How Team holiday overcame workforce management challenges
Team holiday is a multi-award-winning holiday program provider in Melbourne and greater Victoria. Since its inception in 2011, it has grown significantly. Founded by Sam Hoath, a passionate primary school teacher, Team holiday was created to offer children aged 5-15 exciting holiday programs, camps, and before-and-after school care services. The company quickly became a trusted partner for schools, recreation centres, and businesses. Today, Team holiday serves over 100,000 children annually.
However, with rapid growth came significant challenges. Managing a growing casual workforce was a major hurdle. As the number of staff and locations increased, Team holiday struggled to effectively capture employee availability and coordinate schedules. Managing a large and diverse team, especially during peak holiday periods, required a more efficient workforce management solution.
Last-minute changes, such as shift swaps, were also difficult to manage manually. To address these issues, the company turned to RosterElf, a user-friendly rostering and communication system. The platform streamlined workforce management by simplifying employee availability tracking and enhancing communication, allowing Team holiday to continue growing without operational headaches. This allowed them to focus on delivering high-quality services rather than dealing with logistical challenges.
How RosterElf transformed Team holiday’s workforce management
Team holiday was founded in June 2011 by Sam Hoath, a primary school teacher who recognised a gap in the market for fun holiday programs for children. His vision was to create a holiday program that was both adventurous and enjoyable while meeting the needs of children and parents. What started as a small initiative grew quickly into an industry leader, offering vacation care programs and activities for children across Melbourne and greater Victoria.
From the beginning, Team holiday partnered with schools, recreation centres, and businesses to offer high-quality care. As the demand for their services grew, so did their reputation. Today, Team holiday serves over 100,000 children every year. They provide a range of school holiday programs, school holiday camps, vacation care holiday programs, and before-and-after school care services. The company has expanded its reach across Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales. They have solidified their place as a trusted provider in the industry, providing services that are both enriching and reliable.
Managing a growing workforce for holiday programs
As Team holiday grew, so did the complexity of managing its workforce. The company expanded rapidly, leading to a significant increase in staff and locations. With over 250 casual workers, managing shift schedules during peak holiday periods became overwhelming. The challenge was not only in managing the increasing number of employees but also in ensuring that schedules were flexible and communicated effectively across various locations.
Key challenges included:
- Capturing employee availability before each holiday program
- Managing last-minute changes, such as shift swaps
- Communicating rosters effectively across a large, diverse workforce
To overcome these challenges, we needed a more efficient workforce management system. The solution came in the form of RosterElf. It addressed operational inefficiencies by providing a simple, effective way to manage employee availability and communicate shift schedules in real-time, thus reducing manual processes and saving valuable time.
Why RosterElf is ideal for managing casual workforces
RosterElf provided the perfect solution for our growing workforce management challenges. The system is easy to use and packed with powerful features that allowed us to efficiently handle employee availability, schedule shifts, and communicate updates in real-time. The system streamlined rostering, improved communication, and tracked employee availability. It helped reduce administrative overhead, improve workforce coordination, and maintain flexibility, making it ideal for our expanding casual workforce.
Real-time workforce communication with RosterElf
A key feature that made RosterElf invaluable to us was real-time communication. Staff received instant updates via SMS, email, and push notifications, transforming the way we communicated shift schedules and last-minute changes across multiple locations. This real-time communication helped improve transparency and reduce misunderstandings that often arise from traditional communication methods.
Before RosterElf:
- Notifying employees about shift changes involved lengthy emails, which often led to confusion and missed shifts.
With RosterElf:
- We could send updates instantly to a large pool of employees, ensuring everyone was on the same page.
- Real-time communication made sure staff received their rosters and last-minute updates immediately.
- For shift swaps, employees were notified instantly, allowing them to act quickly and ensure proper coverage.
This feature saved time and improved employee satisfaction. Staff were always informed and connected. It streamlined operations, ensuring the workforce was aligned with the program’s needs, even during the busiest school holiday camps or vacation care programs.
Tracking employee availability made easy with RosterElf
RosterElf made tracking employee availability simple and efficient. Instead of relying on time-consuming and error-prone manual processes, we could now use the system to allow employees to easily enter and update their availability through the app. Staff could update their availability anytime, and these changes were reflected immediately in the system. This provided an accurate, up-to-date view of who was available to work and ensured a conflict-free roster.
