“What days do I work again?”
As a manager, you may hear this question from your employees quite often. It can be tiring to continuously field these questions, but many managers come to believe that it’s just a part of the job.
However, effectively scheduling work may reduce the amount of these types of questions you receive. Efficiently scheduling work will also help to improve communication. It can help to reduce the amount of missed employee workdays which can result in not having an adequate number of staff members.
Not having enough staff members to work because of a scheduling issue can pose real problems for your business. It can greatly affect the quality of customer service and the speed of operation. This may cause customers to become angry about their experience.
They may then request to speak to a manager, which can take you away from completing other managerial tasks. They may also leave a bad review online. Bad reviews can be damaging to a business and its reputation.
But, there is a way to reduce scheduling errors and improve the scheduling process. Read on to discover 7 tips to make scheduling work an easier task.
7 Tips for Scheduling Work Effectively
Poor customer service can have negative consequences for your business. You do a great job of hiring and training employees, but scheduling work conflicts may arise. These scheduling work conflicts can be the result of human error on the managerial side of a business or the employee.
Despite why the scheduling work error occurred, it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. And, if this issue becomes a constant, then it may be time to seek out a new scheduling process or employee schedule maker.
If you’re convinced that you’re in need of an improved scheduling process, then explore the following tips for successfully scheduling work for employees.
- Express Appreciation
Employees need to know that they are valued and appreciated. According to a study, 66% of employees would quit a job for feeling unappreciated. And, when an employee is gearing up to quit, they are likely to become less engaged and miss work days.
Express appreciation for your employees for what they do and how they do it. Appreciate their efforts for being flexible and grant them days off when they truly need them. This will help them to know that they can also trust you because you have their best interests in mind.
- Schedule Well in Advance
Try to create a schedule at least 2 weeks in advance. Let all employees know exactly when they are scheduled after the schedule is created. This will help to resolve any scheduling conflicts well in advance.
- Provide Access to Schedules
Employees need to have constant access to their employee schedules. Post work schedules in the break room or provide employee access online. This will allow them to check their schedule regularly so that they are aware of when they work.
By having online access to their schedule, it can also lower instances of human error. For example, an employee might initially look at their schedule and believe they work on a Tuesday when they actually are scheduled on a Wednesday. This allows employees to be more self-reliant and correct their own errors promptly.
- Be Open to Communication
Most employees want to do a good job. But, missing days of work, even for legitimate reasons, may cause them to worry about how you will perceive them. Let your employees know that you are always open to communication and willing to adjust the schedule to meet their needs.
By doing so, you’re encouraging your staff to be more productive overall. It’s also important to allow your employees to take vacation days so that they can return to work refreshed.
- Hire the Right Candidates
The right candidate for the job is one who can meet all the expectations outlined in the job description. One such expectation is when your business needs them to work. Make it clear when you need a potential candidate to work so that they are clear about scheduling expectations.
You should also make sure that you hire candidates with a reliable work history. Check the candidate’s references to learn more about their work ethic and punctuality.
- Be a Great Leader
To be a great leader, you need to be a great role model. This means that you need to show up to work on time and follow the work schedule as well.
Aim to lead your employees instead of managing them. By leading your employees, you’ll be cultivating a safe environment where your employees can grow and communicate more effectively. Letting them know that you trust them will also inspire them to value their work and role even more.
- Be Clear about Scheduling Expectations
You attempt to create standardized scheduling expectations. This means that scheduling workloads need to be as fair as possible to all employees. For example, you can set an expectation that all employees need to work at least one weekend each month.
This will help to reduce instances where one employee feels slighted and like they are sacrificing aspects of their personal lives. Let your employees also know your policies about switching shifts with other employees and the process for finding another employee to work their shift last minute.
Successfully Scheduling Work and Improving Customer Service
Successfully scheduling work is key to improving our business operations. It’s also vital for increasing our employees’ level of confidence, satisfaction, and commitment.
As business owners and managers, we understand how important our employees are. We also understand how important it is to create a positive work environment. By improving our scheduling work processes, we can expect to cultivate better relationships with our staff members.
Scheduling conflicts are likely to still occur, but knowing that you have a solid scheduling work plan in place can help to determine how to deal with individual cases appropriately.
Want to learn more about software programs that can help your business to operate more successfully? Check out our blog post to learn more.