Scheduling
Having a stable schedule can allow employees to better manage their personal and professional lives, leading to reduced turnover, increased productivity, and reduced absenteeism. Stable scheduling can mean that employees are able to indicate scheduling preferences, receive at least two weeks’ notice of schedules to plan accordingly, and/or have the ability to request time off or trade shifts.
These resources can help you think about options in this area:
Ideas
- Provide a consistent schedule
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Allow employees to adjust their schedule if needed
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Offer paid time off or redesign your time off program
Idea 1: Provide a consistent schedule.
Case for stable scheduling
A study showed that workers value a schedule that prioritizes health and sleep first and then consistency. Another study found that consistent schedules lead to employers staying longer at the job. This brief on HR Dive shares some of these insights.
Just-in-time scheduling creates challenges for employees to find child care and to budget for how much income they will earn. This Forbes article discusses why a consistent schedule benefits your business and how to implement a more effective schedule.
Business Example
This article on Harvard Business Review summarizes a study of Gap stores that showed implementing more-stable scheduling increased sales by 7% and productivity by 5% and shares why retailers should consider a different approach to how they schedule employees.
Idea 2: Allow employees to adjust their schedule if needed.
Scheduling software
Scheduling software can make it easier to create and track employees’ schedules and to allow employees to cover their shifts if needed. Here is a review of the best employee scheduling software of 2021 from business.com.
Idea 3: Offer paid time off or redesign your time off program.
Steps for a Paid Leave Program
In today’s pandemic, the last thing you want is an employee coming to work when sick, but some of your workers may feel obligated to do so. Offering a paid leave policy can keep your employees healthy, reduce absenteeism, and increase retention. This guide from Pacific Community Ventures gives you five steps for offering a paid leave program.
Paid Leave Ideas
Many organizations are rethinking how they set up a paid leave program to meet employee needs. Ideas include offering paid-time-off banks that don’t differentiate between sick leave and vacation time, requiring time off, offering extended leave every few years, and providing floating holidays instead of set days off. This article from the Society of Human Resource Management shares some of these practices and what to consider with implementing them.
Employer Guide
The Thriving Workforce Employer Guide offers six strategies for building a strong team at your organization.
