Faced with a shortage of job applicants and damaging quit rates among shift workers, fast-food restaurants are embracing flexible scheduling to motivate employees to stay.
In an industry survey, approximately 70% of over 900 restaurant managers reported adopting flexible scheduling to improve employee retention in a competitive labor market. This was followed by 53% raising wages and 36% adopting employee recognition programs. According to the survey by 7shifts, more than 1 in 4 offered new career development opportunities.
Flexible scheduling used to be a nightmare for managers, requiring hours of planning to assemble a workable schedule and near-constant availability for shift changes and absences. Now, however, technology has made both processes far more efficient. Here are a few tips on adopting flexible schedules.
Use Scheduling Software
This technology sharply reduces the time managers must spend building shift schedules. It also helps supervisors manage time off and allows employees to see their schedule online from anywhere as soon as it is complete, helping them better manage their lives off work. The most common tech tools shiftwork managers use are Connecteam, Deputy, When I Work, and 7shifts.
Allow Employees Flexibility
Some managers build a schedule based on labor demand and let employees choose the shifts they prefer. This enables workers to manage their off-work responsibilities more smoothly, reducing conflicts and increasing retention. One employee in the 7shifts survey said she loved being notified when her schedule was set, seeing who she would be working with, and dropping or picking up shifts easily.
Avoid Short-Notice Scheduling
While a just-in-time approach may work fine when ordering paper towels or fresh fish, it is a non-starter when scheduling today’s workforce. Unpredictable shift schedules make managing other responsibilities nearly impossible, including child care, commuting, and school and family schedules. Giving employees advance notice of their shifts and avoiding creating on-call shifts can sharply improve employee satisfaction. According to one study, turnover dropped by nearly 40% when managers stopped scheduling employees with less than 72 hours’ notice.
