With a clear communication process and regular shift reminders, you’ll remove the uncertainty about when employees work. Let employees own their schedules and take responsibility for filling the shifts and any related consequences Give employees their assigned schedules at least two weeks in advance so they can look ahead at their schedules and request shift swaps in good time That’s why you need to communicate clearly and let employees easily access and understand your schedule.ĭesign a process that broadcasts 100s of open shifts to your staff in advance And giving short notice means they’ll most likely call off leaving your team understaffed.Īs a manager, you also need long-term clarity on who is working and when, so you can plan effectively and approve any shift swaps with the data you have. While employees should be able to adapt to their work schedule, sometimes the unexpected happens: a child falls ill, school events pop up, or they need to trade shifts with coworkers.īut nothing brings them more frustration like not knowing shift details and their own schedules in advance. Plus, they’ll know when to ask for time off to study for a test, or trade shifts with a colleague when they have an impromptu class or exam.Ĭheck for any federal, state, or local statutes that might apply to your company and ensure compliance with labor laws and advance-notice requirements around schedules.Ī detailed policy helps you avoid innumerable shift-trading problems, unexpected labor costs, and unhappy employees.
When new hires are aware of shift swapping policies regarding their own schedule upfront, they can work with their school schedule. And that’s to be expected because of the flexible nature of retail job schedules. If you manage a retail store, for example, there’s a high chance one or more employees are pursuing further studies. It’ll be easier for them to gain your approval when they send shift trading requests in line with the policy and manage a healthy work-life balance. Put a reminder of the shift swap process in your employee handbook and any onboarding information so your team members – especially new hires – know the rules on their first day at work.
SHIFT EXCHANGE RETAIL SOFTWARE
The timeframe in which workers can request shift swapsĭisciplinary procedures for failing to comply with the policyĮstablish the best practices, the process you want employees to use, and a clear outline of all the steps involved.įor instance, you can include steps like updating employee profiles and scheduling on a software program to send texts or call the people involved in the switch (including management). How much notice you’ll give employees for upcoming schedules When staff members will receive upcoming shift assignments Setting a procedure for swapping schedules starts at the managerial level – get the right attitude to shift trading and then set clear, fair, and accessible rules for everyone.Ī good shift swap policy imposes structure and clearly outlines the company’s and employees’ responsibilities. How do you develop a shift swap policy? Here are four important best practices to help you get started. With an effective shift swap policy, you’ll be less frustrated and have more engaged workers who are unlikely to churn unexpectedly. You have a working schedule that does everything you need only for workers to tamper with it later. While it may sound easy, shift swap requests can seem like a nightmare. The second employee (replacement) approves the shift requestĮmployer/Manager gets a notification of the request and either approves or denies it Read on to find out how establishing an effective shift swapping policy eliminates the headaches that come with managing shift swap requests. That comes with several drawbacks – additional labor costs, understaffing, employee burnout, conflicts between employees, and a decrease in employee morale, satisfaction, and overall productivity.īut there’s a way out: introduce a shift swap policy. You track down a replacement and they agree to cover the shift – until they forget the schedule change and don’t show up. So you call down a list of other workers to see if one of them can cover it. You get a call early in the morning or just before a shift from a worker saying they can’t make it in. For many employers, few things are as frustrating and time-consuming as filling a shift.
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