EMPLOYEE SCHEDULING SOFTWARE

Build the schedule once. Skip the no-show scramble.

Sideworks employee scheduling software lets you build weekly restaurant schedules in a single grid — and catches overtime, double-bookings, and time-off conflicts before you publish. Staff get their shifts by email and a magic link to request time off or swap shifts. You see estimated labor cost as you build and export hours to payroll when the week is done.

Why it matters

Labor is the lever you actually control.

Food cost moves with the market. Rent is fixed. Labor is where a good schedule protects your margin — and where a bad one quietly bleeds it. Scheduling in the same app as your checklists and feedback means the manager building the week already has the full picture.

35%

Of operators say labor is their top challenge

Staffing and labor cost top the list of restaurant operating challenges — a schedule that controls overtime is a direct lever on profit.

National Restaurant Association — State of the Industry, 2024
79.6%

Annual restaurant turnover

High churn means constant onboarding. Self-service schedules and clear shifts reduce the friction that pushes staff out the door.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024
$5,864

To replace one hourly worker

Every avoidable scheduling frustration that costs you a team member costs real money. Predictable, fair schedules help you keep people.

Cornell Hospitality Research
How it works

From blank week to published in one sitting.

01

Assign shifts on the grid

Drop shifts onto the weekly grid by staff and day. Set times and breaks. Estimated labor cost updates as you go.

Minutes
02

Resolve conflicts

Sideworks flags double-bookings, overtime, and time-off clashes in real time. Fix them before anyone sees the schedule.

Before publish
03

Publish & notify

Publish the week and staff get emailed their shifts. They view the schedule and request time off or swaps from a magic link.

One click
What's included

A scheduler that thinks like a manager.

Weekly grid & templates

Build the week visually, then save it as a template to reuse for typical weeks instead of starting over.

Drag to assignReusable templates

Conflict detection

Double-booking, overtime, and time-off conflicts are flagged as you build — not discovered on the floor.

Double-bookOvertimeTime-off

Labor cost & payroll export

See estimated labor cost as you schedule. Export hours and cost to CSV for payroll at the end of the week.

Live estimatesCSV export

Staff self-service

Staff view their schedule and submit time-off and swap requests from a magic link — no account or extra seat.

Magic linksTime-offSwaps
Part of the platform

Scheduling, connected to the rest of the shift.

Need to estimate cost before you build? Try our free labor cost calculator. Then run the rest of the operation in the same app:

Common questions

Restaurant scheduling, answered.

How do I build a schedule in Sideworks?

Use the weekly grid to assign shifts by staff member and day. Set start and end times and breaks, and Sideworks estimates labor cost as you build. When you publish, affected staff get an email with their shifts.

Does it catch scheduling conflicts?

Yes. Sideworks flags double-bookings, overtime risk, and conflicts with approved time-off in real time as you build the schedule, so you fix problems before you publish instead of after a no-show.

Can staff request time off or swap shifts?

Yes. Staff get a magic link to view their schedule and submit time-off and shift-swap requests — no account needed. You approve or deny requests from the requests page, and the schedule updates accordingly.

Does Sideworks track labor cost?

Yes. Each staff member has an hourly rate, so the weekly schedule shows estimated labor cost as you build it. The reporting view summarizes hours and labor cost and exports to CSV for payroll.

Can I reuse schedules?

Yes. Save a typical week as a template and apply it to future weeks, then adjust. This is much faster than rebuilding the grid from scratch every week.

Is the scheduling feature free?

Sideworks offers a free tier to get started with no credit card. Scheduling sits alongside checklists, guest feedback, events, and maintenance in one platform, so you are not paying for and logging into separate tools.

Ready to schedule smarter?

Build next week's schedule in minutes.

Catch conflicts before they hit the floor and keep labor cost in view. Free to start — no credit card required.

Free tier · No card required · 5 minutes to set up