShift is a people-first scheduling platform designed to eliminate the headaches of manual shift management. You can build complex schedules in minutes using a drag-and-drop interface that accounts for employee availability, qualifications, and labor costs. By moving your rotas to the cloud, you ensure your team always has the most up-to-date information right on their phones.
The platform bridges the gap between management and staff by allowing you to approve time-off requests, manage shift swaps, and track attendance in real-time. It specifically targets industries with fluctuating shifts like healthcare, retail, and hospitality. You can reduce HERO (unnecessary overtime) and ensure your business stays compliant with labor laws while keeping your employees engaged and informed.
When I Work
When I Work is a mobile-first platform that simplifies how you manage hourly employees. Instead of messy spreadsheets and endless phone calls, you get a centralized hub to build schedules in minutes, track attendance, and chat with your team. You can easily handle shift swaps, monitor labor costs against your budget, and ensure everyone knows exactly when and where they need to work.
The software solves the headache of manual scheduling by allowing you to fill open shifts instantly and verify employee locations via GPS geofencing. Whether you run a single coffee shop or manage multiple retail locations, it helps you stay organized and compliant with labor laws while giving your employees the flexibility they crave through a user-friendly mobile app.
Overview
MakeShift Features
- Drag-and-Drop Scheduling Create and adjust weekly schedules in seconds by dragging shifts across your screen to the right team members.
- Mobile App for Staff Give your team the power to view schedules, request time off, and swap shifts directly from their smartphones.
- Photo Radar Time Clock Prevent buddy punching by having your employees clock in via a tablet that captures a photo for verification.
- Availability Management Let your employees set their own preferred working hours so you only schedule people who are actually available.
- Shift Exchange Enable your staff to trade shifts with qualified colleagues, which you can then approve or deny with one click.
- Real-Time Notifications Send instant alerts to your team's phones whenever a schedule is published or a shift change occurs.
- Labor Cost Tracking Monitor your labor spend as you build schedules to ensure you stay within budget and avoid costly overtime.
- Automated Reminders Reduce no-shows by automatically sending your employees reminders before their scheduled shifts begin.
When I Work Features
- One-Click Scheduling. Build and publish your entire weekly schedule in minutes using custom templates and automated shift assignments.
- Mobile Time Clock. Turn any smartphone or tablet into a precise time clock with GPS verification to ensure your team is on-site.
- Team Messaging. Communicate with your entire staff or specific groups instantly without sharing private phone numbers or using external apps.
- Shift Swapping. Empower your employees to trade shifts or find coverage themselves, requiring only your final digital approval.
- Labor Cost Tracking. Monitor your labor spending in real-time against your sales forecasts to prevent costly overtime before it happens.
- Auto-Scheduling. Generate optimal schedules automatically based on employee availability, qualifications, and your specific business requirements.
Pricing Comparison
MakeShift Pricing
- Drag-and-drop scheduling
- Employee mobile app
- Availability management
- Shift exchange & swaps
- Time off requests
- In-app messaging
- Everything in Essentials, plus:
- Photo Radar time clock
- GPS-enabled clock-in
- Payroll exports
- Advanced labor reporting
- Department-level permissions
When I Work Pricing
- Standard scheduling tools
- Team messaging and chat
- Shift trading and drops
- Time off management
- Multiple locations and sites
- In-app employee training
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- Custom reporting and exports
- Labor forecasting tools
- Shift bidding capabilities
- Role-based permissions
- Advanced API access
Pros & Cons
MakeShift
Pros
- Extremely intuitive interface for both managers and employees
- Significantly reduces the time spent on weekly schedule creation
- Mobile app is highly reliable for remote shift management
- Excellent customer support team that responds quickly to issues
Cons
- Limited customization options for very complex labor rules
- Reporting tools could be more robust for enterprise needs
- Occasional sync delays between the web and mobile apps
When I Work
Pros
- Intuitive mobile app makes shift management easy for employees
- Reduces time spent on scheduling by up to 80 percent
- GPS geofencing prevents early clock-ins and time theft
- Seamless integration with popular payroll providers like ADP
Cons
- Mobile app can occasionally lag during peak usage
- Advanced reporting is locked behind the higher pricing tier
- Initial setup of employee availability takes some time