When to Work is an easy way for businesses to plan, track time and availability, and communicate with their hourly employees. Add a schedule and timer to each activity package with free iOS and Android apps. Keep a record of that time off, staff availability, and manage shifts swaps with just a few clicks. Collaborate with your lead provider to simplify the process and avoid human error.
When to Work (Schedule) for Your Team
A complete work schedule is something that many managers strive to do. Unfortunately, few can do it. This is despite the fact that technology makes it easier than ever to simplify the process and get it right the first time.
Whether you’re using online editing apps, have your own tools like Excel, or rely on a pen and paper path, there are some important points to keep in mind. These points range from building your best staff to the worst planning to using the best work tools.
What Is a Perfect Work Schedule?
Before we begin to create a complete work schedule, it is worthwhile to consider what a good finished product will look like. Let’s take a look at some of the things your work plan should do.
Features Your Work Schedule Should Include
First and foremost, your work schedule needs to make sure each shift has the right staff in each area. You may not need a bartender at all for lunch shifts during the week, but you probably need three people behind the bar on Friday and Saturday nights. Always get the numbers right.
To do this, be aware of events either local or national that may create unusual heights for customers. Sports events, concerts, festivals, and theater performances are all things that should be done. Also, check out the reservation list. Weekend nights may be a bit slow, but you don’t want to be caught unawares at the same time when there’s a big party reservation on Tuesday.
The second requirement for your work plan is that it should be completely flawless. It may seem like we are saying the obvious thing, but creating a work schedule is not an easy process. It is much easier to make a mistake than to make a complete plan of action. Here are three common scheduling errors:
Double Scheduling Employee
It says you have an employee who works part-time as a host and some shifts as a bus driver. Make sure such employees are not scheduled twice at the same time.
Scheduling staff for the wrong position
No matter how amazing a line chef is at their job, it doesn’t mean they know how to operate the grill. Do not arrange for an employee who has not been trained to do so.
Under- or over-scheduling employees
Make sure you do not give the temporary employee too many shifts. These team members may have other commitments besides work that they will not miss. Similarly, full-time workers need to be given sufficient rest to meet their financial obligations. However, avoid giving one employee multiple shifts in any given week. This helps keep staff costs low, as you will not have to pay extra overtime.
If you can’t get away from these three common mistakes, you’re on the right track. But what else needs to be done to create a complete work schedule? In short, a good work schedule that keeps you and your employees happy while maximizing efficiency and profitability.
Tips for Proper Work Schedule
Following are mentioned some tips for proper work schedule.
1. Know Your Team
Getting to know your team is probably the most basic part of building a work schedule. Basically, in fact, you may be wondering why we even bother to talk about it. We bring you the simple fact that many managers do work that is not up to standard for their employees. Some even skip this step altogether. All they care about is making sure there are enough people to cover all the change. Now why is it important to know your team? Because it allows you to make decisions to further business success rather than just get enough daytime racing servers.
Really getting to know your team members gives you the freedom and flexibility to mix and match skills, strengths, weaknesses, and personality types to create the right change for any situation. To make this process easier, we recommend making a list that includes:
-
Name of employee
-
Relevant skills
-
Certificates
-
Full or temporary status
-
Extra time limits
-
Personality of person (e.g., outgoing, friendly, introverted, etc.)
-
Some notes you may find useful (e.g., effective, can handle large crowds, meticulous, etc.)
That way, when you try to compile a schedule, you can look in your list to find the right employee to fill the hole somewhere instead of trying to rely on your memory. Then, as you learn more about your employees, add them to the list to get a complete picture of each team member. Even a basic listing of the characteristics and skills of your work can make the next step extremely easy.
2. Establish A Team-Wide Communication Method
Communication is essential to any business. But in the food and retail industries, it can mean the difference between having enough staff to cover the shift and having fewer employees. Establishing a team-wide communication system makes it easy for you and your employees to know exactly where to look for your work plan. No more email searches, instant messaging, and messaging apps to get a new work schedule or that request to close the time you need. Everyone uses the same tool so everyone is on the same page.
If you have not already done so, set this contact for the whole group immediately. With so many people using smartphones these days, your best bet is to choose a method that uses the current technology. Texting is one such way. Instant messaging is another.
Another great option is an app like Sling. The sling is a tool designed specifically for restaurants so it takes all the guesswork at this important step. Apps like Sling Couple are powerful editing tools with equally powerful communication tools. This allows you to improve internal communication by chatting and sharing messages, photos, videos, and links. In addition, you can contact one person, group, or all employees at the same time. These and other communication features make apps like Sling your bet the best for group-wide communication.
3. Honor Work Preferences and Time-Off Requests as Much as Possible
Basically, respect for work ethic and timely requests build favors, increase employee satisfaction, and help you retain good employees. The most important part of the planning process, to say the least. It can also be an amazing time-consuming part of the planning process.
