HOW TO MANAGE EMPLOYEE SHIFT PREFERENCES LIKE A PRO

There are many benefits that come with allowing employees to choose their shifts, and they include

increased productivity and a lower rate of absenteeism. Unfortunately as much as any manager would

love to allow each and every employee to choose his or her preferred shift, it is not possible as it can

interrupt the day to day operations of even the most established business out there. However, with

the right employee scheduling software and the right employee scheduling tactics, a modern

manager can occasionally find ways to enable his or her employees work their preferred shifts.

Creating open shifts

Most employee scheduling software feature tools that enable managers to create and post open

shifts. Employees are then notified of available open shifts via email or push notifications and are

allowed to bid on the shifts. After giving the employees enough time to place their bids, the manager

can then come back to his scheduling software to determine the number of employees required to fill

in the empty slots so as to approve or reject the bids accordingly. Using the same employee

scheduling software, the manager will send notifications to all employees who placed their bids to let

them know if their bids were accepted or not.

When creating open schedules, premium employee scheduling software enables the manager to

switch off “automatic publishing”. This way, any shift changes remain closed to the employees and

only become visible when the manager is done.

Allow occasional shift swaps

Allowing employees to swap or trade shifts occasionally is also another way of allowing them to work

their preferred shifts. However, shift swapping can be confusing to both management and staff alike.

Therefore, shift trades should only be authorized by the manager or the supervisor, who after

authorizing the swap, should update it via the shift scheduling app/scheduling software for all

employees to view.

Most shift scheduling software programs will enable employees and managers to open a

conversation between them regarding schedule changes, shift swaps, and any other related issues.

This means that it is possible to address any swap request and availability changes through an

employee scheduling software.

Offering abandoned shifts

Sometimes, employees are forced by circumstances to abandon their assigned shifts. When an

employee feels that he or she is unable to honor an assigned shift, he or she can notify the manager

via the company’s shift scheduling app. The manager can then offer abandoned shift to other

employees. This will give at least one employee an opportunity to work a preferred shift.

Article Summary: -

When employees are allowed to choose their preferred shifts, they tend to perform exceptionally

well. Unfortunately, it is not logical to allow employees to only work their preferred shifts. But with

the right tactics, an employer can always find ways to honor shift preferences without paralyzing

normal business operations. It’s these tactics that separate the managers who look pro’s versus those

that look like amateurs.

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