Executive Summary:
- Multi-shift workforces need benefits administration software that can account for the complexity of scheduling and payroll.
- SunFish stands out as the best overall choice for benefits administration software, giving businesses one home for benefits and HR.
- Alight is a good pick for businesses looking to streamline their open enrollment process, while Employee Navigator can help elevate your benefits software and HRIS.
- PlanSource is a good pick for businesses looking to integrate their benefits administration software with other platforms.
Multitasking is a controversial subject. Some people swear that they are extremely skilled multitaskers, while others believe that you can’t truly multitask. Business owners and supervisors who manage multi-shift workforces might put the latter group to shame, as managing a multi-shift workforce may as well be a synonym for multitasking. Whether it’s navigating the complex puzzle of scheduling or managing compliance, multi-shift workforces have very specific payroll and HR needs that, if they aren’t met, can cause your business to, at best, run less efficiently and, at worst, be subject to costly fines and penalties.
If you’re a business owner who oversees a multi-shift workforce, we’re likely not saying anything you don’t already know. At Payday HCM, we frequently receive questions from clients who operate large multi-shift workforces asking for advice on how to streamline their manual processes and ways to lower the day-to-day administrative burden. One segment that managers and business owners often don’t think of at first glance is benefits administration. But streamlining your benefits process can pay huge dividends later on down the road.
That’s why, in this article, we’ll be looking at the top benefits administration software platforms for multi-shift workforces. Before we get into our picks, we’ll briefly cover the things business owners and supervisors of multi-shift workforces should be looking for in benefits administration software. After that, we’ll take a look at our picks for the best available software, including:
- Best Overall: SunFish Benefits Administration Software
- Best for Open Enrollment: Alight Benefits Administration Software
- Best HRIS and Benefits Software: Employee Navigator
- Best Benefits Software for Integration: PlanSource
What to Look for in Benefits Administration Software for Multi-Shift Workforces
Before diving into the list, it helps to understand the unique challenges of benefits administration for multi-shift workforces.
Benefits Eligibility, Enrollment, and Scheduling
In many workplaces, multi-shift or otherwise, benefits eligibility is tied to hours actually worked, not just a job title or employment status. That means your benefits software needs to stay in sync with time and attendance data, automatically flagging employees as they cross eligibility thresholds rather than relying on HR to catch it manually. Software that connects benefits, time tracking, and payroll into one data flow removes a significant source of compliance risk.
On the employee-side, access matters just as much as accuracy. Shift workers often don’t have a dedicated desktop to access a self-service portal, so mobile-first enrollment, 24/7 self-service, and clear guidance are essential. Freedom and flexibility are the name of the game when it comes to benefits administration software for multi-shift workforces.
1. Best Overall: SunFish Benefits Administration Software
With these considerations in mind, we'll start with our pick for the best all-around benefits administration platform for multi-shift workforces: SunFish.
What SunFish Offers
SunFish Benefits Administration Software, part of the SunFish HR suite by DataOn, brings things like claims administration, enrollment, and other self-service functions together with customizable approval workflows and automated payroll deductions. It strikes a balance between integration with DataOn’s larger platform while still functioning as a solid, solitary benefits administration platform.
Speaking of which, because SunFish is built on the same platform as DataOn's time and attendance tools, you get the integration with scheduling and time tracking that is essential for benefits administration with multi-shift workforces. The system supports mobile and biometric clock-in with geofencing, tracks attendance against work schedules, and feeds that data directly into payroll and benefits deductions.
Why SunFish Is the Best Overall Choice
As mentioned above, the biggest risk in benefits administration for a multi-shift workforce is a disconnect between the hours someone actually works and the benefits they're eligible for. SunFish helps to close that gap by keeping time and attendance, payroll, and benefits on one connected platform, so eligibility and deductions stay accurate as schedules change.
Pricing is unfortunately only available by quote, but the platform's ability to bring together shift scheduling with benefits and payroll makes it a strong foundation for any shift-based operation. Not only that, but its self-service platform offers the kind of flexibility of access that makes it easy to use on the employee side as well.
2. Best for Open Enrollment: Alight Benefits Administration Software
Next up is our pick for businesses that want to make open enrollment as smooth as possible for a multi-shift workforce: Alight.
What Alight Offers
Open enrollment is arguably the most crucial process when it comes to benefits administration. As such, businesses need a platform that will make open enrollment as smooth a process as possible. With Alight’s Benefits Administration Software, rather than presenting every employee with the same static plan comparison, Alight asks a few guided questions and then delivers tailored plan recommendations based on each employee's own data.
The platform is accessible across web and mobile, and includes a virtual assistant, helping guide employees through enrollment season. Alight supports the full employee lifecycle, meaning newly hired employees enrolling for the first time and tenured members of your organization renewing their benefits options will have their unique needs met.
Why Alight Is Best for Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is hard enough for a traditional office staff—try it when employees are working staggered shifts and don't have a predictable block of time to sit down and compare plans. Alight's personalized approach lets employees enroll in the moments they actually have available rather than requiring a dedicated desk-based enrollment window.
