3 Reasons to Consider an Availability-Based Scheduling Model
Let’s be honest: for store managers and shift supervisors, creating the perfect weekly schedule is a game of broken telephone that nobody actually wants to play. You’re constantly juggling forecasted foot traffic, staff skill levels, and budget constraints while the requests keeps filling up faster than you can assign shifts. But here’s the kicker: the most important element often gets cast aside: your hourly employees’ actual availability.
In this article
- How does flexible scheduling improve frontline retention?
- Bring scheduling availability to the forefront
- Can better scheduling tools reduce absenteeism and no-shows?
- How does automated scheduling help store managers?
- Ready to revolutionize your frontline?
How does flexible scheduling improve frontline retention?
It’s not just an operational headache; it’s a retention killer.
According to internal WorkJam data, 68% of managers feel that the hardest part of scheduling is matching shifts to employee needs. On the flip side, 60% of workers say finding a job that fits their lifestyle is the hardest part of the job hunt.
Instead of just managing schedules, companies (and their staff) would benefit from a fresh, holistic approach to the staffing paradigm.
The short answer: When you align business needs with the personal lives of your staff, they stay longer.
The details: Employees who consistently receive schedules that clash with their personal obligations (or second jobs) are the first to walk out the door. Not to mention the stress and tension that comes up whenever an employee has to ask their manager directly for a shift change. Once is fine, but if it becomes a recurring conversation, neither party looks forward to it.
But these interactions don’t have to be awkward. They don’t even need to take place at all with a unified digital operating system working to support your employees and managers on the frontline of your business.
Flexible shift scheduling means your employees can trade shifts with a few taps of a button on their device without having to take time away from a busy manager.
Bring scheduling availability to the forefront
By making it easy for employees to swap shifts in an open shift marketplace, you create a culture of respect. When you use tools that allow employees to input their true availability and swap shifts without friction, you retain an experienced workforce that knows your standards.
- The Win: Employees and managers are on the same page from day one, attrition drops, and customer service scores rise.
“Flexibility in pay and flexibility in work schedules were two things we heard loud and clear from our hourly workforce.”
Can better scheduling tools reduce absenteeism and no-shows?
The short answer: Yes. Shift conflicts are the #1 cause of accidental absenteeism; preventing them prevents empty shifts.
The details: When employers aren’t sensitive to availability, conflicts occur, and people just don’t show up. WorkJam research indicates that nearly half of all managers (46%) report frequent understaffing issues. An understaffed store means frustrated customers, stressed teams, and blown overtime budgets.
Shift conflicts are inevitable, but they are also preventable. By equipping your staff with a “sense and respond” loop—where they can instantly communicate availability changes or pick up open shifts via a mobile app—you simplify the process.
- The Win: You stop scrambling to fill gaps last minute, and your team stops stressing about missing work.
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How does automated scheduling help store managers?
The short answer: It lets them win back time so they can focus on customers, not spreadsheets.
The details: Adhering to an availability-based scheduling model gives as much relief to management as it does to hourly workers. Nearly 25% of store leaders cite scheduling mechanics (trades, swaps, edits) as the most draining part of their job.
When you use a digital frontline workplace to automate these swaps (based on rules you set), managers stop being “schedule police.” Employees exert control by initiating their own swaps, and the software ensures they are qualified and not hitting overtime.
- The Win: Managers spend less time in the back office nursing headaches and more time on the floor driving sales.
Ready to revolutionize your frontline?
Service company managers shouldn’t have to dread making schedules, and employees shouldn’t be on pins and needles waiting for shift assignments they can’t fulfill.
With the right technology in place and a few process changes, stores that bring availability to the forefront of the scheduling cycle can realize a number of business advantages, including:
- Higher retention rates: Employees who consistently receive schedules that don’t gel with their personal obligations and other jobs are more likely to leave, sticking employers with the time and cost burdens of hiring and retraining replacements. Companies that prioritize employee availability early on (i.e., during the hiring process) can retain a more experienced workforce that complements their operational needs and standards, resulting in better customer service. When both sides are on the same page from day one, the chance of employee attrition due to misaligned shifts drops dramatically.
- Fewer no-shows and understaffing: When employers are not sensitive to their employee’s availability, shift conflicts occur, leading to absenteeism. WorkJam’s study found that almost half of managers (46%) report that their locations are frequently or sometimes understaffed. As any manager knows, an understaffed store results in un-served customers, elevated overtime expenses, and lower employee morale. Shift conflicts and last minute changes are an inevitable part of managing a team, but they’re also preventable. By equipping supervisors and staff with tools that make it easier to communicate availability, employers can simplify the scheduling process and improve overall attendance.
- Happier and more productive managers: Adhering to an availability-based scheduling model gives as much relief to management as it does to hourly workers. Almost one-quarter of service company store managers and team leaders cite scheduling tasks (e.g., creating schedules and facilitating shift changes or trades) as the most dissatisfying part of their jobs. When managers assign shifts based on employee input, they spend less time (and nurse fewer headaches) building and tweaking schedules.
Spreading these responsibilities equally both empowers hourly workers and frees managers to focus on more customer-facing tasks. Adopting an availability-based scheduling model lets both sides breathe easier. It’s time to future-proof your operations. WorkJam your workforce and turn scheduling from a game of broken telephone into a competitive advantage.
Ready to learn how WorkJam can transform your frontline team’s productivity?
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