Article

8 tips for heading off holiday scheduling stress

Increased traffic coupled with more requests for time off can add up to scheduling stress. Check out these tips for reducing the stress.

November 26, 2014 by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

Navigating holiday scheduling can be a nightmare for restaurant managers.

Just about the time holiday shoppers start crowding in and catering orders start picking up, employees request time off to spend time with families and friends.

"When restaurants are incredibly busy and understaffed, schedules become inflexible and hourly workers can’t take off when they need to for family obligations. Instead, they just leave," said David Cantu, chief revenue officer for Red Book Connect. "The remaining staff often get burned out as they take on additional shifts to make enough money to cover holiday expenses. After that, they quickly leave as soon as their bills are paid."

Here are some tips for holiday schedule planning:

Be upfront. Set clear expectations with black out dates that are publicized well in advance, advised Jenny Lathem, communications and events specialist for PeopleMatter.

Also stress the accountability each member has to the team, and to the business.

"The holiday season presents even more external scheduling conflicts for your staff and as a result can lead to more call-outs and no-shows at work," said Kim Costa, job coach for Snagajob. "Create awareness that individual actions impact the larger team and by not showing up at work, they are negatively impacting the overall success of the business."

Be human.Think about how you would want to be treated, and treat your staff members the same way. Talk to staff members about their needs, and try your best to accommodate those needs when you are scheduling.

"The more freedom and flexibility you provide to your team members, the more likely they are to a) stay, b) do a good job for you and c) become a an ambassador for your brand," said Cantu.

Don't assume. Not everyone wants time off during the holidays, points out Cantu. Some are looking for opportunities to pick up extra shifts. Just be sure to distribute those extra shifts even handedly among those who are seeking them.

Don't overstaff."The key to profitable holiday scheduling is to closely monitor your labor costs as a percentage of sales," said Lathem. Use historical data as a guide. Scheduling too many people will eat into profits.

Watch the turnaround shift.Scheduling an employee to close, then open the next morning can make for grumpy staff and less than stellar customer service, said Cantu. Try to avoid asking workers to show up less than 10 hours from their last shift.

Balance the load.Make sure that your strongest, most reliable team members are being spread out where they are needed, but don't overburden them, said Cantu.

This is a good time to team up "seasoned" workers with seasonal staff and encourage leadership potential, said Costa.

"Why not use the season as an opportunity to recognize leadership potential in your current staff?" she said. "You may just be surprised at the emerging management-level talent you already have on staff."

Be flexible. If it's busier than you thought it would be, call in reinforcements. If it's slow, let staff go home early.

"The key here is to set that expectation of adding and letting people go on the fly early on so your people are not surprised or expecting to be paid one thing, only to get something else," said Lathem.

Celebrate.Cultivate team spirit, and encourage employees to spread the holiday cheer.

"Scheduling during the holiday season can be a stressful task for even the most successful restaurant operators, but taking a 'we're in this together' approach with your staff and being as transparent as possible with scheduling will make for a happier staff and happier holiday for all," said Costa.

Image courtesy of Pixaby.

About Brenda Rick Smith

---

Brenda has more than 20 years of experience as a marketing and public relations professional. She invested most of her career telling the story of entrepreneurial non-profit organizations, particularly through social media.

Connect with Brenda Rick: