Rotating Schedule Maker How-to Guide on Building a Rotating Schedule

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Rotating Schedule Maker How to Schedule Rotating Shifts

Restaurant scheduling will vary, depending on employee availability and business requirements. Restaurant managers who schedule employees properly can streamline operations and maintain high-quality customer service.

It's always a relief when there is enough staff on-hand to handle peak hours, and not too many during the slower shifts. With the right schedule template or scheduling software, restaurant managers will save time and have happier employees.

Scheduling for rotating shifts can be a complex job. In a rotating shift, restaurants run 2 to 3 shifts a day, 7 days a week. An employee works 1 out of the 2-3 shifts for some time, then rotates to another one of those 2-3 shifts.

All-night diners operate on a rotating schedule, as do some other restaurants that are open during normal hours. Managers must use a scheduling app to ensure workers receive the proper number of hours and get enough sleep. Because it's challenging to create a good rotation shift schedule, it helps to know best practices.

1. Rotating Schedule Maker Select a Shift Cycle

Managers need to choose a shift cycle that meets company and employee needs. A shift cycle may be anywhere from one or two weeks to a few months. Research shows that both short shift cycles and long shift cycles have their benefits and downsides.

Night-time work schedules are difficult on sleep patterns. At the same time, long shift work cycles make it hard for employees to spend time with friends and family. Most restaurants choose a shift schedule that is somewhere between 2-4 weeks.

2. Rotating Schedule Maker Sleep Patterns and Work Schedule

Any nighttime employee shift will be difficult on sleep patterns. The body operates similarly to a time clock, and the night-time employee shift schedule interferes with it. Employees perform better when their sleep is pushed forward instead of backward.

Therefore, managers should create an employee schedule that rotates individuals from morning to afternoon to evening. Team members need at least 24 hours off after they work a few consecutive night shifts. The more a team member works at night, the longer the length of a break they need before the next rotation.

3. Rotating Schedule Maker Shift Cycle Options

Because employee scheduling typically includes 2 or 3 8-hour shifts every day, many restaurants increase shift times to 10-12 hours. This allows employees to take 3-4 consecutive days off every week. To illustrate, an employee works 10 hours 4 days per week or 40 hours total. He/she can then take 3 consecutive days because 40 hours fulfill a full-time work schedule. Managers need to pay attention to overtime for these longer shifts to avoid non-compliance.

They may have to create contracts with a team of lawyers to ensure compliance. Weekend shift cycles should be staggered so team members have at least 2 weekends off per month to be with friends and family.

4. Rotating Shift Schedule Create Schedule

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There are many easy use schedule templates and software available to help track time, create employee schedules, and monitor time attendance. Instead of scheduling every team member individually, managers can put people into 2 or more shift groups. This will optimize the schedule and speed up the entire process, which saves time and resources.

To illustrate, the restaurant has a 3-shift schedule. The manager schedules Group 1 for day-shifts for Cycle 1, Group 2 for evenings, and Group 3 for night shifts. Each group will move forward with 1 shift for both the 2ndand 3rd cycles. This will help to meet customer needs during all hours of operations and ensure team members get enough rest.

5. Rotating Shift Schedule - Other Tips

Here are a few other best practices to help schedule employee work -

  • Remember employee availability and vacation days, or other time-off requests
  • Schedule overtime only when necessary to decrease labor costs
  • Split employees into shifts before creating a rotating shift schedule.
  • Schedule groups in opposing shifts. For example, the first group is off Monday and Tuesday, the second is off Wednesday and Thursday, and the third is off Friday and Saturday.
  • Review the rotation shift schedule during the holidays or busier times of the year
  • Review, optimize, and optimize schedules on a regular basis to make improvements
  • Ask employees for feedback and pay attention to their concerns.
  • Optimize time tracking to maintain compliance
  • Make sure team members receive enough sleep to avoid safety problems and low morale
  • Understand business requirements and long-term goals before scheduling employees
  • Always put customer needs first. This will ensure there are enough employees on-hand at all times to meet customer demand, which adds to the bottom line.

Key Takeaways of Rotating Shift Schedule

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In conclusion, here is what to know about creating a rotating shift schedule -

  • Managers should choose a shift cycle that meets company needs and employee needs. A shift cycle can be anywhere from 1-2 weeks to 3 months.
  • Employees perform better when their sleep is pushed forward instead of backward. Managers should rotate them from morning to afternoon, to evening instead of the other way around.
  • Shift times may be anywhere from 8-12 hours long. Employees might work 4 10-hour days in a row so they get 3 consecutive days off. Managers must optimize the scheduling process to ensure everyone receives enough rest.
  • To create a good schedule, managers should invest in an optimized software solution, rotating schedule maker, or free template online. This will streamline the process and save money. It's important to monitor labor costs, schedule groups in opposing shifts, review the rotation shift schedule during the holidays, optimize regularly, and ask for feedback.

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