In industries that rely on shift work, such as healthcare, hospitality, retail, and public services, managing rostering and staffing is a complex task. From assigning the right staff to shifts and ensuring adequate coverage to handling holidays, tracking absenteeism and morale, and keeping costs and productivity in check, there are numerous variables at play. Achieving the right balance can be challenging, as even minor mistakes can have significant consequences for a company.
This is where employee rostering comes in.
When done correctly, rostering has a profound impact on a company’s overall efficiency. It reduces absenteeism, maximizes productivity, improves the customer experience, and saves costs. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn everything you need to know about effective rostering.
What is rota management?
Rota management refers to the planning of shifts for your employees, similar to rostering. It involves considering factors such as staff availability, holidays, wellbeing, cover and on-call shifts, skills, and costs. The goal is to create a roster that ensures smooth operations for your business.
The drawbacks of traditional rostering
Traditionally, rostering was a manual process, with HR teams and department managers using spreadsheets to plan shifts. However, this approach is prone to mistakes due to the complexity of the task. These mistakes can lead to various issues, many of which are costly.
Here are some of the major problems associated with traditional rostering:
– Increased fatigue and stress among staff: Monitoring the number of hours worked, tracking absences, and arranging cover for breaks and holidays are crucial for staff wellbeing. Manual rostering makes it difficult to handle this data efficiently, especially with a large number of employees. Consequently, staff members may end up working excessive overtime or being unable to take adequate breaks, resulting in widespread fatigue and stress.
– Understaffing: Efficient business operations require effective and adaptable rosters. Unexpected events like staff sickness or severe weather conditions can necessitate changes to the roster. While an automated rostering system would promptly identify resource and staffing problems, manual rostering requires constant monitoring and adjustments. This can lead to issues with both under and overstaffing, negatively impacting immediate profits and the customer experience.
Why should you consider auto-rostering?
Auto-rostering, also known as e-rostering, refers to software that automates the rostering process for your company. These platforms make it easy to configure rotas that align with your shifting needs.
Here are some of the benefits of auto-rostering for your business:
– Save time and money: By automating time-consuming rostering tasks and reducing administrative workload, auto-rostering streamlines roster management. This frees up resources for other areas of your business. Moreover, it helps minimize the risk of under and overstaffing, providing real-time visibility of any changes to ensure you have the necessary resources. In addition to cost savings, appropriately staffed shifts enhance the customer experience, increasing the likelihood of referrals.
– Reduce absenteeism: Auto-rostering benefits both your business and your employees. It offers complete visibility of your staff’s working patterns and automatically highlights any issues, allowing you to ensure everyone is working the right amount of hours with sufficient breaks. By addressing issues related to fatigue, burnout, and stress, you can reduce the need for cover due to employee absences.
Experience industry-leading automatic rota management.
Managing rotas is a complex task, but it doesn’t have to be. With Nextra’s rostering platform, you can easily configure rotas with intelligent forecasting to meet projected demands. Efficiently manage shift costs, track absences, and identify and address problem areas, all while complying with working time regulations. Trust our rostering platform for dependable results.