Benefits for managers and employees:
- No need to chase availability updates.
- Elimination of scheduling conflicts caused by outdated information.
- Increased accuracy and conflict-free rosters.
- Employees have more control over their schedules, leading to greater satisfaction.
Key benefits of RosterElf for workforce management
Since implementing RosterElf, we have seen significant improvements. The system has streamlined workforce management, improving efficiency and communication while reducing administrative burdens. Scheduling shifts and communicating updates has become smoother. Real-time notifications and an intuitive interface make it easier. The platform’s ability to track availability and manage shift swaps quickly has saved time. We can now focus on what matters most—providing high-quality vacation care programs and school holiday activities for children. The ability to automate and centralise key rostering tasks has created a more organised and responsive workforce, all while improving employee satisfaction.
Improved time savings and efficiency for programs
RosterElf’s impact on efficiency and time savings has been invaluable. Before RosterElf, our rostering process was time-consuming and prone to errors. Scheduling shifts manually required significant effort. It often led to issues with communication and availability tracking. RosterElf has automated many of these tasks, freeing up time for our team to focus on more critical aspects of the business.
Time-saving benefits:
- Automated communication system.
- Instant staff notifications via SMS, email, or push notifications.
- Reduced the need for emails to confirm schedules.
- The real-time view of employee availability reduced back-and-forth when confirming who is available to work.
Rosters were also easier to manage, with fewer errors, and administrative tasks were reduced. Managers could focus more on enhancing fun-filled school holiday ideas and providing a day of fun for children.
Enhanced satisfaction in holiday programs
The implementation of RosterElf has greatly enhanced staff satisfaction at Team holiday. Before RosterElf, managing shift changes and availability caused confusion and frustration among staff. RosterElf simplified the entire process, providing a clear, straightforward system for managing shifts and availability.
Benefits for staff:
- Easy entry and updating of availability via the RosterElf app.
- Real-time communication ensured staff were always informed of shifts and any last-minute changes.
- Ability to request shift swaps, allowing employees more flexibility and control.
RosterElf helped create a more reliable, responsive workforce, where staff felt valued. The simplicity and efficiency of the system reduced the time spent on administrative tasks. This contributed to a positive workplace culture, boosting morale and reducing turnover rates.
Why RosterElf fits your workforce needs
If your business operates in vacation care, education, or entertainment, RosterElf could be the solution you’ve been looking for. As seen with Team holiday, RosterElf’s powerful rostering system simplifies managing a large, casual workforce across multiple locations. The system streamlines scheduling, availability tracking, and communication. This allows businesses to focus on providing high-quality services.
Whether you’re managing a seasonal workforce for school holiday camps, vacation care holiday programs, or fun-filled events, RosterElf can help. It reduces administrative tasks, improves communication, and increases efficiency. With features designed for shift swaps, real-time updates, and tracking employee availability, RosterElf ensures smooth operations during peak periods. By using RosterElf, you can create a more organised, responsive workforce and enhance employee satisfaction. If you're looking for an intuitive, cost-effective workforce management solution, RosterElf is the right fit for your business.
Getting started with RosterElf for programs
Getting started with RosterElf is simple and straightforward. We offer a 30-day free trial so you can experience all the benefits of our system without any commitment. Sign up today and start using RosterElf to streamline your rostering, improve communication, and save valuable time. Our team will guide you through the setup process to ensure you’re up and running quickly.
By the end of your trial, you'll see how easy it is to manage your workforce, track availability, and communicate with staff in real-time. Don’t wait—try RosterElf today and discover how it can transform the way you manage your workforce, just like it did for Team holiday.
RosterElf has proven to be a game-changer for Team holiday, helping the company manage its growing workforce across multiple locations. By simplifying rostering, streamlining communication, and allowing staff to track and update availability, RosterElf has saved valuable time and reduced administrative burdens. This has allowed Team holiday to focus on providing high-quality care and activities, improving employee satisfaction and operational efficiency.
For businesses in industries like vacation care, education, and entertainment, RosterElf offers a flexible and powerful workforce management solution. The system’s ease of use, real-time communication features, and ability to automate tasks make it essential for any growing organisation. If you're looking to improve staff management and reduce administrative headaches, RosterElf is the right fit for your business. Try it today with our 30-day free trial and experience the benefits.
