How to Make a Work Schedule
The Importance of Employee Schedules
Managers and human resources departments must know how to make a work schedule that benefits individual employees, management staff, and their entire business. Employee scheduling best practices boost business bottom line profitability and employee productivity.
Employees need a stable work schedule in order to be available and well prepared for their upcoming scheduled shifts. Studies have shown that stable scheduling increases labor productivity by 5% while increasing median sales by 7%.
Remember, your employees are your business's greatest asset and most substantial investment. Smart shift scheduling is well worth the effort, producing a high return on investment to your business's bottom line.
Employee scheduling best practices include presenting work schedules to employees with at least two weeks advance notice, optimizing not only the employee experience but also benefiting your management staff. Managers spend less time on employee scheduling and avoid last minute shift scheduling when best practices are implemented.
Labor costs are also decreased when employee scheduling best practices are used. Scheduling employees based on their unique skills and compatibility is much more cost efficient than resorting to last minute scheduling of team members strictly based on their availability.
With improper work scheduling cited as a top reason for employees voluntarily leaving their role at a company, employee turnover rates noticeably decrease when employee scheduling is optimized. Additionally, properly scheduling employees decreases the expensive labor costs and significant amount of time required for hiring and onboarding new staff members.
Managers and human resource team members enjoy the benefits of managing employees who have higher morale and organizational commitment levels. A decreased need for disciplinary conversations and actions benefits your business's entire work environment.
More satisfied and happier employees are an invaluable addition to your business's company culture, enticing top talent employees to apply to your business. Effective employee scheduling results in customers and clients having improved customer experiences at your business, assuring your clientele that they will always be greeted by a knowledgeable and ideal staff.
The trickle down effect of a great employee work schedule system is felt by everyone involved with your business. For these reasons, employee scheduling must always stay a business top priority.
Employees need a stable work schedule in order to be available and well prepared for their upcoming scheduled shifts. Studies have shown that stable scheduling increases labor productivity by 5% while increasing median sales by 7%.
Remember, your employees are your business's greatest asset and most substantial investment. Smart shift scheduling is well worth the effort, producing a high return on investment to your business's bottom line.
Employee scheduling best practices include presenting work schedules to employees with at least two weeks advance notice, optimizing not only the employee experience but also benefiting your management staff. Managers spend less time on employee scheduling and avoid last minute shift scheduling when best practices are implemented.
Labor costs are also decreased when employee scheduling best practices are used. Scheduling employees based on their unique skills and compatibility is much more cost efficient than resorting to last minute scheduling of team members strictly based on their availability.
With improper work scheduling cited as a top reason for employees voluntarily leaving their role at a company, employee turnover rates noticeably decrease when employee scheduling is optimized. Additionally, properly scheduling employees decreases the expensive labor costs and significant amount of time required for hiring and onboarding new staff members.
Managers and human resource team members enjoy the benefits of managing employees who have higher morale and organizational commitment levels. A decreased need for disciplinary conversations and actions benefits your business's entire work environment.
More satisfied and happier employees are an invaluable addition to your business's company culture, enticing top talent employees to apply to your business. Effective employee scheduling results in customers and clients having improved customer experiences at your business, assuring your clientele that they will always be greeted by a knowledgeable and ideal staff.
The trickle down effect of a great employee work schedule system is felt by everyone involved with your business. For these reasons, employee scheduling must always stay a business top priority.
5 Steps to Properly Making a Work Schedule
Managers and human resources departments must make sure their employee work schedules are as ideal as possible. Five steps for creating a great work schedule are-
- Policy establishment- Employees need polices to follow including time tracking protocol, shift swapping etiquette, and employee time off request processes. Clear instructions should be provided to employees when they are hired on staff and also included in your employee handbook for easy reference.
Make sure employees understand the consequences of not complying with established policies. For example, repeated lateness may necessitate disciplinary measures or a meeting with human resources. - Planning- When an employee is provided with their shift schedule well in advance, they are less likely to need to swap or miss a shift. Whether your team members are full time or part-time employees, or a combination of different shift scheduling types, they likely have other obligations to plan for around their work schedules.
For example, many part-time employees attend university or have another job they work at when they are not scheduled at your business. Some full-time team members may have to arrange rides to your workplace or find childcare.
- Designation- Some businesses employ a wide variety of team members with different expertise and skillsets. Before creating work schedules determine what roles and skills are needed for each shift.
One helpful scheduling tool for planning employee shifts is a schedule template that takes into consideration employee skills and expertise levels.
A schedule template decreases the amount of employee time and labor costs spent on creating your weekly work schedule while making sure team members are best utilized in accordance with their unique abilities. - Software- Employee scheduling software incorporates a variety of scheduling tools for every step of the work scheduling process. From time tracking tools to work schedule template utilization, scheduling software saves businesses money in labor costs and multiple hours of employee time every week.
There are many different scheduling softwares for businesses to choose from, depending on specific business needs. Requesting a free work scheduling software trial is a great way to figure out which scheduling tools and software program is best suited for your business. - Flexibility- Your employees are human beings who will necessarily have unexpected life events that come up from time to time, including sicknesses and family emergencies.
When an unexpected issue does come up for your employees, it is important to be flexible and accommodating. Employee scheduling that is empathetic promotes employee wellbeing and fosters healthy working relationships.