How are you making your schedules

I’m thinking about changing how we do our scheduling. We’ve been doing it the same way for decades and it’s worked well enough, but I feel like its something that causes some headaches that could be prevented. We operate on a fixed schedule, it remains the same until someone leaves and creates holes. I feel like this works well for our managers but not for our other staff, particularly younger folks who don’t like to make big commitments. If someone wants a shift off then they have to get someone to cover or come to me or a manager if they can’t find coverage and we find someone or work harder ourselves.

How does your scheduling work? Do you keep managers on the same days every week? How often do you change your staff’s schedules?

I have used a fixed schedule for more than 14 years. The employment standards require a specific number of days for vacation, These days must be booked off at least two weeks in advance and do not require the employee to find a replacement. All other time off the employee must find someone to cover their shift or they don’t get the time off. The ones who are always wanting to drop shifts don’t last long. Those who won’t cover shifts for others usually won’t find people to cover for them.