How to Build a Shift Planner That Actually Works for Your Business

Learn how to build a shift planner that fits your workflow, reduces conflicts, improves coverage, and saves managers time.

How to Build a Shift Planner That Works for You

Given today's increasingly demanding work environment, having a dependable shift planner is a necessity. From managing a small group to handling an entire corporate workforce, an advanced shift planning system fosters structure, improves engagement, and enhances efficiency. This all-inclusive guide examines how to construct a shift planner that is customized to your business and incorporates best practices and research. Throughout this guide, we will reference reliable sources so you can conduct your own research.

What Is a Shift Planner and Why It Matters

Fundamentally, a shift planner is an answer to the questions of 'who works, when, and where?' However, given the importance of this tool for companies and their employees, it can and should contribute to much more. The benefits of a shift planner include:

• Fewer scheduling conflicts

• Better employee retention and satisfaction

• Labor law compliance

• Reduced operational costs

• Greater efficiency

• Better operational effectiveness

Research shows that proper scheduling is a key determinant of employee productivity, which in turn, drives employee satisfaction. In the sectors of retail, healthcare and hospitality, lack of or ineffective scheduling is one of the leading causes of employee turnover. Proper scheduling improves customer satisfaction and reduces employee burnout.

Key Elements of an Effective Shift Planner

Understanding the core elements that define the fairness and functionality of schedules will help design effective shift planners.

1. Demand Forecasting

Knowing how many employees will be available for service at any given time is critical in creating an effective schedule. Demand forecasting helps predict required staffing by analyzing past data. Consider the case of retail: employees are needed most on Saturday evenings, whereas, in contrast, hospitals need staff around the clock.

Why it matters: The adverse effects of under- and over-staffing are clear enough: working redundancy, burnout, and expensive labor without any qualitative return will result in over- and under-staffing, respectively.

2. Fair Shift Distribution

Fairness in planners is a balancing act: business needs are the top priority, but fairness factors include employee skills and certifications, shift preferences and availability, legal requirements on breaks, seniority, internal policies, and others.

Fair allocation goes a long way in fostering a suitable environment for employees. Job satisfaction is a corollary of maintaining employee trust. A study from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shows a strong correlation between scheduling fairness and employee engagement.

3. Easy Access and Visibility

To improve employee satisfaction, they must be able to access and view schedules in a quick and easy manner. Employees have come to expect convenient, real-time update access from any device, and the ability to assign, change, and request any shift from their personal devices cuts down on administrative work and mistakes.

4. Compliance and Labor Rules

Each jurisdiction has laws about:

• Break intervals

• Total hours in a week

• Overtime

• Rest periods between shifts

A dependable shift planner must adhere to these laws. Failing to do so can result in penalties and other legal complications.

The American Department of Labor has clearly stated its position on laws surrounding scheduling and hours worked.

Step-by-Step: How to Build Your Shift Planner

Let's begin constructing your shift planner with a comprehensive overview of what you will need.

Step 1: Identify Your Company's Requirements

Consider the following questions:

• What are your company's hours of operation?

• Will you require coverage after hours, 24/7?

• Are there specific times during the business cycle when there are demand increases?

• What type of employees do you have? Part-time? Full-time? Variable depending on business needs?

Take the time to write down your answers to these questions. These results are essential in determining your company's scheduling demands in the future.

Step 2: Identify Classification of Staff and Availability

Create a comprehensive list of your employees that includes

• Name

• Role

• Skills/certifications

• Availability, shift preferences, schedule requests

• Tenure/Seniority

This list will be the primary tool you will rely on to create schedules, and will be the basis for your shift creation list time after time.

Step 3: Select the Best Tools for the Job

Spreadsheets are an option, but they come with a lot of hurdles that make them time-consuming and inefficient for large teams. Tools like OpenTimeClock allow for easier management of schedules, attendance, and payroll, and will save you time by eliminating the need to create schedules manually.

