08 | Schedules and Assignments; Department Personnel; and Goals and Priorities
Flex scheduling is a concept used in some organizations to increase staffing as activity increases and reduce labor hours during slower periods. Hospitals may have a planned schedule based on their typical census resulting in defined reductions in shifts for weekends or declining client activity.
Steps for flex scheduling: • Step 1: Identify Activity Levels
> Assess when staffing changes are necessary based on activity levels.
• Step 2: Adjust Responsibilities
> Align tasks to reduce work hours while maintaining service quality.
• Step 3: Implement Reduction > Put adjustments into action at appropriate times. • Step 4: Flex Labor Hours
> Flex labor hours to match the workload, thereby potentially saving money in the department budget.
Recognize Employee Schedule Requests Managers should consider personnel preferences whenever possible. It can be useful to have a system for employees to communicate their special scheduling needs in advance of the time the manager prepares the schedule. All the following are examples of when an employee needs to complete a request for time off or change in schedule:
• If Mary needs to be off on the first Tuesday of the pay period, she should let the manager know by completing a form.
• If Mark needs to leave by 2:00 p.m. to attend a wedding, he can request to work an early shift.
• If Juanita wishes to take a one-week vacation next month, she needs to request it in advance.
Personnel can use schedule request forms to indicate in advance the days/shifts they wish to be off duty. It is a good management practice to honor employee requests whenever possible.
Scheduling Adjustments
As with all things, the best laid plans may go away. The most common scheduling challenge concerns employee tardiness and absence. When a job needs to be covered, other employees may be called to see if they would be willing to come to work on short notice. Due to privacy concerns, managers should maintain a master list of employees with current contact information in a secure location available to managers. The list may also identify
Foodservice Management—By Design Glossary
Flex Scheduling Designed to increase staffing as activity increases and reduce labor hours during slower periods
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Creating a system for employees to request schedule changes in advance helps accommodate personal preferences and needs.