Our best tips for doing rotas right
Scheduling isn’t a fun job.
We get that. We understand.
(In fact, that’s one reason why Findmyshift allows you to delegate tasks like time off management.)
But it is essential to maintaining a well-run business.
After all, where would you be without your employees?
And proper scheduling will not only make your life easier, but it’s great for your business too.
Ensuring your rota works for everyone in your business will serve to increase profitability, improve your customers’ experience, and enhance employee satisfaction.
So what should you keep in mind when building your rota? We’ve collated our top tips to create a schedule that delivers for everyone.
Know your busy times
The first step to creating an effective schedule is to understand your business. In particular, its demand and how that varies across times, days, and even seasons. If you schedule the same 4 shifts day in, day out, without thinking, you could be shooting yourself in the foot.
What if some days, there are no customers in, and your employees are sat twiddling their thumbs? What if other days, they’re rushed off their feet wishing they had more help?
What if the wrong people are in on certain days and their expertise is missed?
You can dive into your sales records or CCTV footage, or just resort to good old fashioned methods like tally charts and clickers. However you gather the data, use it to make informed decisions about your quiet and busy times, and schedule accordingly.
Understand the regulations
The law can be a bit of a tangle when it comes to scheduling, depending on where in the world you, your employees, and your business are located. Be sure to read up on local and national regulations so that you can stay on the right side of them.
It’s common to have regulations around the number of hours employees can work in a day or week at their normal hourly rate, how much notice they’re given of shift changes, and what breaks they’re entitled to.
Be sure you understand your legal obligations before scheduling any shifts that might get you into trouble!
Communicate both ways
Communication is key to successful working relationships, and that’s no different when it comes to the dialogue around shifts and scheduling. Talk to your employees to find out not just their availability, but their preferences, commitments outside of work, and more.
The better you understand your employees, the easier it will be to create rotas that keep them happy while keeping your business staffed.
Likewise, be clear about the communication standards they should expect from you. Commit to a minimum notice period for publishing your rota and outline what the process will look like if you need to circumvent that in emergencies.
When scheduling shifts, approving swaps, or dealing with time-off requests, be transparent about your logic. If decisions are framed in terms of what’s best for the business, employees are less likely to take any unfavourable ones personally.
Plan in advance
With that in mind, the earlier you can get your rota sorted, the better. This will allow your employees plenty of time to ensure they’re available or make arrangements if they are not.
This is highly preferable to the alternative, where you publish the schedule at the last minute and then have to deal with employee absences or unavailability because of the short notice!
Trust your team
It’s imperative that your employees feel they are treated like adults capable of making their own decisions. You can empower them by trusting them to help you complete your rotas and ensure your schedule is fully covered.
This means giving them licence to make or propose shift swaps to cover each other and allow them the flexibility to have a life outside of work. With Findmyshift, it’s easy to set up shift requests that you can review and respond to in seconds.
When your employees are given the freedom to make their rota work for them as well as for your business, they are more likely to pull their weight towards the company’s goals.
Use a smart scheduling solution
Finally, many of the suggestions here are made far easier if you make use of an online scheduling tool like Findmyshift.
Whether it’s reminding employees of their shift times or managing trades and time off requests, having a single coherent schedule at everyone’s fingertips makes efficient scheduling a breeze.