Check out OpenTimeClock for a web-based solution for shift scheduling.

Finding the right tool depends on:

• Company size

• Budget

• Required features

Step 4: Make Your First Draft Schedule

Begin with the fundamental shift requirements:

• Fill in the roles that are certifiable first (i.e., nurses, supervisors)

• Determine high demand shifts

• Acknowledge employee availability and preferences

• Color coding shifts by role or department is a great way to improve readability.

• Once the draft is complete, send it to the team leads or management for review.

Step 5: Review and Adjust

Before finalizing the schedule:

• Send a preview to the team

• Staff should be able to request changes

• Record any conflicts or preferences

• Many platforms provide a way for staff to request shifts and for managers to approve or deny these requests.

This level of communication increases employee engagement and minimizes changes to the schedule.

Step 6: Finalize the Schedule

Once the schedule has been adjusted and reviewed:

• Finalize the schedule as soon as possible

• Ensure it's viewable on mobile devices and via email

• Send shift reminders as they approach

Publishing the schedule in advance maximizes employee satisfaction by giving them time to organize their personal schedules.

Step 7: Evaluate and Enhance

Your initial schedule serves as a foundation to build upon. Following a few cycles:

• Assess staffing (Did you have too much or too little staff during critical periods?)

• Analyze feedback from staff.

• Review time off requests.

• Evaluate the schedule against labor law requirements.

Utilize these factors to improve future schedules.

Best Practices for Shift Planning

The following tips will help with effective shift planning:

1. Use Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics uses historical data to identify busy periods and help with plans. As stated by Deloitte, predictive tools positively impact the operational performance and accuracy of schedules.

2. Provide Employees with Self-Service Options

Allow employees to:

• Swap shifts

• Request changes

• See hours worked

Enhancing employees' ability to manage their schedules reduces administrative burden and boosts morale.

3. Strike a Balance with Rigidity and Flexibility

People appreciate knowing what to expect. Establish a scheduling rhythm when employees request it, but practice flexibility. Life happens, and reasonable requests are accommodated with flexibility.

4. Coordinate Time Tracking with Scheduling

Shift planners integrated with time tracking show:

• Who worked?

• Who was late?

• Absences

This increases payroll and attendance accuracy.

5. Plan to Prevent Overtime

Unplanned overtime increases costs. Your shift planner needs to notify you when employees are approaching their weekly overtime so that you can manage overtime effectively.

• Use Cases in Different Industries for Shift Planner

Each industry has specific problems when it comes to scheduling. Here are some examples.

Healthcare

Hospitals and clinics need to manage:

• Coverage for all 3 shifts, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Scheduling assignments based on staff skill set

• Compliance with strict rest rules

• Scheduling assignments based on staff skill set

Nurses, and to an extent, physicians, prefer specific schedules with rotations that are fixed and predictable. Research suggests that fair and predictable scheduling boosts retention in the healthcare sector.

Retail and Hospitality

Shift planners analyze and anticipate busy periods such as evenings, weekends, and holidays. For Example:

• During sales, retail stores staff more sales associates.

• During peak dinner service, restaurants staff more servers.

• The goal is to balance peak coverage while minimizing the risk of having unproductive staff during slow business hours.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing businesses operate on set shifts (morning, afternoon, night). Every employee should be cross-trained to fill in for others as needed, in case an employee calls in sick.

Common Challenges and How to Solve Them

Even the most experienced managers will have issues applying the shift planner effectively the first time. Below are possible issues you may face, as well as applicable solutions.

1. Unanticipated Absences

Absences are the most challenging aspect of managing shifts. Employees call in sick, have emergencies, or do not show up. When this occurs, gaps in coverage develop and create unnecessary pressure on managers and colleagues.

How to solve it

• Have a roster of on-call or flexible employees.

• Cross-train employees so they can take on multiple roles if required.

• Digital planners that have open shift alerts allow managers to leave shifts open without worrying.

• Rather than just allowing employees to swap shifts themselves, require manager approval.

