The Employee Schedule: A Secret Weapon for Attracting Talent

When it comes to finding hourly employees, employee referrals make all the difference. Happy employees are an evergreen recruiting strategy. And, there’s nothing that has a bigger impact on the employee experience at your company than the schedule.

Too many employers have reduced the schedule to nothing but a tool for higher profits. When the schedule becomes solely an operational task, far removed from the people and their time it manages, you are prone to unfair practices and schedule abuses. This does not help your employer brand.

Here are a few ideas to help you turn your employee schedule into a powerful talent magnet.

Share the Scheduling Responsibilities

Empower your team to help you create the best schedule possible by allowing them to update their availability whenever and wherever they want from their mobile device as life happens. Give them the flexibility they want to drop or swap shifts without requiring a supervisor’s approval. Sharing responsibility in this way gives them some ownership of the schedule. Your employees will love this and it will help them recruit their friends to work for you.

Post Your Schedule Earlier

Employees appreciate having advance notice when it comes to the schedule. Two weeks to a month in advance notice is ideal. A predictable schedule helps them plan and coordinate their lives and schedules outside of work. This is such a big issue that legislation has since passed and is currently being passed to try and create more predictable schedules.

Designate One Central Hub

It’s frustrating when internal communication is spread across tons of different channels. It makes it difficult to find and organize things. It’s no different with scheduling. Use a scheduling app as the ONE place for everything related to the schedule. When your employees have a question or need to make a change, they will know where to go. They’ll love the clarity and speed this provides.

Leverage Current Technology

Use modern scheduling software. You’ll love it and your employees will thank you. It makes collective scheduling easier. It provides self-service options for your employees. Everything stays current in real-time for dynamic and productive teams. It will be your central place for everything scheduling. Employees that love their scheduling app talk about it.

Regularly Seek Feedback About the Schedule

It’s amazing how helpful it can be just to solicit feedback from your employees after each week. Ask them how they liked their schedule and if they ran into any issues during the week. They will appreciate the fact that you even ask. An employee could be very unhappy about a shift they were assigned and you’d never even know it.

I have a friend who used to be a barista. Like clockwork, every week I spoke with them, they had been scheduled for that terrible shift they hated and complained about it. They were not happy. Finally, I asked them if they had ever told their manager. They paused and said, “Well, they’ve never asked.”

Your employees won’t just come out and tell you if they are unhappy with the schedule. Ask them about it.

Bottom Line

The experience your employees have is discussed inside and outside of your four walls. The schedule is a core management function of a business. It lays the foundation for the employee experience. Transform your schedule process and you will transform your employer brand. Use these tips to turn it into a tool to help you attract and hire the best talent.