Tips for a Successful Shift Planning

Planning shifts is one of the most critical responsibilities that a manager is responsible for
carrying out. If you get just one thing wrong, your entire company will come to a grinding halt.
Because of the potential for harm, the activity may appear daunting, which is especially true if it
is your first time attempting it. However, it does not have to be an extremely difficult ordeal.
Many of the more troublesome parts can be readily solved if the appropriate methods and
procedures are put into place. To make things easier, Papershift offers online shift planning
along with an employee app for the effortless management of shifts. Here are some tips to
conduct a successful shift planning.

Establish Communication

Everyone should be able to communicate effectively about their respective timetables. It is going
to generate pandemonium if some of the personnel are texting, and others are
emailing.Determine how your team will communicate about the schedules. It’s possible that
texting will operate the best if everyone has a phone. If there are multiple workers engaged in
switching shifts, the manager may communicate with everyone using a group text to ensure that
each individual is on the same page. After the communication method has been set, staff should
be instructed to obtain management approval before making any changes.

Make sure that your shifts are planned around your star performers.

You want to make sure that each shift has at least one employee who has prior expertise. Your
team’s stars can frequently handle the workload of multiple new recruits or members of the staff
with less experience. In addition, knowledgeable senior employees can act as mentors to
individuals with less experience and get them into the loop in a more expedient manner.

Participation of Employees in Shift Planning should be Encouraged

In a perfect world, we would start off with the initial interview. Determine when an individual
can work and how many hours, they are willing to put in before hiring them. When making
decisions about hiring, the availability of candidates and their desires for shifts should be
primary considerations. The next step is to include other members of your team in the shift
planning process.In today’s competitive job market, the ability to have some say over one’s work
schedule can be the deciding factor between two otherwise equally appealing employment
opportunities.

Make Room for Shift Trading

When an employee is faced with an unforeseen issue, they have the option to post a shift through
a shift trading system that is managed by a manager. Members of the team that are interested in
working longer hours can select available shifts. Requests to alter shifts can either be granted or

denied by managers, and managers can also establish rules. An employee, for instance, is
required to possess the relevant skills or certifications in order to pick up an extra shift. 

Be familiar with the policies and procedures.

The area of human resources is governed by a plethora of laws and regulations, some of which
include federal, state, and local statutes. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the rules that regulate
the duration of shifts, overtime pay, and breaks.Some of the available software solutions for
planning shifts include modules that not only assist you in remaining compliant with labour rules
but also warn you of any changes to those laws. Learning the regulations and acting in
accordance with them will help you avoid hassle and wasted time in the future.Offer flexible
work schedules as employees find that flexible work schedules as beneficial to their career as a
whole.