2. Conflicts and Overlapping Shifts

Conflicts are created when employees are given overlapping shifts, when employees have been double-booked, or when individuals are scheduled to work during their unavailable hours. This usually happens during manual scheduling, or sick leave and vacation requests are not properly managed.

How to solve it

• Shift planners who have these options available will reduce administrative burden.

• Before completing the shift planner, do a dummy round to check if gaps have been covered.

• Grant employees the ability to modify their own schedules before the shift planner is completed.

3. Employee Dissatisfaction with Unfair Schedules

Manually scheduling employees and not offering rotation structures are primary reasons for shift planner manager frustration. Employees do not appreciate having to work on nights, weekends, or holidays during repeated cycles. When employees perceive inconsistencies, they will not be afraid to leave the job.

How to solve it:

• Evenly distribute undesirable shifts.

• Honor employee preferences when applicable.

• Be open when explaining schedule creation.

• Apply seniority or skill-based rules uniformly.

4. Labor Law and Compliance Issues

Penalties and legal actions can arise from non-compliance with legal requirements regarding overtime, breaks, and max hours worked. For growing companies, this presents a significant risk.

How to solve it:

• Utilize a shift planner that has built-in compliance.

• Manage rest period and overtime limits.

• Be aware of local labor regulations.

• Regularly audit schedules

5. Excessive Overtime and Rising Labor Costs

Poor shift planning often causes unplanned overtime, employee burnout, and increased labor costs. This usually happens when staffing needs are inaccurately forecasted.

How to solve it:

• Analyze past workload data.

• Accurately forecast peak periods.

• Set overtime limits in your shift planner.

• Increase the evenness of the hours distribution across employees.

6. Discrepancies in Employee and Manager Communication

When employees do not receive the appropriate notifications regarding schedule modifications or updates, missed shifts, and confusion will occur. Paper or static schedules present poor communication problems.

How to solve it:

• Implement a centralized digital shift planner.

• Schedule updates should have automatic notifications.

• Employees should have the ability to view their schedules via mobile or web at any time.

• Encourage communication between employees and with employees.

7. Challenges Associated with Managing Time-Off Requests

Vacation, sick leave, and personal time-off requests cannot be handled in a disorganized manner and must be managed appropriately. There will be gaps in coverage due to overlapping leave requests.

How to solve it:

• Establish firm guidelines regarding time-off requests.

• If applicable, requests should be made in advance.

• Use shift planning software that automatically tracks time off.

• Review leave balances before approving requests.

Measuring the Success of Your Shift Planner

You need to evaluate if your schedule is effective. Evaluate these key performance indicators:

• Shift coverage

• Staff moral

• Cost of overtime

• Employee turnover

• Comparison of labor costs to revenue

Improvements in these metrics show that your planner is practical.

Conclusion

Effective schedule planners do more than assign shifts. They meet operational requirements while maximizing employee engagement. Whether you use OpenTimeClock or sophisticated workforce management tools, the objective is to provide optimum staffing to maintain operational integrity.

Define business goals, gather team input, and iterate. You will achieve more effective, less stressful, dependable scheduling.

Would you like to begin using scheduling systems that optimize shifts to address your business requirements?

FAQ’s

What are the guidelines to design your first shift planner?

Begin by assessing staffing requirements and employee availability. Use historical business activity and staffing data to design your first iteration.

How far out should a shift schedule be published?

Most industries do it anywhere from two weeks to a month, so it's better to err on the side of caution.

Can shift planners help avoid excess costs?

Yes, if you align schedules with actual business needs and manage overtime, you will incur less labor costs.

Are digital shift planners better than spreadsheets?

For most businesses, digital shift planners are more effective, as they can streamline processes, minimize errors, and enhance collaboration.

What do you need to think about when selecting a shift planning tool?

Consider the overall usability, mobile compatibility, the ability to request time off, compliance with labor laws, payroll integrations, and forecasting.