Good planning is invisible. When it works, no one notices. But when this is not the case, everything stops: stress increases, customers wait, costs increase. A smart schedule keeps you on track. This makes running the business as smooth as a well-oiled machine.
The best systems don't need constant adjustments. Once set up, they almost turn on their own. Managers should spend minutes on it, not hours. But this only works if the system manages the unexpected: job exchanges, requests for leave, absences due to illness. These situations are unavoidable. The challenge is to make them seem trivial, and not as crises.
In catering, this is even more crucial. The schedule determines the quality of the service. If it's done wrong, customers feel it. Managers need a flexible schedule. And it's difficult: it's not just about aligning availability, but about anticipating the future. The business varies, staff preferences change, life gets involved.
Whatever the size of your establishment, the goal is the same: the right people, in the right place, at the right time. When everything lines up, everything works: tasks are more efficient, customers are satisfied, and employees come to work more motivated.
1. Understanding business needs
Managing schedules effectively means finding the right balance between employee preferences and business needs. Respecting staff requests improves morale and reduces turnover. But the needs of the company remain a priority. When understaffed, managers will sometimes have to schedule employees to work less than ideal hours.
To plan well, managers need to understand what dictates personnel needs: seasonality, daily customer expectations, strengths of each employee, peak hours. By taking these factors into account, schedules become more accurate and reliable.
Maintaining an optimal staff level, not too much, not too few, is essential. Too many staff drives up costs, too few creates stress and hurts customer satisfaction. Forecasting demand and organizing schedules accordingly helps to avoid these problems.
Each restaurant has its own strong and quieter periods, depending on the hour, day, or month. Learning to manage this “load” reduces salary costs and builds confidence in the schedule and in the team.
2. Use planning software
If you're still using pen and paper to manage schedules, you're wasting time and valuable attention on bigger issues.
A software takes care of repetitive tasks: matching availability and schedules, tracking hours, exporting to payroll. It does it faster, with fewer mistakes. This frees up time for other priorities, like improving team morale or understanding why Tuesdays are always understaffed.
The best scheduling apps are like operating systems for your team. They centralize staff information, automate attendance, simplify the integration of new staff and collect feedback. A good app allows job exchanges without 50 messages, shows everyone where they need to be, and accurately predicts labor costs.
Tools like Pivot already offer:
- Reduction of scheduling conflicts
- Payroll automation
- Optimizing labor costs
- Integrated chat
- Multi-site planning with dashboard
3. Create schedules that are both predictable and flexible
People like to know when they're going to work. It allows them to organize their lives. But they also want flexibility because life is unpredictable.
Why predictability is important
Inconsistent schedules exhaust employees. They can't plan for childcare, a second job, or even dinner. In the long run, this leads to stress and turnover. Studies show that a stable schedule improves productivity and well-being.
How to add flexibility without creating chaos
Flexibility does not mean clutter. It's about giving employees a bit of control:
- Job rotation : everyone goes through less desirable hours, that's fair.
- Fixed hours : some prefer the same hours every week, this offers stability.
- Application for positions : employees choose their preferred slots; managers assign them according to preferences, seniority or performance.
The aim: to balance structure and autonomy, predictability and flexibility.
4. Take into account preferences and availability
Planning is more than just filling in boxes. It's respecting people's time. Ignoring availability leads to absences and frustrations. Respecting it creates trust and consistency.
Collect availability
Start by asking. Use simple forms or an app like Pivot to collect available and unavailable schedules. The objective: clear data, without complexity.
Manage requests fairly
Not everyone can have their Friday night. Set rules: “first come, first served”, rotation of unwanted hours, possibility of exchanging positions. The key: transparency.
Automate the process
Doing it by hand is unmanageable. A software tracks availability, detects conflicts, and proposes optimal schedules. Some tools even allow employees to choose or prioritize their schedules.
5. Communicate effectively
Uncertainty occurs when there is a lack of communication. If the schedule changes and no one knows it, chaos ensues. Clear and fast communication is essential.
Information loses value when it arrives too late. Fast updates allow the team to adapt and respond well.
Modern software sends push notifications or text messages. This ensures that everyone receives the changes on time and limits misunderstandings.
Regular communication creates a reliable environment. Employees have confidence in the system if they know they will be notified on time.
6. Don't wait until the last minute
Nothing stresses more than a last-minute schedule. Publishing it on a Friday to start on Monday plunges the team into a panic: change of plans, childcare, refusal of other opportunities. Over time, trust disappears.
Stress is increasing, turnover is increasing, job exchanges are also increasing, and the atmosphere is deteriorating.
Choose a fixed day (e.g. every Friday) to publish the schedule. Automate with a tool like Pivot that automatically sends reminders and posts. No need to rely on memory or goodwill.
A predictable schedule allows employees to get organized, and you to manage changes with peace of mind.
