Microsoft launches StaffHub, a new Office 365 app aimed at shift workers. Microsoft today unveiled the newest addition to its Office 365 suite with the debut of an application for shift workers and management, called StaffHub. The program is aimed at those who don’t tend to work from desktop computers and have different schedules from week to week, such as in retail, hospitality, restaurants, and other industries. Explains Office 365 General Manager Bryan Goode, Microsoft believes that addressing the needs of shift workers with a software platform like StaffHub is an untapped market. “Most companies, though, haven’t actually provided digital tools for these folks…but companies are starting to recognize the benefits of moving some of these offline processes and taking them online,” says Goode. Managers, who may have access to desktop or laptop computers, may use the web version of StaffHub to create the staff schedules in the program, but employees will likely only use StaffHub from their mobile phones. The program also makes it simple to update shifts from week to week, by offering a “Copy last schedule” feature that lets managers use the prior week’s shift as a starting point before making changes. However, there are many overlapping features between the two programs – staff can privately chat – one on one – with one another in the app, and the app can host multiple group chats, too. For example, managers could use their team chat to make informal announcements or share files. Staff can swap shifts with other workers in the mobile app and request time off – requests which get routed to a manager for approval.
Microsoft today unveiled the newest addition to its Office 365 suite with the debut of an application for shift workers and management, called StaffHub. The program is aimed at those who don’t tend to work from desktop computers and have different schedules from week to week, such as in retail, hospitality, restaurants, and other industries.
The program was originally introduced in “preview” last fall, with the goal of collecting user feedback ahead of its public launch. Since then, over 1,000 businesses have signed up for the service, including a large winery in California and a hospitality company which uses it to staff their hotels, as examples of StaffHub’s early adopters.
Explains Office 365 General Manager Bryan Goode, Microsoft believes that addressing the needs of shift workers with a software platform like StaffHub is an untapped market.
“There’s half a billion frontline staff workers in the world,” he says.
“Most companies, though, haven’t actually provided digital tools for these folks…but companies are starting to recognize the benefits of moving some of these offline processes and taking them online,” says Goode.
However, what StaffHub is really up against is the old way of doing things: paper schedules, bulletin boards, phone calls, and other manual processes, Goode notes.
To address the needs of this different kind of work environment, StaffHub takes schedules and puts them online. But it’s more than just another calendaring application.
Managers, who may have access to desktop or laptop computers, may use the web version of StaffHub to create the staff schedules in the program, but employees will likely only use StaffHub from their mobile phones.
When adding shifts, managers can take advantage…
COMMENTS