Leaders Manage Employee Work Schedules Chapter 6 Leaders Manage Employee Work Schedules

Learning Objectives • Explain the need for effective work schedules. After completing this chapter, you should be able to: • Explain the need for effective work schedules. • Discuss basic procedures for determining budgeted labor cost. • Describe how to create a master schedule. • Explain how to develop a crew schedule. • Describe procedures for distributing and adjusting the crew schedule.

Learning Objectives continued: After completing this chapter, you should be able to: • Identify common practices helpful for monitoring employees during work shifts. • Explain methods for analyzing after-shift labor information. • Review basic concerns in developing work schedules for managers.

The Need For Effective Work Schedules

Determining Budgeted Labor Cost

Creating a Master Schedule

Sales History Information Sales Forecasts Trends

Customer Service Needs

The Master Schedule and the Budget

Developing A Crew Schedule Communication and Crew Schedules

Time-Off Requests Vacation Requests

Day-Off Requests

Family and Medical Leave Act Employee Absence Policy

Other Scheduling Concerns Using Employees Effectively Building Flexibility into the Schedule Scheduling Minors Paying Overtime Planning Fair and Reasonable Schedules

More about Crew Schedules

Distributing and Adjusting the Crew Schedule Distribution of Crew Schedules

Adjustments to Crew Schedules Cross-Training Employees Identifying Shift Leaders Using Floaters

Monitoring Employees during a Shift

Analyzing After-Shift Labor Information

Work Schedules for Managers

1. Explain the need for effective work schedules. Managers must schedule the right number of employees in the right positions at the right times to produce products and services meeting quality standards. They must do so while not exceeding budgeted labor cost standards.

2. Discuss basic procedures for determining budgeted labor cost. An approved operating budget indicates how much can be spent for waged labor. This amount can be used to determine the average daily wage and the average waged hours per day and week. Managers should schedule waged hours in a way that will not exceed these allowable hours.

3. Describe how to create a master schedule. A master schedule allows managers to determine the number of employees needed in each position and the total hours that persons in these positions should work. Information used to develop a master schedule includes sales history data, sales projections, and current trends.

4. Explain how to develop a crew schedule. A crew schedule is prepared with the general information in the master schedule. Guidelines must be in place for employees to request time off for vacations and other days off. Planners must also know requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and employees must follow policies when unable to work. Managers must consider how to use employees effectively, how to build flexibility into crew schedules, and how to schedule minors. Overtime should not be scheduled.

5. Describe procedures for distributing and adjusting the crew schedule. Crew schedules should be distributed on a timely basis. Posting on an employee bulletin board, including with paychecks, and using email and intranet are some ways to distribute the schedule.

6. Identify common practices helpful for monitoring employees during work shifts. Managers should emphasize the need to meet sales, production, and service goals during line-up meetings, coaching, and routine meetings. Managing by walking around and careful observation of employees, food quality, and service levels are all important.

7. Explain methods for analyzing after-shift labor information. Managers should compare the number of labor hours scheduled with the actual hours worked. When actual labor hours exceed planned hours, corrective action is often necessary.

8. Review basic concerns in developing work schedules for managers. Salaried managers can have scheduled hours, although they may work longer than waged employees. These schedules can include “on-call” alternatives so most managers will not be interrupted during their personal time. Management schedules should ensure that at least one manager is on duty whenever employees are working in the establishment.

Key Terms: Contingency plan A document that outlines actions to take in the event of an emergency or an unexpected event. Crew schedule A chart that informs employees who receive wages about the days and hours they are expected to work during a specific time period. Cross-training Training an employee to do work that is not normally part of his or her position. Employee absence policies Guidelines and procedures that explain how employees must tell managers if they are unable to work. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) A federal law that sets minimum wage, overtime pay, equal pay, recordkeeping, and child-labor standards for covered employees. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) A federal law that allows eligible employees to take off an extended amount of time for medical and other personal reasons; it applies to businesses employing 50 or more persons.

Key Terms continued: Floater An employee who can perform more than one job on a regular basis. Fringe benefits Money paid indirectly in support of employees for purposes such as vacation, holiday pay, sick leave, and health insurance. Labor cost The money and fringe benefit expenses paid to the employees for the work they do. Line-up meeting A brief training session held before a work shift begins. Management schedule A schedule that shows days and times managers are expected to work. Master schedule A schedule that allows managers to determine the number of employees needed in each position and the total hours that persons in these positions should work.

Key Terms continued: No-show An employee who, when scheduled to work, neither tells the manager he or she will not work nor reports for his or her assigned shift. Overtime (legal) The number of hours of work, usually 40, after which an employee must receive a premium pay rate. Point-of-sale (POS) system A system that collects information about revenue, number of customers, menu items sold, and a wide range of other information that is helpful for management decision making. Salary A fixed amount of money for a certain time period that does not vary, regardless of the number of hours worked. Sales forecast Estimates of future sales based on sales history information. Sales history Information about the number of customers who have visited the establishment on different days in previous weeks that can be used to forecast customer counts for future dates.

Key Terms continued: Scheduling The process of determining which employees will be needed to serve the expected number of customers during specific times. Shift leader An employee who receives wages and, in addition to his or her regular tasks, trains new employees, answers work-related questions, and performs other functions assigned by managers. Time-off request policy The procedures and guidelines that employees should follow when they want time off from work. Variance The difference between a budgeted expense and an actual expense. Wages Monetary compensation for employees who are paid on the basis of the number of hours they work.

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