Flexible Scheduling
- Anonymous
- Carissa Warnock (Unlicensed)
- Julie Leake (Unlicensed)
The technology of Scheduler, when used in conjunction with the concept of flexible scheduling, provides better service to your guests while saving on labor costs. Flexible scheduling is accomplished by flexing shift length, as well as shift start and end times.Â
Flexible scheduling utilizes your staff for maximum coverage during periods of peak work demand, while minimizing time lost during off-peak periods. Thus, when you need to respond more effectively to guest demand or peak work loads while effectively controlling the use of labor resources, flexible scheduling provides the solution.
Flexible scheduling requires you to make staffing decisions based on information about guest demand patterns. Without knowing when the work needs to be done, flexible scheduling cannot be an effective tool. By comparing forecasted hours to work requirements, then considering minimum shift requirements, you are able, with the help of Scheduler, to create a schedule that serves your needs.
Minimum shifts also influence flexible scheduling in that we cannot reasonably expect an employee to work for only one or two hours, and union contracts usually make specific restrictions. In general, it is easier to use short shifts in areas where employees depend on tips for their primary income than in areas where employees depend on hourly wages. Tipped employees are often satisfied to work when they can make the most money in the least hours. Non-tipped employees, however, want to work a 40- or near 40-hour week, unless they are part-time. To satisfy this group and maximize the effectiveness of the hours used, you must be able to determine a schedule which incorporates the needed flexibility while addressing two key considerations: 1) What is the minimum shift? and 2) Which employees are the most effective and therefore deserving of the most hours?
The following example demonstrates how, by flexing shift length and shift start and end times, 32 hours can provide much better service through flexible scheduling than through conventional scheduling:
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