How to plan staff shifts

Every restaurant owner knows that drawing up staff shifts can sometimes be a breeze, but at other times it can feel like a real struggle.

Between fluctuating footfall, individual preferences and legal requirements, planning staff schedules can prove to be a real headache. Let’s look at some ways to make this daily task easier for you.

What to look out for when planning schedules

A poorly designed schedule can quickly lead to problems with understaffing and overstaffing. It is therefore strongly recommended that you follow a clear, tried-and-tested method that you can rely on every month.

Anticipate changes in footfall

Whether footfall is declining or increasing, it is essential to adjust your staffing levels in line with these changes. Otherwise? You will end up with either too many staff or too few. In either case, this can have serious consequences for your business.

To anticipate lulls and peaks in visitor numbers, base your planning on concrete data such as public holidays and school holidays, your historical data, local events, weather conditions, or even bookings already made!

Example: an international event is passing through your area this summer? Expect a wave of tourists! On the other hand, are the first two weeks of July set to be terribly rainy and are nearby campsites reporting a wave of cancellations? You’d be better off reducing your staff numbers.

Ensure a good balance across each team

When we talk about scheduling, we often think of timetables and staff numbers. But it’s also essential to ensure there’s a good balance between the kitchen, waiters, the bar and delivery staff. If any of these teams are understaffed, you can be sure that everything else will suffer from it.

This is also the time to ensure that everyone gets enough rest (both during the week and throughout the day). And that there isn’t a big gap at any point in the day: when one person is working, another is taking a break.

What tools should you use to plan staff rosters?

There is a whole host of solutions available: let’s take a look at the main categories on offer, from the most basic to the most sophisticated.

Physical displays

Surely one of the most traditional options available: physically displaying the rota (in the staff room or changing room, for example) is a practice that still persists in many restaurants.

Whether written by hand or created on a computer, many restaurant owners still use this method. The problem? Not only can staff easily miss a change, but it also means the schedule has to be rewritten or reprinted every time something needs to be altered.

This also applies to schedules sent via text message or email: an impractical solution in the long run.

A shared timetable, accessible on computers and mobile devices

The shared timetable is undoubtedly the logical evolution of the paper timetable. Created using an online tool and stored in a shared folder (such as OneDrive), it allows staff to view the schedule with just a few clicks.

Advantage: when a change is made, it is updated in real time on the shared schedule.

Disadvantage: employees are not necessarily informed of changes in a timely manner, and discussion options are very limited (especially when only the manager has editing rights).

A scheduling management software (or app)

At the moment, scheduling management software offers the most comprehensive solution available on the market. Just like a shared calendar, changes are applied and visible to everyone in real time. But the main advantage is that your employees are notified of these changes immediately, usually via a push notification on their phone, text message or email (depending on their preferences).

And that’s not all! This kind of software allows them to request additional shifts or days off directly from the app. And just like that, internal communication is made easier in the blink of an eye.

And for you, the restaurant manager, it goes a long way towards giving you a better overview of your business. You gain access to essential data on your employees’ working hours, which allows you to gradually improve their schedules.

Caspeco’s scheduling management software

We have the perfect solution for you! Caspeco’s scheduling management software brings together all the essential features for your business. It helps you plan intelligently, based on concrete data rather than guesswork.

Caspeco’s tool meets a simple need: to precisely manage the relationship between turnover and staff costs. At a glance, you can see turnover and staff costs hour by hour, along with clear graphs to help you make informed decisions.

Internal messaging, team availability, holiday requests, schedules… everything is brought together on a single interface. The result: fewer errors, less stress, and a much smoother-running operation.

And as a bonus: it even helps you easily distribute tips among your staff.

Caspeco’s restaurant scheduling software isn’t just designed to create schedules: it helps you manage your establishment with precision, peace of mind and efficiency.