Although employee scheduling software won't necessarily improve [[business practices]] by itself, it does automate typically tedious business administration. It can also have positive effects on aspects of the business indirectly, including [[employee engagement]], [[employee retention]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Study Finds Nearly Half of U.S. Hourly Workers Would Take Pay Cut for Influence Over Work Schedule|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/study-finds-nearly-half-u-130000213.html|publisher=Business Wire May 2019}}</ref> and lowered labor costs. By providing management with large amounts of data, this software can assist management in making decisions and automatically create a work schedule that fits as many constraints as possible.[https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/716f/f491fe8be17d8b4cb35bd9c5cfcee948e88a.pdf<ref> {{cite journal | last=Maes | first=Pattie | "title=Agents that Reducereduce Workwork and Informationinformation Overload"]overload | journal=Communications of the ACM | publisher=Association for Computing Machinery (PDFACM).''MIT| Mediavolume=37 Laboratory''| issue=7 | date=July 1, 1994 | issn=0001-0782 | doi=10.1145/176789.176792 | pages=30–40|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/716f/f491fe8be17d8b4cb35bd9c5cfcee948e88a.pdf}}</ref> Also, the software may be a part of an [[ERP software|ERP package]] or other [[human resource management system]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mobile Technology: Transforming Workforce Management|last=IDC|publisher=July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Workforce Scheduling 2011: Automation Drives Accuracy, Efficiency and Business Outcomes|last=Aberdeen Group|publisher=April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Research Note: Mobile Technology Meets the Frontline Workforce|last=Nucleus Research|publisher=April 2011}}</ref>
Features vary depending on software vendor, but some typical features include:
