As a manager, your day is already full of responsibilities ranging from operations to customer service, and financial management. Thus, managing a team can be challenging, especially when it comes to rostering and scheduling staff. It requires time, effort, and strategy to ensure that every member of your team is utilized effectively, while also respecting their availability and accomplishing team goals. However, with the advent of technology, scheduling staff does not need to take up too much of your time. With the right workforce management solution, you can streamline the process and focus on other important aspects of your business. In this blog post, we will dive deep into the factors to consider when rostering and scheduling staff, and how an electronic rostering workforce management solution can help.
Shift Pattern
One of the first things to consider in scheduling staff is the shift pattern. This involves deciding the time and type of shifts the team members will work. Will they work Monday to Friday, or do you prefer everyone to work different shifts throughout the week? The shift pattern you choose should be reasonable, manageable, and adaptable to the needs of your team and your business. A workforce management solution can help you to create shift patterns that fit your business needs and factor in employee preferences, skills, and availability, saving you time and effort.
Rostering
Electronic Rostering is assigning shifts to each team member based on the shift pattern you have chosen. This is an essential process that can positively impact your business. It is good management practice to ensure that shifts are assigned to team members based on their skills, seniority, experience, and availability. With a workforce management tool, you will be able to roster staff while ensuring that your team can access the schedules anywhere, anytime, and get notified of shift changes, instantly minimizing the chance for errors and time disputes.
Breaks and Holidays
Apart from assigning shifts, you will also need to factor in the breaks and holidays for your team members. An Electronic Rostering workforce management tool will offer a feature where staff can see their break times and keep track of their allocated holidays. This way, they will be able to plan their work-life balance better while reducing overlaps or conflicts with your business needs.
Ad-hoc Shifts and Non-availability
It is quite common for businesses to have ad-hoc shifts, such as covering for emergencies or last-minute staffing requirements. Additionally, considering team members’ non-availability is equally essential when planning shift schedules. A workforce management tool can help you manage these factors; you can contact available team members instantly via communication channels that the tool offers and allocate shifts accordingly. The tool will also allow team members to indicate their non-availability, making it easier to manage your shift schedule.
Compliance and Reporting
Compliance and reporting are critical requirements for businesses within regulated industries. Non-compliance can result in serious financial penalties or even loss of business. A workforce management tool will ensure that your business is compliant based on your countries labour laws, and also provide you with reporting functionality. Managers can access records showing shift patterns, vacation times, non-availability, and additional records that are important for audits and performance assessments.
Conclusion:
Workforce management tools make a manager’s life easier when it comes to rostering and scheduling staff. With such tools, managers can create shift patterns that factor in availability and ad-hoc shift requirements quickly, roster team members, and give them instant access to shift schedules while ensuring compliance with regulatory statutes. With an Electronic Rostering workforce management tool, you can also assist your team members in achieving a better work-life balance. Moreover, with improved flexibility, efficient scheduling, and effective use of staff, you can achieve team goals while maximizing profitability. Start streamlining your staff scheduling today with a workforce management tool, and you will not regret
