SHIFT EXCHANGE SOFTWARE

Sometimes agreed-upon availability changes because of an employee’s home life or other circumstances out of their control. Step 2 – Keep lines of communication openĮncouraging open lines of communication between employees and management not only builds trust and rapport but also helps you better manage schedules so you can minimize shift-swapping.

SHIFT EXCHANGE SOFTWARE

You may even consider putting a reminder of the process into any paperwork or training materials that you provide to employees on their first day on the job.Ī standard process for employee schedule swaps along with software can improve business scheduling. Having one simple, standard process in place and making sure that this process is communicated to every single employee as a part of their training means that everyone is clear about expectations around changing the schedule. Identify the best practices that you’d like them to use, and clearly outline all of the steps involved, from updating their profile and schedule on a software program (if you use one), to sending texts or calling the people involved in the switch (including management). Setting a procedure for swapping schedules and training employees can eliminate many headaches.įirst, be sure all of your employees are crystal clear about the proper process for switching shifts. Here are some ways to make sure you’re never left wondering who’s covering whose schedule when employees swap shifts. Ideally, your employees will be able to easily get help when they need it, and everyone will know about shift changes with plenty of time to spare. To make it easy for your employees to communicate with each other and with you about the latest changes to the schedule. These days, there are many ways to curb confusion and avoid frustration by allowing employees to swap shifts. If some employees have considerably higher wages than others, it may be wise to still require final manager approval for show swap requests so that you can make an informed decision regarding labor costs. To get control of your time, let your staff swap shifts or find replacements on their own. What’s even more time consuming is handling the endless barrage of shift swap requests, no shows, and sick calls.

It’s hard enough for managers to create a schedule that adheres to everyone’s availability and preferences, and still adequately covers each shift.

Why Should your Business Allow Shift Swapping? Shift swap means if an employee can’t work a shift, they can swap shifts with another staff member to ensure the shift gets covered. Obviously, this created problems for both employees and management and also for your customers, who expect a full, attentive staff for their experience. Updated schedules penciled in or needing to be remembered by those swapping and by management may not have even been aware of the change can cause issues. Even with great planning and foresight, it’s inevitable that employees will occasionally have unexpected events that make them unable to work their scheduled shift.Įmployee schedule swaps and shift changes have to be one of the most frustrating items for managers.

Shift exchange