What Features Does When I Work Offer for Scheduling and Time Tracking?

When I Work is an all-in-one workforce management platform built for hourly teams, combining employee scheduling, time and attendance tracking, and team messaging in one mobile-first app. If your main tasks are building shift schedules, filling gaps, tracking clock-ins and breaks, and approving time off, the platform covers all of these in a single place — with a free 14-day trial available to evaluate it. It is aimed at shift-based workplaces such as restaurants, retail, call centers, healthcare, seasonal and hospitality businesses, and franchises.

Scheduling: build, share, and fill shifts

The scheduling module is designed to cut the time managers spend on manual shift assignment.

• Build schedules in minutes and share them instantly with the team.
• OpenShifts let you post unfilled shifts so eligible employees can pick them up, closing schedule gaps without phone calls.
• Instant notifications alert the team when schedules are published or changed, replacing manual follow-ups and phone tag.
• Automated scheduling and overtime tracking are listed among the platform's benefits, helping surface issues before they become payroll problems.

For a manager running a single restaurant or coordinating multiple locations, the practical result is that the schedule, shift offers, and updates all live in one app rather than across texts and spreadsheets.

Time and attendance: clock-ins, breaks, and time off

Time tracking is integrated with the schedule, which the platform positions as a way to reduce human error and control labor costs.

• Time clock on any device: turn a shared tablet, computer, or phone into a time clock that tracks attendance, breaks, and time off.
• GPS clock-ins and geofencing: verify that staff are clocking in from the expected location, which supports payroll accuracy for field and multi-site teams.
• Live attendance: see who is currently clocked in and track attendance in real time during a shift.
• Time-off requests: employees submit requests and managers approve them within the same platform, so approved time off stays consistent with the schedule.

Team messaging: one channel for shift communication

Built-in team messaging is included so announcements, shift reminders, and direct updates reach the whole team without sharing personal phone numbers or relying on fragmented group texts. This keeps schedule changes and shift coverage requests visible to the people who need them.

Integrations and fit

When I Work connects with other tools for scheduling, payroll, and more, which matters if you already run payroll or POS systems you don't want to replace. The platform also highlights compliance support and solutions organized by industry, so you can check whether your sector's specific rules and workflows are addressed before committing.

How to decide if it fits

If your team is hourly and shift-based and you are currently stitching together spreadsheets, group texts, and a separate time clock, the combination above is the core value. Before adopting it, confirm two things against your own operation: that the integrations list covers your payroll provider, and that geofencing/GPS clock-in behavior suits how and where your staff actually start shifts. The 14-day free trial is the practical way to test schedule building and clock-ins with a real week of shifts.