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A schedule, often called a rota or roster, is a list of employees, and associated information e.g. location, working times, responsibilities for a given time period e.g. week, month or sports season.
A schedule is necessary for the day-to-day operation of many businesses e.g. retail store, manufacturing facility and some offices. The process of creating a schedule is called scheduling. An effective workplace schedule balances the needs of stakeholders such as management, employees and customers.
A daily schedule is usually ordered chronologically, which means the first employees working that day are listed at the top, followed by the employee who comes in next, etc. A weekly or monthly schedule is usually ordered alphabetically, employees being listed on the left hand side of a grid, with the days of the week on the top of the grid. In shift work, a schedule usually employs a recurring shift plan.
Because services are produced and delivered differently than manufactured products, they are addressed separately. But it should be noted that many aspects of the process of scheduling services are applicable to resource planning in a manufacturing environment.
Service companies can use mathematical tools to set work schedules that will meet expected customer demand. In manufacturing settings, scheduling is dependent on using simulations to estimate work flow, so that potential bottlenecks can be identified. Software packages are used to carry out these simulations. In contrast, the scheduling problem that most service companies face is setting monthly, weekly, and daily personnel schedules.
In a typical integrated human resources (HR) framework for operations, HR capacity planning occurs at a strategic level over a multi-year timeframe. Workforce staffing as part of aggregate planning also happens at the strategic level but over a yearly period. Workforce scheduling occurs at relatively tactical level over a monthly timeframe. Daily assignment scheduling occurs at a short term – tactical level, over a weekly or daily timeframe.
Demand variability and the uncertainty that goes with it is a challenge. This variability can result in waiting lines. In a situation where demand is low, missed opportunities occur because services can’t be stored.
A schedule is most often created by a manager. In larger operations, a human resources manager or scheduling specialist may be solely dedicated to creating and maintaining the schedule. A schedule by this definition is sometimes referred to as workflow.
Scheduling work shifts is a very important function for any service company or organization. After all, if there aren’t enough employees to deal with demand, waiting lines can form and customers can become dissatisfied. And if there are too many employees assigned to a shift when there’s a drop off in demand, then the company loses money.
For managers to be able to schedule work shifts correctly, certain information will have to be available to them:
- how long it will take to provide the service – how long it will take an employee to deal with a customer successfully
- how many customers or appointments are expected for each day and for each week – the daily and weekly demand for the service
- how many employees are available to work
- how many days off each employee gets per week
- how many hours per day each employee can work
Software is often used to enable organizations to better manage staff scheduling. Organizations commonly use spreadsheet software or employee scheduling software to create and manage shifts, assignments, and employee preferences. For large organisations employee scheduling can be complex, and optimising this is framed as the Nurse scheduling problem in Operations Research. Advanced employee scheduling software also provides ways to connect with the staff, ask for their preferences and communicate the schedule to them.
Guidelines
There are dozens of schedule-related problems that need the attention of managers and staff alike. A well-managed schedule keeps the organization moving and resolves many complex situations. Let’s take a look at five ways to make the process easier.
Know your team – The first step to effective employee scheduling is to create list of staff who are currently working for your business or department. Along with their names and roles, you should also keep contact information handy, as well as any relevant skills and certifications. Additional information can include whether they’re part-time or full-time, as well as any overtime restrictions.
Create a process for staff availability – Give employees a chance to communicate their preferred work hours. Giving staff the option to voice their preferences offers managers a way to promote a collaborative environment. Additionally, knowing employee preferences can allow you to place staff in an available work shift that’s convenient for both parties. Availability can be kept in a calendar format or as a form. Employees should be able to pick more than one preferred shift. They should also be aware that they may sometimes have to work others shifts to cover all open business hours.
Make the schedule easily accessible – Once you’ve created the schedule, make sure that it is easy for staff member to view and access it. Often times, staff member can forget to look at the schedule if it is not in an easily visible place. Moreover, it’s easy for staff member to lose or misplace paper copies of their individual schedules. If the staff doesn’t have easy access to the schedule, they will often show up late to work (if they show up at all).
Plan for the worst – When you design the work schedule, keep the emergency factor in mind. A well designed schedule includes a plan B, so the manager won’t have to panic if any employee doesn’t show up or has to leave for an emergency. Having a well-organized availability chart will help here as well. Managers should also have clearly defined rules about shift trades and absences.
- Schedule the right person for the job
Use your staff list to ensure that you are scheduling employees according to their talents and skills. Sometimes, especially in understaffed environments, managers are forced to fill the shifts even with staff who do not best suit the jobs. This may get the work done; however, your business will benefit greatly from processes that are perfected versus being just completed. Constantly scheduling staff member in positions that do not suit their preferences or abilities can also have a negative effect on employee morale.
