Efficient staffing and scheduling is crucial for small business success. The best staffing and scheduling practices will improve productivity, boost employee and customer satisfaction, and help you earn more money!
In this article, we show you the best ways to manage staffing and scheduling for your small business.
What are the best practices for small business staffing and scheduling?
Here are some essential tips to help small businesses master staffing and scheduling:
#1 Understand Your Business
Before settling on your scheduling and staffing plan, take time to analyze your business trends. Consider your peak hours, the types of services you offer, and how your business changes over the seasons. Use this research to predict your future demand. This will help you decide how much staff availability you need on any given day and the scheduling patterns required to meet the needs of your clients.
Knowing when your business is likely to experience peaks and valleys in client bookings can help you avoid understaffing or overstaffing your business. It will also help you control costs.
#2 Implement a Reliable Scheduling System
Invest in a scheduling system that is user-friendly and capable of the unique needs of a client-based business. Choose a system that allows you to manage employee availability, chat with your staff, and automate staffing and scheduling changes. Your best bet is an all-in-one scheduling tool like PocketSuite.
#3 Be flexible when creating schedules
When it comes to staffing and scheduling, flexibility is key. Offer employees multiple scheduling options to accommodate their availability and preferences. You can allow staff to submit their preferred work hours or days off in advance and do your best to accommodate these requests whenever possible.
Also, consider the importance of a healthy work-life balance and your team’s well-being when creating schedules. Avoid excessive overtime and give them enough time off for rest and relaxation. Happy, well-rested team members are more productive, engaged, and likely to deliver exceptional customer service.
Plus, you can encourage employees to be flexible with their availability by offering incentives such as bonuses or additional paid time off. Recognize and reward team members who demonstrate flexibility and reliability in their scheduling commitments.
PocketSuite makes it easy for you and your team members to update their availability in the app.
#4 Balance Workload
Avoid overloading certain team members while others have minimal hours. As a small business owner, you should strive for fairness and equity when assigning shifts. Take into account their seniority, skill level, and availability.
To distribute workloads more evenly, try cross-training team members. Cross-training team members to handle different roles and responsibilities can make scheduling a breeze. Encourage employees to learn new skills and take on additional responsibilities. They’ll be able to adapt more easily to staffing shortages or unexpected changes in demand.
PocketSutie allows you to assign roles to staff members when those team members are ready to move up in the ranks.
#5 Prioritize Team Communication
Make it easy for employees to access schedules, request time off, and communicate availability changes. Your best bet is to use a centralized scheduling platform with a chat feature to ensure that all staff members are informed and up-to-date on scheduling matters.
You can create a group chat with all your team members in the PocketSuite app.
#6 Plan for setbacks and be open to change:
Keep an eye on your staffing scheduling patterns to identify areas for improvement. If something not working, be open to adjusting the schedule. You should also be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and have plans in place for staffing emergencies or unexpected changes in demand. For example, you can cross-train backup staff or maintain a list of on-call team members.
Here’s an idea: Ask employees for feedback about their scheduling preferences, challenges, and suggestions for improvement. Actively listen to their input and be willing to adapt your scheduling practices based on their feedback. This will make your work environment more collaborative and inclusive.
The Bottom Line
You can optimize your staffing and scheduling practice to make your team and clients happy. Effective scheduling is about finding the right balance between meeting business needs and supporting the well-being of your team.
PocketSuite can help. PocketSuite offers advanced staffing and scheduling tools for small business owners.
