UA Undergrad Innovates How Businesses Create Schedules

When he was 16 years old, Tyler McCarley had an idea.

Today, his idea has morphed into an innovation being used by more than 4,000 companies in all 50 states.

Now just a month shy of his 22nd birthday, McCarley, a senior marketing major at the University of Arkansas, is the owner and president of MyWorkShift Inc., a company currently without walls, but still enjoying success as the result of its proprietary cloud-based Web application MyWorkShift.com.

McCarley said the technology offers a streamlined way for employees to access their work schedules, reduces miscommunications about scheduling, and saves companies money.

“It’s been a big learning process,” McCarley said. “I’m not a computer guy, just an entrepreneur.”

The Little Rock native said the idea grew from his own experience working at a restaurant while in high school. He recognized a need for efficiency and convenience in creating work schedules.

“Scheduling was chaotic for managers and employees, and it backfired on me one day when I was at the lake with my family and I got a call from my boss, telling me I was three hours late for work,” he said.

Companies who use MyWorkShift span a wide range of industries, including health care, education, government agencies and hospitality.

McCarley said the website has been online for a little more than a year, and can be beneficial to both hourly and salaried employees.

“Companies are still looking for a way to have a master schedule online, and track hours for company records,” he said.

McCarley’s company has three employees, and he said he hopes to have a physical office presence soon in Fayetteville.

A newer version of MyWorkShift is also in the works for the first quarter of 2013. The update will take the product to an on-demand software — it is presently available free for companies — with a monthly charge for the service. The application will feature more tools and a redesigned interface.

“My vision is for MyWorkShift to be an avenue for a suite of other software aimed at working on efficiency in the workplace,” he said.