By In this day and age, a well thought out worker’s schedule is vital to the success of a business. When employees are aware of their weekly work schedule and what is expected of them, it is easier to get into a routine and plan other aspects of their life around it. At the end of the day, an ideal employee’s schedule boosts productivity and as a result a higher return on investment.
Given the thin margins that companies run on and the harsh competition out there, particularly in this Covid-19 era, a solid employee schedule is important than ever. That’s why in this read, we are going to provide several essential tips for creating and managing an employee schedule in an efficient manner.
- Know What Each Worker Needs
When making the schedule, you should take into account what makes each worker happy. That’s because according to data, happier laborers tend to outdo the competition by up to 20%.
So, when it’s time to create that schedule, involve everyone through interviews to see what will make them happier. A few vital questions to ask include:
-Who do you prefer working with?
-What shifts do you prefer?
-How many breaks do you want?
It can be hard to remember what everyone needs and so, take advantage of an employee scheduling application to record this information. Try this schedule maker. This way, it will be easier to make an employee schedule that meets the needs of everyone.
- Do Away With the Pen and Paper Method
We are in the digital age and if you’re still using a pen and paper to manage your employees, then you’re way behind. The issue with putting down everything on a piece of paper is that it can get lost or get damaged in no time. Also, employees can easily cheat by clocking in their colleagues.
In this modern age, we have employee scheduling applications that work on almost every device. The data collected using these apps can’t be easily lost as it’s backed up on cloud storage. Additionally, the workers will have a hard time cheating the system as the software only allows them to clock in through the use of biometrics such as fingerprints and facial recognition.
An added benefit is that workers won’t have to go to the office in order to view the schedule as they can easily access it on their mobile devices. If the schedule is adjusted, they will be instantly notified, allowing them to prepare in advance.
- Release the Schedules in Advance
It is advisable to start preparing the schedule a few weeks in advance and release it at least two weeks prior. Yes, the employees spend a good chunk of their time at work, but they spend over two-thirds away from it. As such, it becomes easier for them to plan the rest of their personal lives properly. If your employees had plans to take a day off or go on holiday, they will be able to tell you in advance, giving you adequate time to make adjustments and/or look for replacements.
Releasing the employee schedule at the last minute will only make people unhappy. Most of the employees will get back to you pleading for changes and this can quickly get chaotic, thus disrupting your business.
- Leverage Data
If this is your first time, chances are you will come up with an underwhelming employee schedule. However, do not fret as with time, the application will collect a ton of data. This information will allow you to know different things such as the timings your workers prefer, which people you need to keep or let go, the replacements that you should hire, workers who will suit the schedule better, and much more.
So, once you put the system in place, check on the analytics every now and then. Most of these applications feature an AI that does the data analysis automatically, suggests employee schedules, and predicts what will best work for your organization.
- Do Not be Afraid to Use an Expert
Many employers don’t know this, but you can actually get an expert who can help get the most out of the employees and the data that your system gathers. You can hire an expert for a few weeks to train the managers on how to better manage the employee schedules.
With these tips, then you should have a team that works better, which is important for the bottom line of your business.
