High-Quality Scheduling: A Key Driver of Staff Well-Being

Scheduling may seem simple as filling time slots, but the reality is far more complex, and many organizations still struggle to make schedules that work for both operations and staff. If you haven’t seen it yet, findings from the American Job Quality Study show that 62% of their worker respondents report lacking a high-quality schedule, meaning limited notice, unstable hours, and little control over scheduling. 

If scheduling continues to be a pain point for your team, you’re in the right place. Find out how high-quality scheduling improves staff well-being and the best practices for impactful staff scheduling in this post.

What Is Scheduling?

Scheduling is how you plan who works where and when during a shift. You know it’s done right when the right people are in the right roles, timelines are clear, and last-minute changes are rare. Whenever possible, it can also include staff input, such as preferred shifts and availability, or even swap requests.

How High-Quality Scheduling Improves Staff Well-Being

It doesn’t take an HR expert to recognize that scheduling can shape employee experience, including their well-being. Below, we explore how high-quality scheduling directly improves worker well-being.

1. Increases Work Predictability

Did you know predictable scheduling plays a major role in worker health and well-being? Predictability is a core element of effective scheduling. When employees know their shifts in advance, they can plan around personal life, childcare, or other commitments and prepare themselves mentally and physically. Beyond helping with planning, predictable schedules give peace of mind, support better sleep, and ultimately improve overall well-being.

2. Ensures Fair Workload

Burnout is a key factor affecting staff well-being, and it’s becoming increasingly common, with job burnout reported at 66%. There are many causes of burnout in the modern workplace, one of which is uneven workload. High-quality scheduling helps mitigate this. Effective scheduling ensures that shifts are planned according to availability, skills, and current work responsibilities, making workloads fairer and easier to manage.

Looking to reduce burnout in event management? Make sure to check out this post. 

3. Allows Control and Autonomy 

Here’s something many don’t typically realize: work-related autonomy is strongly linked to better mental health. When staff have a say over their schedules and control over how and when they work, stress decreases, and well-being improves. 

At present, various tactics are used to promote autonomy at work, and high-quality scheduling is one of them. By enabling employees to give input on their shifts, you signal that they have control over their work. Clear schedules also allow them to manage their tasks confidently and independently without relying on constant supervision or reminders.

4. Improves Team Relationships 

According to study findings, a positive workplace relational system is a key factor in shaping the overall work environment. Strong team relationships can be tough to build. Thankfully, high-quality scheduling helps. With predictable shifts, clear roles, and chances to coordinate with teammates, staff enjoy fewer conflicts, better communication, and stronger collaboration.

5. Promotes Pay and Job Security

If you want to boost employee well-being, you need to promote pay and job security. If you haven’t heard, adults with higher job security are far less likely to experience serious psychological distress or anxiety. In addition to formal contracts and benefits, high-quality scheduling can reinforce pay and job security. Predictable schedules give employees consistent hours and income they can depend on. This, in turn, promotes pay and job security, reduces financial stress, and builds confidence and peace of mind.

Best Practices for High-Quality Scheduling 

High-quality scheduling doesn’t just happen by chance; it requires intention and planning. Here are four essential best practices to make high-quality scheduling easier and more achievable.

1. Plan Ahead With Predictive Scheduling

Predictive scheduling is a method or approach of planning staff shifts based on data. Depending on the staffing requirements, it can suggest what staff are needed, how many, and when, so managers can allocate resources efficiently and accurately. 

Implementing predictive scheduling starts with analyzing historical staffing data, including employee availability, shift performance, and seasonal workload trends. Using this information, identify patterns to determine who should work when and how many staff are needed, then create the schedule. Finalize it and share it clearly with staff.

2. Use Employee Scheduling Software

In today’s tech-driven workplaces, scheduling software is widely seen as a must-have. Employee scheduling software helps you create, adjust, and share staff schedules in real time. Like many software solutions, scheduling software can vary in functionalities and how you operate it. Make sure to choose one that fits your team’s workflow, is easy to use, and supports the way you manage shifts.

3. Consult Staff on Their Preferred Schedule

When making schedules, it’s natural to maximize staff usage for operational efficiency, but if possible, consult your staff about their preferred shifts. As we have mentioned earlier, autonomy boosts employee well-being, and asking for schedule preferences is one simple way to support it. Additionally, asking for staff’s preferred schedule can reduce conflict and keep scheduling more realistic and suitable for every staff member.

4. Minimize Last-Minute Shift Changes

Last-minute shift changes happen, especially in fast-paced organizations, but they can disrupt staff schedules. It’s crucial to minimize them as much as possible. When creating a schedule, start by analyzing historical staffing trends to anticipate busy periods and potential gaps, so your schedule requires minimal edits. Encourage staff to share their availability and preferences, and advise them to avoid last-minute changes. If resources allow, consider offering rewards for staff who stick to their shifts. Cross-training employees and maintaining a small pool of backup staff can also help handle unexpected changes.

Want to make staff scheduling easier and more effective? Here are six additional tips.

Make Staff Scheduling More Effective With StaffConnect

One of the smartest scheduling hacks for event staff scheduling? Using software like StaffConnect.

StaffConnect is an all-in-one staff management tool that makes scheduling simpler than ever. Boasting of its shared calendar, smart availability tracking, and automated staff recommendations, it cuts back-and-forth emails, prevents double bookings, and gets the right people in the right roles. Real-time email and push notifications also keep you ahead of last-minute changes. 

Book your free demo today to learn more about StaffConnect features that make staff management more seamless and effective!