With the boon, that is, globalization, there has been an increasing inclination towards the corporate form of employment. Such increment has led to an explosion of the workforce into multinational corporations. Governments witnessing such a surplus of employees brought forth improved labor laws to protect their employees. With increased labor force and stricter labor protection codes, the burden has increased multiple folds on the management.
Staff scheduling ensures an increase in the overall efficiency of your corporate machinery and optimizes your spending. But, managers often struggle when it comes to creating work schedules for their staff. They have to ensure they utilize their employees’ full potential to assure efficiency. Managers have to be mindful of the mental, financial and psychological conditions of their employees. They also need to assess the mental and psychological toll that the work schedule takes on the staff members. On average, managers contribute 20% of their working hours to staff scheduling, that is, 3.14 hours a week and 140 hours annually.
As an employer, the wisest decision you could make for your business is researching and knowing everything about staff scheduling. Here are a few reasons why?
Importance of Staff Scheduling
Staff scheduling is a blessing if used in the right way. It is a benefit for the business. The sign of a good staff schedule is that it will utilize its staff’s full potential without subjecting them to pressure. Such a schedule, in turn, ensures a harmonious and stable relationship between the management and the employees. It promises a positive work environment. The perfect amalgamation of such factors guarantees the loyalty of their employees to the company. It is a win-win situation for the business as well as the employees.
Manual vs Automated Staff Scheduling
As mentioned before, on average, a manager spends 20 percent of his working hours on staff scheduling which he could otherwise invest in other projects. With an ever-growing workforce, staff scheduling is not a piece of cake. Creating a schedule and continuously communicating and updating the staff members can be extremely hectic. Thankfully, technology has offered a hand in the form of workforce management apps and softwares. These apps and software acknowledge the challenges of scheduling and are designed to counter them. Workforce management app and software send notification of the schedule to the employee’s phone. It allows the staff to take command by allowing them to schedule themselves. The cloud remains accessible 24×7. It ensures employee satisfaction and reduces the hassle of staff scheduling. They also help to bring down the overall running cost of the business. According to a study, employee turnover increases by 174% in an office that lacks automated staff scheduling.
Productivity
IIgnoring the importance of productivity is self-destruction for any business. Increasing productivity can be a difficult task, and maintaining it is a strenuous task. Methods like appraisals work as a catalyst to spike morale among the employees. As mentioned earlier, just raising morale is not enough keeping up with it is the real challenge. In such a situation, staff scheduling comes in handy. It lets the managers ensure a smooth flow of work within the company. By opting for workforce management apps and software, productivity increases. It reduces the hassle of communication. Employees take charge of scheduling themselves thereby, ensuring comfort and maximum productivity. Without the continuous worrying of the new work schedule and a relaxed and comfortable work environment, a steady increase in productivity is, for sure, guaranteed.
Focus on various departments
Just as the human body, business is only successful if every department carries out its functions flawlessly. A company is sure to be a failure if all departments are not in sync. Staff scheduling renders you an opportunity to focus and thoroughly analyze various departments. The management can utilize the analysis outcomes to target the problem areas. Staff scheduling opens up room for improvement at the grass-root level.
Employee record
An automated scheduling system allows employees to schedule themselves, leaving the manager extra office hours to focus on additional projects. However, it is not the only benefit that comes along with using an automated scheduling system. It also generates a track record for every employee. It notifies the management if the employee is underperforming or is absent. Further, they can also track the amount of time invested in each task. Based on the data, you may reprimand or appreciate the deserving employee. The management can escape the charges of playing favorites with the employees. It has shown decreased resentment towards the administration and increased satisfaction among the employees.
Compliance
Staff scheduling acts as a measure to ensure compliance. The tracking system will secure a strict adherence to the work regime thereby, enforcing compliance. The obedience is kept in check on the part of the employees as well as on the employers. Staff scheduling helps track the employee classification along with their payroll journals. Staff scheduling makes it easier to make changes according to the new labor laws that come into effect. It is a big help for small businesses that lack the funds to hire a compliance officer. An automated staff scheduling plays the part of the compliance officers.
Platform for Communication
Manual staff scheduling can be one of the most stressful tasks in an office. Creating a work schedule is just the first step and perhaps the easiest. The communication back and forth to update the staff regarding the work schedule is the real challenge. Manual staff scheduling calls for one-on-one divulgence can be a very tiresome and extremely slow-moving process. An automated scheduling system does not require one on one update. It sends a notification to the staff members’ mobiles, eliminating a huge part of the workload. They can also act as an office chat group. Managers can send news and events updates to the employee and keep them in the loop.
Conclusion
Staff scheduling is a blessing for companies as it favours both the employer and employees. Increasing the efficiency and productivity based on the data-driven algorithm is the call of the hour. They are already the talk of the town. They are the future of office management.
