5 Common Problems in Employee Scheduling – And How to Solve Them
Creating an employee scheduling plan that works optimally for both the business and employees can be a complex task. You might experience sudden staffing issues, confusion about shifts, or lack of flexibility. Small mistakes can quickly lead to stressed employees, lower productivity, and ultimately a poor experience for your customers. In this blog post, we’ll go through the 5 typical mistakes in staffing and scheduling and how to easily solve them.
Problem 1: Incorrect Staffing – Too Many or Too Few Employees
Most people have experienced working when it feels like there aren’t enough hands to handle the tasks – and on other days, when employees are bored because there are too many at work.
Finding the right balance between staffing and demand is crucial. Too few employees leads to stress, delays, and unhappy customers. Too many employees, on the other hand, creates unnecessary wage costs.
To solve these challenges, you can use intelligent employee scheduling software, where you can set minimum and maximum staffing levels for each shift. With such staff scheduling software, you can receive automatic alerts if you exceed these minimum and maximum limits. This ensures a clear overview of your staff schedule, providing the best conditions for an efficient workforce.
Problem 2: Incorrect Employee Composition
Imagine you have the right number of employees – but none of them have the necessary qualifications. A restaurant without an experienced chef, a store without a cashier supervisor, or a care home without a certified employee. It’s not just about how many employees are present, but also about whether the right employees with the right skills are there.
With staff scheduling software, you can ensure that each shift includes the exact right number of employees with both the experience and skills needed. You can also set rules within the system to ensure that there is always at least one manager or certified employee scheduled for each shift.
Problem 3: Employees Scheduled on Days Off
It’s not ideal for an employee to see that they’ve been scheduled for shifts, even though they requested time off or holiday weeks in advance. This creates frustration and stress for both the employee and the manager who now has to find a replacement at the last minute. The employee will not feel heard, and communication can appear to fail.
With employee scheduling software, you can automatically block employees who have requested time off or holiday. You can also release available shifts in the system so other employees can quickly take them. Furthermore, employees can request time off directly in the system, avoiding miscommunication and forgetfulness.
Problem 4: Lack of Communication About the Staff Schedule
Communication is important not only when it comes to requests for time off – most employees want clear and timely communication about their staff schedule. Even the best schedule is only effective if employees actually know their shifts. However, if the schedule is posted on a bulletin board in the staff room or if changes are sent via emails that aren’t read, problems arise.
Digitalise the communication and ensure your employees can always access their schedule, messages, and updates on the go. With an employee scheduling app, employees receive notifications directly on their phones, ensuring everyone is updated in real-time and reducing the risk of misunderstandings.
Problem 5: The Schedule Only Catches Errors Too Late
One of the biggest frustrations is when scheduling errors are only discovered at the last minute. For example, an employee with the necessary skills might be missing, or there might not be enough employees scheduled for a large event. Then, replacements need to be found quickly, which often leads to overtime and unhappy employees.
Ensure you have a clear overview of your staffing several weeks in advance with streamlined shiftplanning software. This way, you can spot gaps in your schedule well in advance and take proactive action, ensuring that all employees have the best experience.
Avoid Chaos in Your Staff Schedule – Make Scheduling Smarter
Employee scheduling doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process that gives planners a headache. With the right tools, you can avoid stress, misunderstandings, and overtime – and instead create a staff schedule that works for both management and employees.
See how employee scheduling software can make your day-to-day operations easier. Book a free demo here.
