Staff scheduling for staff in the hospitality industry can be challenging. Often, the workers in these industries will work part-time or have other commitments that you need to work around, which makes the scheduling process difficult. On top of this, employees might want to trade shifts, work different hours from week to week, and even request time off with little notice.
Whether you use a scheduling tool, like an employee scheduling app, or you do the whole thing manually, scheduling is always a bit of a nightmare.
If you’re looking for a way to make things easier when it comes to shift schedules in hospitality, then we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve come up with four of our top tips when it comes to scheduling employees for your cafe, bar, or restaurant 🍽️.
Take a look below now to learn more about the best ways to schedule.
1. Develop a Smart Scheduling Strategy 🤓
Having a strategy for scheduling starts with being consistent. The best way to ensure that, is to have a systematic approach to scheduling. What this means is following the same routine for each schedule.
Here are our top tips for a smart scheduling strategy:
- Work out when your peak hours are. Knowing when demand is greatest means you’ll know when you need more staff on shift.
- Take employee preferences into account, but make sure they follow rules for time-off requests and submit availability within a reasonable amount of time (see below). While it can seem straightforward to ignore employee demands, if you force people to work shifts they cannot or don’t want to work, you may see more absenteeism, more shift swaps, and higher employee turnover. Strike a balance between giving employees what they want and making sure your shifts are covered.
- Implement a rotating shift schedule so that employees all work the more ‘undesirable’ shifts but also get to work the ‘money’ shifts throughout the month. This will also ensure that employees get their fair share of busy shifts where things are more stressful.
- Consider cross-training employees so that you always have staff available to cover a shift. If you suddenly have all of your cocktail bartenders🍸 off, cross-training means that someone can step in while they’re away.
- Have a cut-off point at least a few days before scheduling for employees to get their requests in (see below), but also ensure you’re doing the schedule on the same day each month. Regularity in scheduling is key to keeping employees happy and knowing where you all stand for the month ahead. If you’re going to be late with the schedule, then make sure to communicate clearly with staff about it.
- Consider skill levels when setting out your shifts. For example, having a shift with only new starters working is likely to put more stress on the manager or supervisor in charge. Pepper each shift with those with more experience alongside newer staff who might still be undergoing training.
- Monitor seasonal shifts and other changes throughout the year and forecast these changes in your upcoming schedules. Learn from mistakes and evaluate as often as possible.
2. Get to Know Your Staff 🤝
One of the easiest ways to make sure your scheduling works well for everyone is to know your staff inside and out. As we’ve mentioned above, peppering a range of skill levels throughout each shift will create balance and ensure new starters aren’t overwhelmed. But on top of this, knowing which staff like working quieter daytime shifts compared with those who thrive in the chaos of weekend shifts can keep your staff happy overall.
Getting to know your staff will mean that they also feel like they can come to you with scheduling conflicts, are more likely to put day-off requests in on time, and will work shifts for you when you need them to cover much more readily.
But while keeping your staff happy is always a good idea, remember you need to balance what they want with what you need. There are some instances when you will need to make changes and swap people’s shifts around.
This isn’t always a bad thing, for example:
- Having your best bartender on for certain lunch shifts where the work is slower might increase patronage and make what was once a quiet time into your busiest time, due to the upgrade in customer service.
- A new staff member steps up because they are given the opportunity and becomes your most competent and best worker after scheduling them for a busy shift.
Remember that variety can benefit you, but it can also boost staff satisfaction and happiness, leading to a more positive workforce overall.
Source: Futurelearn
In hospitality🧑🍳, something different might mean working a bar shift when they have previously only worked as a host. It could also mean switching up their schedule, dealing with different customers, or having the opportunity to learn something new.
3. Set Ground Rules for Shift Swaps and Requests 📄
Often as a manager, you will be fielding lots of different requests for time off, holidays🏖️, and more. But if you’re trying to make a schedule, then last-minute requests can mean starting from scratch.
We recommend setting some ground rules for shift swapping and time-off requests so that you can make a schedule to suit everyone, and so that all your shifts are properly covered as you need them to be.
Below is our list of recommended rules.
4. Use Employee Scheduling Software 🧑💻
Employee scheduling apps can have a profound impact on the speed and efficiency of your scheduling process.
So, how do scheduling apps work?
- Automated scheduling: Managers can input shift requirements and the app will generate a schedule based on these rules. The app will take things like employee availability, preferences, and labor laws into account for you.
- Time off management: Employees have access to the app and can input their time off requests directly so that managers can see it and align schedules with the availability of their team.
- Notifications and communication: The app acts as a centralized space for staff and managers so that employees can remain up to date when schedules come out and if any shifts have to change.
- Shift swapping: Keeping track of shift swaps is always stressful, but with an app, swaps can be logged and the manager will stay up to date.
- Analytics: A scheduling app can also use historical data to forecast shifts and demand. This means you’ll be able to make informed decisions about the number of staff members you have on shift.
If you’re looking for an employee scheduling app, then the Tommy app for employee scheduling in hospitality is absolutely perfect for you. Learn more about it.
In Closing - Smarter Scheduling Allows Managers To Work On Growing the Business vs. Managing Schedules & Shift Coverage
Overall, having an effective method of shift scheduling is going to benefit you. If you can spend more time focusing on growth as a business and less time fielding schedule complaints, holiday requests, and more, then your business is going to be all the better for it.
If you’re in the market for an employee scheduling app, then consider using the Tommy app. You can read all about it here.
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