It’s a new year and a fresh start. Given the upheaval COVID-19 caused in 2020, many people are seeking a new beginning.
Just like individuals find resolve after New Year’s Eve to better themselves, it’s wise to make resolutions for your business too. There are always ways to improve.
Restaurants across North America rely on employee scheduling software to create better work schedules for everyone on the team, but it also performs other crucial functions.
Reduced Labor Costs
As its name suggests, employee scheduling software creates weekly schedules for your entire staff. The schedules take 80% less time to produce while effortlessly meeting everyone’s needs by using automation and manual inputs from your teams.
Faster schedules alone save up to 3% in labor costs, historically one of a restaurant’s biggest expenses. It’s smart to use technology that keeps employees working on the tasks that matter. Pay your team to cook food and serve your customers, not figure out when they’ll be doing these things in the future.
To save your business even more grunt work, check out these tips for running payroll in a time where businesses rely on digital technology to relay economic data to the government.
Communicate Seamlessly
In an era of rolling lockdowns, businesses need to keep in easy contact with their employees. In hectic, changing conditions, managers will love having a communication channel that stabilizes things and makes employees feel included.
Your employees will love being able to submit their work availability remotely via a digital calendar, instead of pencilling it into a crowded calendar when they’re physically at work. Employee scheduling software lets managers create private chats and group chats as needed, so staff are kept in the loop without getting bothered unnecessarily.
If a manager needs to find a last-minute replacement for a shift, they can post a group chat message. Everyone will see the message because they’ll get an email notification. Whoever is free can let their team know. This approach solves a problem before it can snowball into a crisis.
Modern Time Clocks
Employee scheduling software also has a modern time clock feature that saves restaurants money and keeps them in the know. Punch data will be secure and reliable because employees use a simple app that allows for quick reporting, too.
The modern time clock can prevent early sign-ins and automatically sign out employees after a shift if they have forgotten to do so themselves. Digital time clocks ensure restaurants don’t pay staff for hours they aren’t working — this is fair, as it upholds the agreed-upon schedule.
To that end, employee scheduling software also helps ensure that employees get the breaks they’re entitled to and that restaurants comply with all labor laws. Managers receive alerts if they’re about to slot an employee in an overtime shift, which helps distribute shifts evenly, keeps employees fresh, and saves the restaurant from unnecessary labor costs.
New Year’s resolutions can help when the goals are productive, attainable, and seen through to the end. If your restaurant is one of the many that could use a boost at the start of this new year, employee scheduling software is an excellent place to start.
