Ask a business growth consultant, and he/she will recommend prioritizing and scheduling as the number one task. It is important to create and implement a work schedule in your workplace. It is, however, difficult to create an effective employee work schedule, especially when employees are working from home.
It is, therefore, necessary to learn the tips for creating an effective employee work schedule so you can increase the productivity of your team.
This article will discuss the seven important tips that can help you create an effective employee work schedule for your on-site team as well as for those working remotely.
Here are 7 tips to help you get started:
1- Know the Staffing and Financial Resources
Once you decide to build out your employee work schedule, you must have a clear picture of your staffing and financial resources. You must know the number of hours you can pay your workers every week.
Once you know the number of hours, you can use this information to design your pay structure. Using this information can help you prevent issues with unnecessary costs and overtime.
2- List the Needs of Every Shift
Here are some of the things you need to consider when creating the needs of every shift:
- How flexible can your scheduling be?
- Which shift schedule suits the needs of your business?
- How you will manage time-off requests?
Do some of your team members have diverse roles? If yes, consider the roles that you must fill during every shift. For instance, you will need sales assistants and a manager for every shift in your retail store. Similarly, if you are into eCommerce, you will need the customer services team to work in shifts.
3- Collect Shift Preferences
It is important to consider the personal lives of your employees. Your employees should know you respect them. It is, therefore, essential to accommodate the preferences of your employees. For instance, the roles that do not require on-site presence quite often should be given the flexibility of working from home.
Do not, however, let it affect your business; in the case of remote workers, make sure your employees know and understand how important is to meet deadlines.
You can use staff surveys to get the shift preferences of your employees. If you have been working with some employees for several years, you need to consider them first.
4- Check Your Past Employee Work Schedules
You can check your past employee work schedules to know what works and what does not work for your business. You can, therefore, use your previous work schedule to create an effective employee work schedule using a schedule maker.
Once you create your new employee work schedule, you can compare your new and previous work schedule to know what works for every shift. If there are changes you must make, make the changes immediately.
5- Create Your Replacement Policy
Do not send out your new work schedule before creating your replacement policy. For instance, if one of your employees is sick or unavailable, they can get someone else to cover their shift.
In addition, your employees may need their manager’s approval to switch shifts. It is, therefore, essential to write a replacement policy. Once the policy is ready, make sure your employees read it.
6- A Scheduling Software System
It can take time to set up your work schedule manually. It is easy to set up a work schedule using a scheduling software system, such as Tracktime24
7- Ask Your Employees for Input & Feedback
Tell your employees when they will receive the draft roster. Once they get the draft roster, they can send their feedback within a specific period.
Once you get their feedback, you can use their feedback to create your final schedule. Once you make the changes to the draft roster, you will not have to consider their feedback again.
