By Erica Sunarjo, Contributor
The struggle is real. As the economy opens up everywhere, restaurants are facing shortages of workers. In fact, if you pass by any restaurant, you will see “Help Wanted” signs. As they attempt to attract and keep more employees, many restaurateurs are offering additional perks, such as hiring-on and referral bonuses.
But right now, restaurant owners and managers must work with the staff they have on hand. And restaurant staff scheduling to cover all shifts to handle an increasing flow of guests presents challenges never before faced.
So, exactly how can you build the best restaurant staff schedule? Here are tips and things to keep in mind to get it right.
Meet with Your Current Staff
You have to get a handle on your current staff availability. If you try to set restaurant employee schedules without their input, you will face nothing but objections and requests for changes. Then, you are back to the “drawing board,” trying to meet all of their individual needs. That’s a ton of unnecessary and avoidable stress and wasted hours better spent on other aspects of your business.
Here is what you can accomplish by meeting with your staff upfront:
You will have an exact record of the availability of each employee.
You will know which employees will be available for “emergency” call-ins when other employees may need to “call out” and what days and times they are available.
You may need to provide an additional incentive for employees who are willing to work longer shifts when necessary or to “fill in” in emergency situations.
The point is this: you want to ensure that you have a bank of employees who not only are scheduled to work when available but also to meet “fill-in” situations.
Publish the Restaurant Staff Schedule in Advance
Once you make sure that your staff knows how to read the schedule template you have chosen to use (don’t take this for granted), be certain that the schedule is provided at least a week in advance. This will allow them to review their assignments and “approve” them. Creating it further out is even better as it allows your staff to better plan their social life outside of work, and request adjustments before it becomes a major headache.
Be certain that you set a deadline for any assignment change requests – preferably within 24 hours so that you have plenty of time to make any necessary changes and get all shifts covered.
Restaurant Schedules Need to Meet Anticipated Customer Trends
Especially now, as post-COVID re-openings occur, you may have fewer tables placed further apart. This will limit the number of guests at any one time. But don’t just rely on your “gut feelings.” Be sure to look at historical trends for how busy your restaurant is during certain hours during certain days of the week during different months or seasons. It may not be 100% accurate in a post-COVID era, but it’s still a starting point for how your guests typically operate.
As you schedule employee shifts, have some backup staff that you can call in at the last minute. In this way, you can actually observe the trends of capacity at different times of the day and night and have enough staff available as needed. Be mindful also that a part of these trends will be those customers who continue to place take-out orders, and staff is still needed for that too.
Only by evaluating the trends over a period of time will you be able to get a better handle on your staff needs and develop staff scheduling that matches those needs. Is lunch traffic greater on certain days? Is the Sunday brunch crowd coming back? All of these things will need to be watched. Customers still expect great service. And your staff should not have to deal with the stress of an under-staffed restaurant when they are just adjusting to a re-opening.
Communicate Major Events Impacting Restaurant Staff Schedules
Nothing can be worse for employees to arrive for work to find a sign on the door that says “Temporarily Closed.” This was a common occurrence during this most recent pandemic, but it has also occurred at other times in the history of the industry. If you have to communicate such a horrible message to your employees, honor their feelings and their dignity by communicating this in advance.
You may not be the best at writing such a letter, but you can get help by finding the best paper writing service with pros who can craft a letter that is honest, forthright, gives the reasons for the event, and provides a truthful prediction of the future. If you are not sure where to go for such writing service, check out paper writing service reviews of companies that have business writing services. Chances are, they will have experts who can craft the perfect letter – one that shows your empathy, care, and concern.
Be certain that your staff receives this letter via email or text message well before the actual event. They have a right to know as far in advance as possible. Be prepared to revise your work schedules, as there may be employees who simply choose not to come in. And you must be physically present during this turbulent period to provide emotional support. When you re-open, they will be more willing to return to you, if you treat them right during this time.
Meeting the Challenge
Staff scheduling can be one of the biggest challenges for restaurant owners and managers, even under normal circumstances. It is especially so now, with re-openings of inside dining, along with the takeout and delivery options that customers still have. Taking these tips into account should help to meet some of these challenges.
About the Author
Erica Sunarjo is a researcher, writer, and blogger on all things of current interest. She also provides academic help to student clients of a term paper writing service. Her non-working environment includes keyboarding for a local band and subjecting her friends to gourmet cooking experiments.
