Top 9 Steps to a Successful Staff Rostering

Having the right person in the right role at the proper time and location is still the cornerstone of good rostering and scheduling.

However, there are other factors to consider. Manual rostering techniques are no longer sufficient to keep your business running effectively because of supply chain interruptions, a rising need for 24-hour business operations, evolving customer and employee demands, and significant labour shortages in several industries.

You'll need to adjust your rostering methods to this fast-paced environment if you want to prevent mistakes in employee rostering and keep your workplace well-resourced. This involves deciding on a sensible action plan, automating manual operations, and working with software vendors focused on your needs.

As you read along, you'll understand the advantages of successful staff rostering.

1. Think About the Demand

If your business sales fluctuate, always think about doing your best to forecast future demand. Sales trends, weather, events etc., can be used to budget accordingly. Ensure there are enough employees per day and during peak hours of the day. All of these play a vital role in building an effective and successful employee rostering.

2. Skilled Employees First

Not all employees are built the same. Different skills, experience and maturity to handle stress. Having at least one gun employee on each shift will help settle the team and ensure things run swimmingly. Managers ensure coverage is achieved by filling time slots with the most skilled employees.

3. Manage Your Costs

Labour is likely to be one of the highest costs. It makes sense that businesses are looking at all possible methods to cut back on their labour and overall benefits expenses in the face of growing costs and a persistent labour shortage.

There is increasing demand for many businesses to accomplish more with fewer people, resources, and budgets. What can you do to address the labour cost problem head-on and come up with solutions? Implementing efficient employee rostering software.

RosterElf is one of the market's most effective but easy labour budgeting systems. Designed to provide managers with real-time visibility into labour costs throughout the process, providing all the data needed to optimise the workforce to match sales patterns and business demands. You'll have a firm grasp of your labour costs today.

4. Try to Share Shifts

Many "traditional" employers now provide their employees with flexible schedules, proving that flexible work is no longer just for gig workers or independent contractors.

While it's true that employees benefit from flexible schedules, intelligent businesses also understand the value of providing available shifts. The advantages of shift sharing for organisations can help your business remain ahead of the competition, from being a green company to having an edge in recruitment and promoting diversity.

The advantages of shift sharing for your company go beyond satisfied employees. Employers who provide their employees with the option to work a flexible schedule may also find that they have a more desirable, successful, and profitable business to work for.

5. Communicate Well

Effective communication reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings and allows all employees to work on tasks in the right direction. Managers frequently need more time to explain their functions to subordinates in an effective manner. Due to this, workers are still determining the precise objective.

With the help of employee rostering software, your employees can quickly receive notifications regarding their shifts online or through the mobile app. Remember, your workforce is a vital component of your organisation, so it only makes sense that they should know what's happening around them. May it be about shifts or workloads.

6. Provide Adequate Time Off

It goes without saying that allowing your staff enough time off—as well as taking some time off yourself—is essential to maintaining a positive work environment.

Employees that work more than five days in a row will eventually experience burnout and perform poorly—even working two or more shifts to fulfil deadlines or provide for clients. Managers should refrain from working endless hours of overtime.

This is why it's crucial to give your employees enough time off. They can concentrate on their well-being and happiness as a result. In addition, they will feel renewed and less worried when they return to work. This will then help boost productivity and revenue.

With RosterElf, they can quickly request time off through online leave applications.

7. Enable Employees to Submit Availability

Knowing each employee's availability can help you fill a shift as fast as possible rather than scrambling to locate someone to work at the last minute. When hiring a new employee, have them complete an employee availability form as part of the onboarding process. You should then keep this data on hand when making a schedule.

Employees usually need more input when creating schedules. You can build a timetable that benefits the company and the employee by working together to form plans. It's best to let your employees submit their availability via staff management software to streamline workforce workloads.

Also, make sure to allow them to submit and update their availability to work if they are casually employed.

8. Publish Rosters at Least 2 Weeks in Advance

Although creating a work schedule a few weeks ahead may seem like a lot of work initially, the advantages should outweigh this.

When you provide your employees with their roster in advance, they can check it with their schedule to see if they can work all the scheduled shifts. They have enough time to notify you if they can't work particular work hours.

They can even switch shifts with a coworker if necessary. Employee happiness and satisfaction can increase when scheduling features like shift swap requests, communication, and setting availability in advance. This can result in a more stable work atmosphere and, perhaps, increased revenue growth.

9. Invest in Rostering Software

You can save time and money by switching from manual to automatic rostering, boosting productivity and employee engagement. Managers can create and manage rosters more quickly since employee rostering software automates scheduling.

Automating your rostering can help you save money on labour costs. Using the software efficiently prevents scheduling too many employees for a shift. With pop-up compliance alerts, you will only book employees for hours within their contracted time. With less pressure to work longer hours, this will make employees happier and help keep payroll costs in check.

Final Thoughts

The future success of your company depends on managing your team as effectively as possible, and in many situations, this starts with building a robust employee roster with RosterElf. By using the above advice, you can ensure that your future staff rosters are productive, allowing you to get the most out of your team and continue working towards your goals.