However, you can reduce the time it takes to process all this information by keeping your employees’ preferences and requests for time off in one place. It doesn’t matter if it’s a manilla folder, a quick note on your phone, or a document on your computer. What matters is that you refer to the information as often as you can.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to use a cloud-based document such as the document you used to build and distribute your system. You can give your employees permission to add to this document and ask them to submit their work and time interests in one place. It is very similar to having a time-bound request box mounted on the wall in the living room, only this “box” is accessible anytime, anywhere.
After you find out how your employees send you what they like at work and requests for time off, it is important that you set certain rules that will govern the process. You should talk about things like when employees can and cannot ask for time off, when the application should be made in advance, and anything related to your business. For example, because of the way your system is structured, employees may be able to take breaks with blocks for five days or less. That should definitely be reflected in the rules.
You will need to set rules that determine how you decide between different applications that may be more common as the holidays approach. You can set up a dispute resolution rubric to suit each case, but you should always consider factors such as age, reason for the application, business suitability, and when the application was submitted. Establishing rules like these makes the resolution process more transparent to your employees. You can explain to work A for specific reasons why you let employee B have time off (being older and employee B getting his or her request first), rather than letting employee A think that there is some kind of choice involved. This keeps everyone happy, keeps everything running smoothly, and helps to avoid conflicts between all involved.
4. Let Employees Find Their Own Substitutes
Giving your employees the responsibility to find a replacement when they are unable to work is another way to reduce your workload. Instead of the employee calling you and saying he or she will not be able to come in today, the employee may send a notice informing everyone that he or she is ill and in need of a replacement. The group-wide communication network is the cornerstone of this process.
Some employees who are willing to work can respond equally quickly. Something that may have taken an hour or more with countless calls in your parts, can now be completed in just a few minutes. That said, you should always have guidelines to make sure things don’t get out of hand and negatively affect your business. First, make sure everyone knows that all trades and replacements must be approved by you, the manager, and that nothing is permanent until you provide your progress. Let all team members know that this provision is in place for each shift to find the right mix of skills.
Another good guideline we should have is that all replacement, and trade should be someone who has done the job before, and who can still do it at the right level of efficiency. Wanting to find replacements is a great way to instill a sense of maturity and consideration in your employees. In addition, it helps employees feel more involved in the business and think about what is involved in the planning process. By showing your employees what is involved in creating a work schedule and finding replacements, you can create the impression that the schedule is not something that should be altered at will. If they are organized and able, they need to work.
5. Have A Backup for Your Backup
No matter how carefully an object is planned, something can still go wrong. If you have been a manager for any length of time, you are well aware of this fact of life. So even if you have your own availability chart that describes existing employees working with a short notice, you may need a backup for this backup, or program C to your B plan.
That’s why we recommend setting up a list of loyal and reliable temporary employees to contact when all your other options have failed. These employees may be former employees who leave with good intentions or who will be interviewed employees but not employed. You may think that these people will never agree to come with such a short notice, but you will never know until you ask. Former employees can look forward to working with your team as well, and potential employees can jump on the bandwagon.
6. Get Employees to Do Some of The Work Scheduling
The downside is that many managers forget that they don’t have to do all the heavy lifting on their own. Giving your employees the opportunity to do some self-organizing is a great way to do this:
-
Take some of the burden.
-
Keep them participating in their work.
Consider arranging one or two of your best employees for each shift as a first step. Then give everyone access to this imperfect system and let them fill in when they want to work.
If you want to try this editing method, allow the change for a set period of time (maybe two days) and close the schedule for the external version. Finally, skip and make changes depending on what each shift requires. When all satisfaction is complete, make the system available to everyone again.
If you have planned everything right from the start, you might consider trying this new method for a few months to see how it works. Setting up apps like Sling makes this easy. You create a standard document online and give everyone access to that document in a few days. When it’s time to complete the schedule, close the document, make your changes, and reopen it for viewing. It’s that simple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Following are some frequently asked questions related to when to work.
1. When can I work for free?
When I work it is free up to 75 employees. Premium plans with additional features are available from $ 1.50 / user / month. When I work, I am paid monthly or annually.
2. How do you work as an employee?
Register with your workplace to access your schedule, tracking time, and check-in clock. Check your schedule from anywhere using When I Work apps. Prepare how you were automatically notified by When I Work. Set your availability preferences to notify your manager if you prefer a configuration.
3. How do I cancel my work?
You can cancel your account at any time by logging in to your account and selecting the “Account and Payment” tab (usually found in the profile menu in the top navigation bar). Once you are on the Account and Payment page, click the red “Cancel Account” link.
Conclusion
An app like sling really is an excellent solution for scheduling your team’s work plan. It can help you apply all of the above tips and provide easy ways to assign and track activities, create social media pages, and much more. Of course, managing a restaurant, any business in that regard, will always be a daunting task. Fortunately, imitation can make at least one part of that task easier. Overall, it can reduce the amount of time you spend on planning issues and making sure that staff members are expected to be on time.