About Shiftdesk
Shiftdesk began with everyday work.
I'm Valerie Koch, founder of Shiftdesk. The idea grew out of our own e-commerce business, where staff schedules, different working hours and preparing payroll data are as much a part of the day as packing and shipping orders.
I wanted to make these tasks work together more easily. That became Shiftdesk.
Valerie Koch
The beginnings
It started with our own business
I've worked in e-commerce for many years. Our business has its own warehouse, where orders are picked, packed and dispatched. Keeping that running means keeping the team organised, too.
Who is available when? How do we account for holidays? What happens if someone is off at short notice? And how do we keep track of the hours actually worked?
These questions come up throughout the day. Publishing a schedule only answers some of them. Changes need to reach the team, hours need to be correct, and at the end of the month our tax adviser needs reliable data.
That's where my search for a solution for our business began.
The search
What was missing in our working day
I tried different systems and looked at many solutions. Some were really good. Yet something usually didn't fit the way we worked: a missing feature, limited exports or processes that became unnecessarily complicated.
Tasks often remained separate. The schedule was in one system, availability was shared elsewhere, and payroll data needed to be prepared again. We still had to do the work of connecting it all.
Over time, I became clearer about what I wanted: a solution that connects the essential tasks of a shift-based business and feels straightforward to use every day.
“What software would I want for my own business?”
Our idea
Separate tasks should become one process
With Shiftdesk, we started with the tasks we had to bring together every day ourselves. Staff scheduling needs information about employees, availability and absences. Once published, the schedule needs to reach the team.
The work continues from there. Time tracking records the hours actually worked. They can be compared with planned hours and prepared for the monthly close.
For me, these tasks belong together. Information should help at the next stage without someone having to gather it all again. That connection shapes how we develop Shiftdesk.
The team's perspective
Simplicity has to work for the team
One thing mattered to me from the beginning: the software also has to work for the people following the schedule.
Employees want to find their next shift, record their working hours and know when something has changed. That should be possible without lengthy training.
That's why the Shiftdesk employee app is central to the idea. It brings the essential information to a smartphone. Businesses that want employees to record time on a shared device can also use a tablet terminal.
“As much functionality as needed. As little complexity as possible.”
Through to month-end
The month doesn't end with the last shift
I also know the work that starts at the end of the month. Hours need to be checked and data prepared so that the tax adviser can work with it.
This was another connection I wanted to improve. If information is already digital, it should be usable for the next steps.
That's why Shiftdesk includes an accountant portal. Businesses can invite their accounting firm and give it access to the data shared with it. Authorised firms can review prepared data and export it for payroll processing.
Payroll itself is still handled by the accounting firm or its payroll software. Shiftdesk supports the preparation and handover.
The accountant directory also creates a place for businesses and accounting firms to find each other. It follows the same idea: working together should be easier.
What drives us
What we want Shiftdesk to keep
Shiftdesk is developed in Bielefeld for businesses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. What began with the needs of our own business should also make everyday work easier for other small and medium-sized companies.
Running a business shapes how I approach development. I know about last-minute absences, different working hours and the effort involved at month-end. When considering a new feature, my first question is how it will help in day-to-day work.
Shiftdesk should stay understandable as its capabilities grow. Employees should be able to find their information directly. And data should help wherever it's needed next.
That's the standard we want to be measured against.
Valerie Koch
Founder of Shiftdesk
Bielefeld, Germany
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