Microsoft StaffHub Goes Live To Manage Shift & Deskless Workers In Office 365

Microsoft StaffHub is now available for Office 365 business customers, promising to make it simpler to manage ‘deskless’ and shift workers in the cloud.

The application has been in preview since September and is targeted at a number of sectors, including hospitality, retail and construction.

The idea is that instead of managing shifts on a manual basis, workers can access an iOS, Android or web application to see when they are working and with whom. All workers registered will need an Office 365 account.

Microsoft Staffhub

“There are an estimated 500-million frontline staff workers around the world in retail stores, hotels, restaurants, manufacturing and other service-related industries,” said Microsoft. “These employees typically don’t have their own office, desk or computer—making it hard to access and share information important for the workday.

“Far too often, these workers rely on manual processes and outdated tools—cumbersome creation and printing of paper schedules, bulletin boards crammed with notes and a flurry of phone calls and text messages to cover shifts. Microsoft StaffHub is here to help.”

Using the app, managers can easily see and edit a team schedule via a calendar with colour-coded cells. Shifts can be edited and ‘published’, an action which pushes the updated calendar to employees via a notification.

Employees can request changes and see who is also working at the same time as them. This means they can make plans or request a shift swap. Such requests are reviewed by the manager, who can also add notes to any shift.

Training manuals and other documents can also be sent via the app so staff are always up to date, even when on their feet.

Managers can also send messages to the entire workforce or submit alerts such as a spillage on a restaurant floor.

StaffHub connects to other applications and allows admins to create custom links for HR systems or bespoke applications. Schedules can also be exported to other software.

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