Spot Scheduling Problems Before They Cost You

For small businesses with hourly workers, managing scheduling is a demanding part of the daily tasks. It’s also where inefficiencies can creep in, leading to poor coverage, shift confusion, and potentially costly compliance errors. Read on to learn about the most frequent problems and how to use software as a solution.

7 Most Common Scheduling Problems

It can be easy for small businesses to stick with systems that are familiar and “the way things have always been done.” With workers sometimes wearing multiple hats, optimizing scheduling practices may not be a high priority. However, it’s important to consider that some of the most common scheduling problems may be holding your business back from its full potential.

1. Recurring Coverage Gaps

Many businesses that rely on hourly workers manage a mix of full- and part-time staff with varying availability. Full coverage means you have the correct number of adequately trained staff members for each hour your business operates. In practice, you are usually working around staff members’ personal schedules, and sometimes that leaves gaps with fewer workers than you need. Managers are forced to scramble for last-minute replacements. If that’s not possible, employees must pick up the slack. This can lead to mistakes, morale problems, and decreased retention.

2. Overstaffing

To alleviate understaffing, you may swing too far in the other direction and schedule more staff than necessary to make sure the shift is covered. Problems arise when customers’ needs don’t match the number of staff. You end up paying for more labor than you need and may be forced to send people home early. For jobs where employees rely on tips or a set number of hours, this can affect morale, cause conflict, and lead to the loss of valuable employees who feel underappreciated.

3. Excessive Overtime

If your employees work overtime, paying them time and a half is not optional. Federal and state laws dictate what you must pay, and for some businesses, overtime is an expected part of the labor budget. But if you don’t plan for overtime, those costs can add up quickly, sometimes without you realizing it’s happening. Excessive overtime can occur when you schedule employees with proficiency and training gaps together, leading more experienced workers to stay past their shifts to manage coverage.

4. No Show Workers

When workers call out of a shift at the last minute or don’t call out at all, it puts the business and the other scheduled employees in a bind. While you can’t control every instance of a missed shift, patterns in scheduling and management can affect how often your employees feel like they have no other choice. Posting schedules late, ignoring employee preferences, and failing to honor timely and appropriate PTO requests all contribute to a lack of collaboration.

5. Poor Communication

It’s vital to deliver the schedule well in advance so your employees have time to plan and make adjustments where needed. Manual systems like paper scheduling can make it a real challenge for managers to keep all the variables in mind. Employees who are entitled to paid time off can find it frustrating when their requests sit or go unanswered. Overworked managers who are short-tempered or irritated with employees trying to work with the schedule can inadvertently make it harder on themselves when employees quit.

6. Mismanagement of Time Off

Harried managers may fall into the trap of making employees feel guilty about using their allotted time off due to scheduling issues. Employees who make requests in the prescribed way need to be able to use their time freely and receive a quick answer so they can make plans. The company should help employees keep track of what they’re owed and what’s been used. Workers can feel undervalued and overworked when they can’t take time off for appointments, illness, or vacation. 

7. Retention Problems

All of the issues listed above contribute to employees deciding to quit rather than work within an inefficient system. Every hole in the schedule means starting the hiring process from scratch, which can be time-consuming and costly. 

Workforce Management Solutions to Scheduling Problems

To address many scheduling problems at once, consider that WorkforceHub can ease the burden on managers and workers.

Mobile or Desktop Management

WorkforceHub software takes a multi-prong approach to schedule management:

• Timekeeping functionality lets employees use their devices to clock in and out, no matter their location, including any mandatory meal and break periods, configurable to your company and to your local laws.
• Schedule management feature pushes the schedule and any changes to employees in real-time, for constant access to the updates.
• Shift swap feature allows employees to request swift swaps, giving some autonomy to employees to facilitate schedule adjustments.
• PTO request feature allows time off requests to happen within the app, alerting managers as they happen for a timely response.
• PTO tracking feature shows employees’ available PTO as it accrues and is used.

Reports

Managers have access to features and reports that show trends such as proficiency mismatches, overtime use, and inefficient scheduling patterns, helping them address problems before they become entrenched.

Payroll Integration

With clock-in information directly connected to the schedule and to payroll on the back end, employees will always be paid accurately and on time, fostering trust between you. This feature also ensures you’re always in compliance with federal and state labor laws.

Efficient employee scheduling benefits both managers and employees by removing some of the significant burdens and errors associated with manual scheduling. By adopting WorkforceHub, you can spot scheduling problems before they become costly to your budget and your retention efforts. Try it for free today!