As an employer, you have undoubtedly been confronted with conflicts between employees in your company. One of the most common issues is work schedules. Poor resource management, last-minute changes or overlapping events are often at the root of disagreements between employees. In the long term, this can have serious consequences for your company, tarnishing the good relations within your teams for good. Theuse of online scheduling software is an effective way of resolving scheduling conflicts. These tools enable you to distribute employees’ work loads more equitably and prevent disagreements more easily.
What are the most common types of time conflicts?
When conflicts arise between employees in a company, the first step is to identify the root cause of the problem. Disagreements over working hours are particularly common:
- Poor resource management: in some companies, employees have to share workspaces or specific equipment. When these resources are limited, it can happen that several employees position themselves at the same time to use equipment or a meeting room, which can lead to conflicts.
- Last-minute changes such as sick leave, accidents or delays can lead to urgent scheduling changes and disrupt an employee’s organization.
- Overlapping events: a member of staff is called upon to attend two meetings at the same time, or to carry out two different tasks in the same time slot.
- Ignorance of team preferences : everyone in a company has their own preferences when it comes to working hours. Some people prefer early mornings, while others prefer afternoon hours or flexible schedules. Failure to take employee preferences into account can lead to dissatisfaction and internal conflict.
- Informal exchange of time slots between employees : some companies offer their employees the opportunity to exchange time slots when necessary. When these changes are made unofficially (without informing the HR department), they can lead to mistakes or misunderstandings, and to conflicts between employees.
- Inconsistency between working hours and operational requirements: conflicts also arise when employees’ working hours do not correspond to the company’s operational needs (peak hours, periods of peak activity). This can lead to frustration and organizational problems.
How do you resolve conflicts over working hours?
Encouraging communication
Communication is the key to resolving scheduling conflicts. Encourage your staff to express themselves openly about their preferences, constraints and needs in terms of working hours. You can organize individual or group meetings to discuss potential problems and seek solutions that suit all employees.
Promoting flexibility
Offering greater flexibility in scheduling is often the key to resolving conflicts over working hours.Rotating schedules to balance employees’ work loads, or the possibility of modulating one’s hours, help maintain a good work-life balance.
Set up a resource reservation system
In the event of problems arising from poor management of company resources, it is essential to establish strict rules and schedules. Setting up a reservation or rotation system ensures equitable access to equipment and workspaces for all staff. Conflicts are thus considerably reduced.
Communicate schedules to employees quickly and efficiently
To limit disagreements linked to poor task management, it is essential to communicate work schedules to teams as soon as possible. The document specifies the hours and tasks assigned to each person. Delaying communication can disrupt the overall organization of a company or sector, and lead to misunderstandings. The law does not stipulate any mandatory deadline for submission. You should refer to your sector’s collective bargaining agreement to find out how schedules are to be transmitted. In all cases, employees must be informed of their schedule at least 7 days before the start of work.
Use management software to facilitate scheduling
Theuse of scheduling software is the best way to easily solve employee scheduling problems . These online tools automate the creation of staff schedules and design fair calendars for all employees. All you have to do is enter the company’s HR information:
- number of employees
- the time model defined by the employer (fixed or flexible hours)
- vacations and days off
- periods of low and high activity
- the period concerned (effective date of the schedule)
Based on this data, the software automatically generates schedules that meet the needs of the company and its staff. Employees have access to an online space, enabling them to interact with the HR department and quickly inform of any unavailability. Schedules can be easily modified in the event of absence or lateness, limiting internal conflicts and facilitating adjustments.
How do you create an effective work schedule?
The schedule is a personnel management tool for organizing employees’ working hours and tasks. When designed effectively, the document has the advantage of considerably limiting internal disagreements linked to work schedules.
Identify your company’s operational needs
To create an effective work schedule, you need to start by defining your company’s operational requirements. These are the human, material and logistical resources required to ensure the smooth running and productivity of the structure. Once identified, these elements will determine the general organization of the company: the time system, the distribution of tasks and employees’ working hours.
Check with employees to determine their availability
Gathering information from your teams on their time preferences and availability also helps to limit dissatisfaction and unforeseen events. You can do this by organizing meetings or individual interviews. Fostering good communication and taking employees into account when designing schedules is a good way of avoiding disagreements and misunderstandings.
Greater flexibility and fairness in working hours
Giving staff the chance to swap schedules
Some companies offer employees the possibility of swapping time slots in the event of unavailability. This system gives employees greater flexibility and autonomy. To avoid conflicts, it must be supervised by a human resources manager, who will be informed in advance of any changes made.
Set up a flexible schedule
Setting up a flexible schedule is a particularly effective way of limiting disagreements linked to poor distribution of working hours. The rotating schedule is a system consisting of random time slots that alternate each week. Employees systematically “rotate” to distribute tasks more evenly. A good way to prevent work fatigue and overload.
Respect employees’ legal working hours
Employers are subject to laws governing employee working hours. Compliance with these rules guarantees employee well-being and safety. Among them is the obligation not to exceed 8 hours of daily work and 38 hours of weekly work.
Automate schedule management with online tools
The best way to reconcile the needs of a company and the requirements of its employees is toautomate the design of schedules. HR management software makes it easy to create schedules. They offer modular tables to prevent unavailability or last-minute changes, and facilitate communication between employees and employers.
Several online options enable teams to book slots directly to take advantage of company resources (workspaces or equipment). They also have unlimited access to their calendar, making it easier for them to organize their personal lives.
Scheduling software allows employees to indicate their preferred working hours. It can also take into account individual constraints such as medical appointments or family commitments. Based on this information, the software generates schedules that meet staff needs, reducing scheduling conflicts and improving overall satisfaction.
By visualizing employee availability, managers can quickly identify any incompatibilities and take preventive measures to resolve them. This avoids last-minute changes and reduces the frustration of sudden changes.
Conflicts over working hours are not uncommon in any company. Overlapping events, poor resource management or inconsistencies in working hours are often the cause of disagreements. This can have an impact on the general atmosphere among employees. To prevent internal conflicts, the employer has no choice but todesign efficient and flexiblework schedules. The use of scheduling software is the best way to meet staff requirements while taking into account the company’s needs. These tools facilitate the creation of schedules and prevent potential disagreements between employees.