How to create an efficient employee schedule?

Let’s be real—scheduling your teams’ shifts is often one of the trickiest parts of managing a business. Balancing peak hours, employee availability and making sure you’re not over or understaffed is no easy task. 

But, with a bit of planning, the right strategies, and maybe a little help from staff scheduling software, you can create  efficient schedules that keep both your operations smooth and your team happy.

Here’s a breakdown of how to get it done, with minimal headaches and maximum efficiency.

Understand your business’s needs first

Before you dive into your team’s availability, start by looking at your business. What does your operation really need?

Figuring this out first will help you avoid either  understaffing, which can hurt customer service, or overstaffing, which will eat into your bottom line.

So, here’s what to focus on:

• Identify peak times: When is your business busiest? Is there a Monday morning rush or a Friday night spike? Recognizing these trends will help  ensure you’ve got enough staff at the right times.

• Align with budget: Always keep labour costs in mind. Sure, having extra hands-on deck can feel like a safety net, but overstaffing can lead to unnecessary expenses.

• Match skills with demand: Do you need more experienced staff during high-traffic periods? Or can you afford to have a mix of new hires and seasoned employees?

Talk to your employees about their availability

Once you’ve mapped out your business needs, it’s time to connect with your team. An efficient schedule takes employee availability and preferences into account as much as possible. After all, happy employees are more likely to show up on time and stick around.

Here’s how you can gather their availability:

• Use a clear process: Whether it’s a digital form, software, or a good old spreadsheet, make it easy for employees to share their availability and time-off requests.

• Ask about preferences: Some people thrive in the mornings; others are night owls. If you can accommodate these preferences, you’ll see a big boost in morale (and likely fewer sick days).

• Set boundaries for time-off requests: Create a clear policy for requesting time off and encourage employees to get their requests in early. This way, you can minimize last-minute gaps and confusion.

And don’t forget the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance. If you’re piling shifts on your best employees, they may look fine for now, but burnout will sneak up and hit harder than an Albertan winter.

Use technology to streamline the process

Let’s face it—manually creating schedules can be a nightmare, especially when you have a growing team. This is where using the right scheduling software can be a game-changer. It not only saves you time but also makes the process more transparent for your staff.

Consider these tools:

• Scheduling platforms like BrightHR: These allow employees to input their availability, accept and decline shifts, and request time off directly. For you, they make the whole scheduling process much easier, thanks to drag-and-drop interfaces and automated notifications.

• Mobile access: Some scheduling software lets employees check their shifts on their phones. This means fewer “I didn’t know I was working” calls or late arrivals.

• Integrate with payroll: Some tools also integrate directly with payroll, making your life a whole lot simpler.

Build flexibility into your schedule

No matter how perfect your schedule looks, sometimes  things come up; someone may  get sick, a family emergency may  arise, or the unexpected could happen. That’s why it’s important to leave a little breathing room in your schedule.

Here’s how to create that flexibility:

• Have on-call staff: If your business can afford it, keep a couple of part-time or on-call employees in the mix for emergencies. They can cover last-minute shifts or step in if someone can’t make it.

• Cross-train your team: The more versatile your employees are, the easier it will be to fill gaps. For example, if your cashier is also trained in inventory or your server can cover for the bartender, you’ve got flexibility built in.

• Allow shift swaps: Letting employees swap shifts (within reason) can reduce the burden on you to constantly juggle changes and keep everyone happy.

Create fair and consistent schedules

Nobody likes feeling like they’re getting the short end of the stick when it comes to shifts. Whether it’s getting stuck with weekend shifts, late nights, or holiday coverage, it’s important to keep things fair.

Here are some tips for keeping your schedules fair:

• Rotate tough shifts: Make sure less desirable shifts (like weekends or late nights) are fairly rotated among your team.

• Balance seniority and fairness: While senior employees might get first pick of shifts as a perk, you don’t want newer employees to feel like they’re stuck with the worst shifts all the time. So, try to strike a balance.

• Set limits: If someone is repeatedly asking for prime shifts or weekends off, you may need to step in and set limits to ensure the schedule is fair for everyone.

Communicate early and clearly

One of the biggest scheduling mistakes is failing to communicate with your team in advance. You know how frustrating it is when someone springs a change on you without notice? Your employees feel the same. So, make sure you’re giving them their schedules with plenty of lead time.

Here’s how to do it:

• Release schedules early: Aim to release your schedule at least two weeks in advance. This gives employees time to raise any concerns or adjust their plans.

• Notify changes ASAP: If you need to make any changes, let your team know as soon as possible. Nothing frustrates employees more than last-minute changes.

• Open a feedback loop: Encourage your employees to share feedback on the scheduling process. If someone feels overworked or like they’re consistently getting bad shifts, you want to hear about it so you can make adjustments.

Stay on top of Canadian employment standards

Scheduling isn’t just about meeting business needs and employee preferences—it’s also about complying with provincial employment standards.

Canadian provinces have specific regulations around work hours, overtime, and breaks, so make sure you’re up to date with the rules in your province. And if you’re ever in doubt, reach out to employment relation experts.

Monitor, adjust, and improve

Creating a schedule is just the first step. Once it’s in place, you need to keep an eye on how well it’s working. Are you hitting your productivity targets? Are employees consistently calling out on certain shifts? Adjusting the schedule over time is key to long-term success.

Here’s how to refine your schedule:

• Track attendance and productivity: If certain shifts always seem to have absenteeism or lateness  issues, it might be a sign to reconsider who’s working or how the shift is structured.

• Listen to your team: Pay attention to feedback from your employees. Are they feeling overworked? Do they need more downtime between shifts? Making adjustments based on their input can improve morale and performance.

• Tweak as needed: Scheduling is a dynamic process. Be ready to make changes as your business grows or as you notice patterns in employee behaviour or customer demand.

Discover an award-winning employee scheduling software

Creating an efficient employee schedule doesn’t have to be a headache. By focusing on your business’s needs, listening to your team, using the right tools, and staying flexible, you can build a schedule that works for everyone.

Remember, the key is to find the balance between operational efficiency and employee satisfaction.

To make things even easier, discover stress-free shift and schedule planning for any working pattern from BrightHR with our online staff scheduling software.