Team Schedule Maker 9 Steps to Making an Effective Team Schedule
Team Schedule Maker A How-to Guide on How to Schedule Teams
New restaurant owners will feel a little overwhelmed by employee scheduling. How many servers should they schedule for the lunch shift? Which employees can only work part-time, and what hours do they have to work? How can the restaurant make sure customers receive the highest quality of service during each shift? What scheduling method should management utilize to ensure employees receive their work schedule on time?
Scheduling is a complex job that requires managers to problem-solve and be organized. Considering all of the other responsibilities associated with restaurant ownership, there must be a way to streamline scheduling and save time. Read ahead to learn how restaurant owners can use a schedule maker to optimize the scheduling process.
1. Team Schedule Maker Create Standards
Managers should determine how much work each team member should complete in a certain time frame, according to his/her role. The way they measure work will depend on the size and scope of the restaurant. For example, a dishwasher should run one load every hour in a fast-paced establishment. In a small diner, he/she may only need to run a load every 2 hours.
Managers should first outline each job description and the person responsible for it. He/she should write down all of the tasks associated with that position according to shift. This means that required tasks for the same role can fluctuate because certain shifts are busier than others. This step will help optimize future employee scheduling. The good news is, it only needs to be done once.
2. Team Schedule Maker Assess Current Activity Level
The manager should review historical sales and labor data to analyze how busy the restaurant is during each shift. POS systems and employee scheduling software allow users to print out reports that use powerful charts and graphs. Managers should utilize these reports to understand trends and make more accurate scheduling decisions.
3. Team Schedule Maker Predict Activity Levels
To create schedule templates in the future, managers can use the historical sales and labor data they already collected. They can pinpoint peak and slow hours throughout the day, week, and month. For example, historical data shows that Labor Day is always twice as busy as every other weekend. Managers can then plan ahead and have more employees on-hand during that weekend.
4. Team Schedule Maker Determine How Many Employees You Need
Now it's time for management to calculate the number of employees per shift with the following formula -
Total Number Teams /Employees Per Shift = Production Standards / Number of Customers
For example, a waitstaff employee is able to serve 15 customers in a 4-hour shift. The restaurant estimates there will be 60 customers during this 4-hour shift. Therefore, management will need to schedule 4 servers during this time.
5. Team Schedule Maker Consider Employee Availability
Managers should always remember to factor in employee availability before they create a work schedule. They should use historical data to predict absenteeism and consult with lawyers before scheduling overtime. They should always remember time-off requests, part-time/full-time status employees, and labor laws/compliance.
While management needs to cover all shifts to streamline operations, they also need to maintain employee morale. If they forget employee availability, team members will be upset. It also creates more work for management because they have to constantly rework schedules and resend them.
6. Team Schedule Maker Choose Scheduling System
Most restaurants use a team schedule maker with features such as drag drop, instant updates, and a messaging system. While diners have different needs, some systems are more effective than others.
Less expensive options include Microsoft Excel or a free online template. Others prefer software such as ZipSchedules, which sends reminders, integrates with payroll software and allows users to input/approve time-off requests.
7. Team Schedule Maker Get Approval
Supervisors should always acquire approval from management before they finalize a work schedule. Both parties can review labor costs, employee availability, and restaurant requirements to ensure the schedule is acceptable. If the owner creates the schedule, he/she should review it again and ask for employee feedback before it is sent out.
8. Team Schedule Maker Share Schedule with Staff
Once managers finalize and receive approval for the work schedule, they can deliver it to the team.
If the manager uses Excel, he/she will send the schedule through email. Software solutions automatically post and update the new schedule, which provides employees greater autonomy. The latter option also eliminates errors and minimizes the workload of the HR department/management.
Some diners still use pen and paper to create the schedule. They post it on a bulletin board and tell employees to check it on a specific day each week.
9. Team Schedule Maker Review Regularly
To optimize employee scheduling, employees need to regularly review old schedules. Where did they make mistakes? What shifts need more servers? When are employees more likely to call in sick? If the restaurant regularly tracks and optimizes a schedule, it will always be better in the future. This will improve employee morale, decrease the manager's workload, and enhance the quality of customer service.
Key Takeaways of Team Schedule Maker
In conclusion, here is what to know about a team schedule maker and creating an effective work schedule -
- Managers should create work standards and list the required tasks of each role for each shift. They should then analyze how busy the restaurant is during certain times of the day before creating the schedule.
- Supervisors should predict activity levels. They can use historical sales and labor data to assess when the restaurant will need more employees on hand.
- Managers need to consider employee availability before they create the schedule. They should also pick a method to create an optimized schedule. Options include Microsoft Excel, an online template, or an automated software solution.
- Supervisors should approve the schedule with management. They can then share the work schedule with employees. Management will need to regularly review the schedule to further optimize it and meet customer/employee needs.
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