Easy Shift Schedule Maker - How to Build a Shift Work Schedule

Shift Schedule Maker January 11, 2023

Priyanka Bhadani

Writer

Insight into Shift Schedule Maker

Staff scheduling grows more complex as business requirements and economic conditions change. The regulatory regime frequently increases the number of federal and state labor/tax laws each year. As more companies employ remote teams, temporary workers, or part-time employees, it's a challenge to remain compliant.

Old fashioned time tracking methods and scheduling systems are no longer appropriate for large businesses that employ thousands of workers. Even small businesses need to be careful when they create work schedules and track employee hours.

Furthermore, poor scheduling creates unhappy employees and frustrated customers. With a set of best practices, a shift schedule maker will eliminate compliance concerns and streamline operations.

Step by Step Shift Schedule Maker Guide

Employers want to optimize employee scheduling as much as possible. A poorly designed work schedule hurts morale, increases absenteeism, and impacts the quality of customer service.

With high labor costs and challenging economic conditions, good employee management is critical. A schedule maker will optimize shift planning and improve team communication, which is good for businesses and their team members. Furthermore, a work schedule template will help to gain a competitive advantage and streamline all areas of operations.

So, what exactly is a shift schedule maker and how does it work? To create a shift schedule, supervisors use an Excel program, pen and paper, or scheduling software. Scheduling methods vary, depending on requirements and preferences. While there is not one perfect way to create an employee scheduling template, there are some best practices.

1. Overview of Key Features in Shift Schedule

Each team member needs to work the appropriate hours and times for his/her role. For example, a restaurant may not need a bartender on-hand during the day shifts, but will for night shifts. Supervisors need to keep tabs on local events or situations that may impact the number of customers who come in. Restaurants should always monitor reservations before they schedule employees.

A work schedule maker should also be error-free. Double scheduling, scheduling the wrong team members, and over/under scheduling are common problems. Employee availability should always align with the schedule to minimize absenteeism or no-calls no-shows. Finally, a bad employee shift schedule impacts morale and increases the turnover rate. Businesses need to keep team members happy and still cover every shift to during operating hours.

2. Understand Staff to Optimize Shift Schedule

Supervisors can't create a good weekly schedule if they don't have relationships with team members. It's not enough to cover each shift. The right people need to work the right shifts.

For example,it's probably a bad idea to schedule two new hires for a busy Saturday evening shift, unless there are multiple other team members on-hand. If workers put in time requests weeks ago, supervisors should remember it during shift scheduling. When management doesn't respect employee availability and doesn't align schedules with employee experience, it hurts morale and customer service.

To optimize the process, supervisors should make a list that includes the following information-

Worker name
Skillset
Certifications
Employee work status (full-time, part-time, or temporary)
Overtime restrictions
Disposition (introvert, extrovert, etc.)
Any additional information that may help optimize scheduling

3. Create Shift Schedules Around Team Members

Once a supervisor finishes the list of employee information, he/she can start to create employee schedules. It's important to remember employees' personalities, expertise, and how well they interact with co-workers and customers.

The supervisor should also consider when employees' are best suited to work, according to business requirements. A good rule of thumb is to build schedules around high-performing employees. For example, an experienced server should work during peak hours. A supervisor may schedule a less experienced team member during this shift as well.

In doing so, the supervisor will make sure the new hire has support he/she needs. This will optimize efficiency and ease new hires into their positions, rather than overwhelm them. It will also improve morale, increase productivity, and improve the quality of customer service.

4. Communicate Shift Schedule

Supervisors need to determine how they want to communicate the schedule each week. Scheduling apps enable team members to view schedules in real-time, input time-off requests, or make additional changes. Other employers utilize Microsoft Office to send out weekly emails of work schedules.

A few industries still utilize bulletin boards to post schedules and collect time off requests. Scheduling software may be an expensive investment, but it is easiest for both team members and employers. It also integrates with time tracking software, which creates less work for the HR team. It's easier to optimize workforce management when all employee data is in one place.

Regardless of the method an organization picks, team members need to know where and when to find their schedules. Management should communicate scheduling policies and outline them in HR documents. This prevents scheduling errors, last minute changes, and high rates of absenteeism. It holds everyone accountable for their hours and decreases managements' overall workload.

Key Takeaways of Shift Schedule Maker Guide

In conclusion, here is what to know about building a shift schedule and how to optimize work scheduling -

Businesses need to understand their employees' personalities, preferences, expertise and availability prior to scheduling. Supervisors should create a list of personality traits, roles, and any additional notes that may help build an employee schedule template.
Supervisors should create schedules around their highest-performing team members. This will increase morale and not overwhelm new hires.
Supervisors need to check table reservations and track local events to optimize shift schedules. This will ensure the right people are scheduled at the right times. As a result, the business will improve customer service and increase employee morale.
Supervisors should communicate the employees schedule through a scheduling app, mobile app, and employee scheduling software. Others utilize an Excel email system, or pen and paper. Employees need to know exactly where and when to find their schedules to avoid any bottlenecks. This will make it much easier for the HR team, particularly if an employee scheduling app is utilized.