For many organisations, scheduling is a weekly task that takes time to complete, requires patience to get right and then is, without fail, always changed!
Scheduling employees can be a thankless, frustrating task and it’s always a balancing act. However, effective scheduling is an essential component for having a successful business, especially when margins are tight.
Thankfully, more and more businesses are now choosing a scheduling solution to help them instead of relying on a spreadsheet. It’s because of this they are able to be more responsive to both their staff and their business needs.
But a good schedule is much more than something than can quickly be assembled by a piece of a software. A good schedule will be the conduit to empowering employees, delivering business intelligence and the difference between success and failure.
That’s why you need to make sure your schedules do the following.
Give employees choice
Give your employees the opportunity, when possible, to choose when they work. You might not be able to do this all the time but employees who have control over their schedules perform better and are more engaged. The best scheduling solutions will allow employees to request when they work, to easily switch shifts with colleagues and to take more shifts if they are available. This will allow your employees to have a much healthier work-life blend ensuring they are more productive when they are working.
Know your business
A good schedule is more than just putting people in the right place; it’s making sure they are in the right place at the right time. Invest in a solution where you are able to see when you need to schedule more staff and when you can schedule less. Whether you run a store, a bar or a restaurant, you’ll have peak periods when it will make sense to have more staff. The best workforce management systems will help you see when these times are.
Respond instantly
Your employees want to know when they are working and they want to know when anything changes. Instead of having the schedule in one place, make sure it’s accessible to everyone, from anywhere. Jonatan Moreno, an employee at GANT, who use Quinyx as their workforce management solution, says this: “From an employee’s perspective, using a system like Quinyx is fantastic because it’s live and we see updates immediately. I can see how many hours I’m working, apply to work more in busy periods, use it to request time off as well as being able to check messages and my schedule when I’m not in the office.”
Get mobile
To be able to respond instantly, you’ll also need a solution that is built for mobile. With the changing nature of the workforce, your employees will increasingly expect interaction between their smart devices and their jobs. They manage all other areas of their lives through their phones, they now expect to do the same with their schedules which is why you need a solution that comes with an app.
Control costs
Being able to control costs is something every business must do well. In some industries it takes on even more importance like the healthcare sector where the majority of care homes fail because they aren’t able to control their labour costs. Costs savings go straight to the bottom line so whether it’s reducing overtime or simply scheduling smarter, use a system where you can do this easily.
What’s clear is that schedules are now much more than just being a rota. They are key to keeping employees happy and a business lean and successful. What’s more is systems like Quinyx are built to optimise performance and allow businesses to control schedules, time management, payroll, budgeting and forecasting all from one place - request a demo today and see for yourself!
