An optimized work schedule can considerably improve the productivity of a company’s staff. To be effective, the schedule must be designed around the company’s objectives and take into account the needs and skills of employees. Flexibility, clarity and communication are the key to organizing your working time and getting the most out of your teams. Here are some strategies you can implement to create an optimized work schedule and improve your company’s productivity, thanks in particular to scheduling management software.
Defining your company’s objectives
The schedule can be seen as a roadmap, both for the employer and for the employees. It defines the work schedules of teams according to the company’s needs, and enables tasks to be distributed. The schedule is a particularly useful document for the smooth running of an organization. Coordinating employees and allocating tasks efficiently helps optimize the company’s production. Before designing staff schedules, the employer must first :
- Define your needs
- Identify your objectives in terms of production and expected results
- List current and future projects
From this information, he can determine the duration of each project. This data will be taken into account when designing schedules. It will enable him to best organize employees’ working hours according to the deadlines to be met.
Employers may consider drawing up a retroplanning schedule to help them visualize their objectives over time. Retroplanning is a management tool that takes the form of an inverted calendar. It starts with the end date of a project, and works backwards to define the stages to be completed up to the present moment. This is a good way of keeping to the deadlines defined in the specifications. Employers are under no obligation to communicate this document to their employees, but it could help to federate and motivate teams.
Take your staff into account when designing schedules
Set realistic deadlines
Employees are the lifeblood of a company. Making sure they feel listened to and taken into account helps improve their productivity. When estimating the duration of projects, employers need to set realistic deadlines to avoid overloading their staff. Tight deadlines and rushed projects can demotivate teams.
Divide tasks according to employees’ skills
Once the company’s plans have been defined, it’s time to allocate tasks. The employer will need to assess the skills, strengths and weaknesses of his employees, before assigning tasks. Employees will appreciate working on a subject they know well. They’ll feel more at ease and be more productive.
Take account of staff unavailability when creating schedules
A company sometimes needs to take part in events or work on a project outside normal working hours. It then needs staff to ensure the presence or operation of the company. Rather than imposing, the employer can directly ask his teams about their availability and call for volunteers. People who choose to be present will show good will, unlike employees who perceive their presence as a constraint.
Plan rest periods in line with the legal working hours in France
The French Labor Code lays down strict provisions for employers concerning employees’ working hours. To comply with the law, schedules must respect the legal working hours in France. These obligations are necessary to ensure the well-being and safety of employees. To limit the risk of burn-out due to overwork, the company must set up appropriate rest periods in team schedules.
Favor flexible schedules
Give your employees the chance to swap schedules
Personal constraints (medical appointments, accidents, family events) can force company employees to modify their schedules. To facilitate these changes, you can give your teams the possibility ofexchanging their work schedules. Employees will be able to organize themselves more independently, without disrupting the organization of the company.
Opt for flexible planning where appropriate
In some business sectors, flexible working hours are essential. A flexible schedule is made up of alternating shifts each week. The advantage of this principle is that employees’ workloads and tasks are more evenly distributed . In this way, employees don’t always work at the same time. They can have quieter days and varied assignments.
Communicate schedules quickly and efficiently to your employees
Respect reasonable transmission deadlines
Company employees appreciatebeing informed in advance of their working hours. This will enable them to :
- Organize your personal time according to your schedule
- Visualize missions for the coming days, weeks or months
- Modulate your schedule in the event of unavailability
- Organize tasks and daily life more efficiently
While the law does not specify any deadline for sending schedules to employees, certain obligations may be specified in collective bargaining agreements. In the absence of such indications, the employer is required to communicate schedules at least 7 days before the start of the shift.
Make schedules accessible to your employees
The methods of communicating schedules vary according to the way each company operates. Employers who choose to offer their teams collective working hours are required topost schedules on the company premises. The document must be legible and accessible to all.
In the case ofindividual schedules, the employer may distribute paper versions of the schedules to each employee, but is not obliged to do so. However, the employer must ensure that the schedules can be consulted within the structure, at the request of staff.
Regularly re-evaluate your work schedule in terms of productivity
In order to achieve optimal planning, it is sometimes necessary to make adjustments based on the results obtained. After a few months in business, you can take stock of the effectiveness of your personnel management method. Have projects been completed on time? Have staff achieved their objectives? Are teams satisfied with the way their working hours are organized? Don’t hesitate to ask your employees for feedback, so you can readjust and improve schedules, and thus productivity.
Use a personnel management tool to optimize your schedules
To optimize your employees’ schedules and improve your company’s productivity, you can use software to help you create your work schedules. These online tools allow you to automate personnel management tasks, saving you time and increasing efficiency.
Give your employees more autonomy in managing their schedules
Using online personnel management software gives your employees the possibility of modifying their schedule independently, via a private area. You can propose work slots for them to choose from, or let them swap time slots with another employee if they are unavailable.
Give free access to timetables
Not having access to one’s schedule at all times can lead to errors on the part of employees. Personnel management software offers an online space dedicated to teams, where they have unlimited access to their schedules. A good way to limit absences and delays due to scheduling errors.
Easily resolve scheduling conflicts
When you’re managing a team, you sometimes have to deal with a number of issues that can lead to employee dissatisfaction:
- Leave at the same time
- Overlapping events
- Last-minute changes
This is why a company needs to put in place an effective organizational procedure that takes into account employees’ new ways of working (flexible hours and telecommuting). HR management software is an effective tool for avoiding scheduling conflicts at work. They can be used to schedule employee tasks (meetings, events, appointments) and reserve offices or meeting rooms directly online. Staff have access to a private area where they can modulate their schedule and reserve their own slots for meetings or spaces (offices, conference rooms). This has the advantage of limiting internal conflicts.
Optimizing your work schedules is essential to improving your employees’ productivity. To create efficient schedules, you need to take into account employees’ needs and skills, as well as company constraints. Prioritizing tasks, creating flexible time slots and communicating schedules quickly all help to improve team satisfaction. A positive work environment is essential if you are to achieve your productivity targets, while ensuring the satisfaction of your employees.