Employers may encounter various scheduling issues, such as talent shortages, interruptions in the supply chain, variable consumer needs, and an increase in the desire among employees for more flexibility. Employers can benefit from exploring creative strategies for organizing shifts, like cooperative scheduling methods and modern scheduling technologies to navigate these hurdles. Implementing solutions that use predictive algorithms, and artificial intelligence can assist in sustaining productivity, even in the face of unexpected challenges.
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What is shift planning?
Shift planning or scheduling involves allocating employee work hours during peak periods and reducing the workforce during slower times. This strategy helps businesses ensure optimal employee presence to enhance productivity and reduce expenses.
However, the interests of the business should not overshadow employee welfare. Shift planning includes a significant human aspect, and when it's done keeping the employee’s well-being into consideration, it can lead to high levels of employee engagement and loyalty. Employers can ensure work-life balance when carrying out shift planning. Adopting this kind of employee-focused method of scheduling involves a collaborative approach where employees can indicate their preferred work hours and be able to exchange shifts with peers. This empowerment can lead to reduced absenteeism and increased job satisfaction among employees.
How to get started with shift planning
To effectively shift from manual to technological methods of managing work schedules, companies can adopt the following strategy:
- Assess the organization's needs and engage with employee scheduling software providers to determine whether their capabilities align with the company's requirements.
- Implement the chosen software on a trial basis with a select group of employees and refine the process according to their input.
- Expand the use of the scheduling tool across the entire organization, ensuring that employees receive targeted training on how to use it.
- Offer continuous support so employees can effortlessly access their schedules and managers can easily approve schedule changes.
- Establish and disseminate a clear scheduling policy and ensure that new hires are introduced to it as part of their orientation.
- Periodically review staffing levels in relation to the company's objectives and growth plans to confirm they are in alignment.
Shift planning best practices
A scheduling approach that avoids both understaffing and overstaffing while aligning with both employer and employee interests can be seen as the optimal strategy for shift management. Even when using the most effective tools, there are several fundamental practices employers should follow:
- Ensure that each shift is staffed with employees who possess the necessary skills to fulfill business needs.
- Have schedules readily available and published in advance.
- Maintain transparency with employees regarding how scheduling decisions are determined.
- Comply with all relevant laws related to hours of work, including overtime, meal breaks, shift durations, etc.
- Anticipate adjustments and prepare backup plans for instances when employees unexpectedly cannot make their shifts.
Benefits of shift planning
Shift scheduling software enhances visibility for managers into workforce schedules, enables employees to have greater autonomy over their scheduling, and fosters improved communication across the board. Consequently, businesses could potentially:
- Offer exceptional customer service through various platforms.
- Optimize efficiency across different sites while managing expenses.
- Adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace.
- Enhance strategic decision-making and increase conversion success.
- Motivate and hold onto key team members.
How to calculate shift planning costs
Employers can better manage their labour expenses with an effective workforce management system. They can:
- Employ metrics, like hours of work and labour limitations, to estimate expenses related to shift planning.
- Examine labour predictions, budgetary allocations, and actual expenditures to organize schedules more efficiently for a given location.
- Modify schedules as needed in response to business requirements, ensuring alignment with budgets.
Best shift planning software features
There are various tiers of shift planning tools available, from simple web-based scheduling to more sophisticated, system-supported scheduling. Depending on employers’ particular requirements and chosen solution, they can anticipate the ability to:
- Conveniently create, organize, and oversee schedules using a smartphone or tablet.
- Enhance decision-making capabilities with support from AI-driven suggestions.
- Accurately forecast staffing needs with advanced business and labour prediction algorithms and relevant data.
- Ensure that employees with the right skills are scheduled at critical times.
- Give employees control and consider their preferences through options like self-scheduling, exchanging shifts, and accommodating last-minute adjustments.
- Obtain real-time scheduling information to maintain budget adherence.
- Establish, track, and analyze workforce key performance indicators (KPIs), such as efficiency, productivity, forecasting accuracy, labour deployment, and other tailored KPIs.
Frequently asked questions
Why is shift planning important?
Effective shift planning is essential in avoiding the pitfalls of having too few or too many employees on hand, which can lead to increased labour expenses. Poorly managed work schedules can result in unhappy employees, reduced work output, and a higher likelihood of turnover.
What should be included in a shift planner?
A basic shift planner should provide capabilities for scheduling online and on mobile platforms and allow employees some degree of self-management. More sophisticated systems might include features for cooperative scheduling, predictions on business and labour needs, and the ability to analyze real-time, actionable insights.
What is shift-based HR planning?
Shift-based HR planning aims to match the number of employees on duty with the anticipated needs of customers or the business, avoiding the costly scenarios of having too many or too few employees working.
What are the five scheduling principles?
- Adjust employee schedules in response to changing business needs to cut down on overtime and reduce labour expenses.
- Consider workers' preferences when assigning shifts to minimize unhappiness and prevent burnout.
- Keep track of critical performance metrics, such as efficiency, productivity, and labour utilization rates.
- Tailor staffing levels appropriately in different locations to enhance service quality and increase conversion rates.
- Ensure compliance with legal regulations regarding overtime, shift breaks, and fair scheduling practices.
What are common work schedules?
Various shift patterns can accommodate the diverse requirements of businesses and industries. Here are a few common work schedules:
- Fixed schedule – Employees have a consistent work schedule from week to week.
- Split schedule – Employees are assigned two separate shifts in a single day.
- Rotating schedule – Employees' shifts change from one week to the next.
- Flex schedule – Employees have the flexibility to set their own working hours within certain boundaries.
- Compressed schedule – Employees complete a full week's work in fewer days.
- On-call schedule – Employees are called to work outside of regular business hours as needed.
Learn More
Create an easy scheduling process and enhance communication between your employees and their managers with ADP’s employee scheduling software.
Talk to us about your employee scheduling challenges, and we’ll walk you through our solutions — including how companies like yours use them. Call 866-622-8153 or start a quote.
This guide is intended to be used as a starting point in analyzing shift planning and is not a comprehensive resource of requirements. It offers practical information concerning the subject matter and is provided with the understanding that ADP is not rendering legal or tax advice or other professional services.