One thing to note is Alight’s pricing and the size of its platform. Pricing is available by quote based on workforce size and services needed. Generally, their platform is designed for larger workforces, built to scale from 1,000 employees to 10,000. Even so, its accessibility makes it a no-brainer for businesses looking to make open enrollment less stressful.
3. Best HRIS and Benefits Software: Employee Navigator
For multi-shift workforces that want an all-in-one experience for benefits administration and HR, Employee Navigator is our pick.
What Employee Navigator Offers
As mentioned above, part of navigating benefits administration for multi-shift workforces involves crossover between HR and payroll. Employee Navigator pairs benefits administration with a full HRIS, covering new-hire onboarding, HR document management, time-off tracking, and ACA reporting alongside enrollment.
Employees can self-enroll and manage medical, dental, and life insurance coverage, review plan documents, and access their benefits around the clock from a self-service portal or mobile app. On the benefits side, Employee Navigator connects with dozens of insurance carriers to automate enrollment and reduce manual data entry.
Why Employee Navigator Is the Best Integrated Solution
Multi-shift employers are often balancing complex HR tasks, like scheduling and labor law compliance, with benefits administration. Employee Navigator's combined HRIS and benefits platform can help streamline the process, bridging the gap between the complex scheduling of multi-shift workplaces and the heavy compliance considerations.
Like the other platforms on this list, Employee Navigator’s software is mobile-accessible and available 24/7, meaning shift workers can handle open enrollment and benefits management on their own time rather than needing to coordinate with HR during standard business hours. Businesses will need to contact Employee Navigator for detailed pricing information.
4. Best Benefits Software for Integration: PlanSource
Finally, for businesses that need their benefits platform to stay in sync with every other system they run, PlanSource is our pick.
What PlanSource Offers
Managing a multi-shift workforce means managing a lot of data, data that can often live in many different places. PlanSource positions itself as a fully connected benefits administration platform, built to keep employers, carriers, and brokers working from the same data. The platform handles core benefits enrollment and eligibility management while integrating with several other software platforms.
PlanSource serves as a hub between HR and benefits administration, syncing enrollment and eligibility data with payroll and HRIS platforms so that deductions, eligibility, and employee records stay consistent across every system an employer relies on, rather than requiring manual reconciliation between platforms.
Why PlanSource Is the Best Benefits Software for Integration
It’s likely that you already depend on many different systems for time and attendance, payroll, and HR, all of which need to connect to one another. PlanSource's emphasis on staying connected across carriers, payroll, and HR systems reduces the manual reconciliation work that otherwise falls on HR teams juggling constantly changing shift schedules.
Because PlanSource works with a broad range of carrier and technology partners, employers can generally keep their existing payroll and HRIS systems in place and add PlanSource as the connective layer for benefits, rather than needing to replace other systems already in use. Pricing is available by quote based on workforce size and integration needs.
Benefits Administration Software Designed for Multi-Shift Workforces
Managing a multi-shift workforce is no easy task. Between the complexity of scheduling and managing time off requests to the day-to-day grind of ensuring you’ll have enough coverage across each department, it’s safe to assume that there isn’t a lot of time to think about benefits administration. Even so, it’s one of the more crucial functions of managing any workforce, and a less-than-stellar benefits administration platform might create a worse employee experience and leave you exposed to costly compliance risks. With the benefits administration platforms discussed in this article, though, you’ll be able to rest assured knowing that your benefits administration is taken care of.
Selecting a good benefits administration platform is a crucial step to taking your employee benefits package to the next level. But it’s not the final step—oftentimes, you’ll also need to find a benefits agency or administrator to help you handle the day-to-day tasks that come with managing an employee benefits package, as well as assist with open enrollment and insurance renewals. Like benefits administration software, though, it can be hard to know what sets a good benefits administrator apart from a great one. Luckily, we have just what you need: check out our article on the five features to look for in a benefits agency to discover the traits you should be looking out for.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What should businesses with multi-shift or hourly workforces look for in benefits administration software?
The biggest risk is a disconnect between the hours someone actually works and the benefits they're eligible for, so the software needs to stay in sync with time and attendance data and automatically flag employees as they cross eligibility thresholds — rather than relying on HR to catch it manually. Mobile-first access matters just as much, since shift workers often don't have a dedicated desktop for a self-service portal.
Q: How can we make open enrollment easier for employees working staggered shifts?
Employees receive a notification when open enrollment opens, then log into a self-service portal to review plan options with cost comparisons and make their selections, with elections flowing directly into payroll deductions automatically. For shift-based teams specifically, look for a platform accessible on mobile and available 24/7, so employees can enroll during whatever time they actually have available rather than needing a dedicated desk-based window.
Q: Is it better to use one connected platform for benefits, payroll, and HR, or keep separate systems?
In most cases, yes, one integrated platform is better. When benefits, payroll, and HR are managed together, you reduce data entry errors, eliminate the need to manually reconcile deductions between systems, and create a more streamlined experience for both HR administrators and employees. Split or disconnected systems often lead to discrepancies in payroll deductions, delayed benefits updates, and finger-pointing between vendors when issues arise — a particular risk for multi-shift employers juggling constantly changing schedules.