THE ART OF SCHEDULING

Flex-scheduling, peak periods, and the need to customize “job hours” for people with special skills is an increasing challenge. Most supervisors, especially those who utilize part-timers, often prepare weekly printed schedules and post them on a bulletin board. Once printed and posted, the schedule becomes set. Changes are permitted only under exceptional circumstances.

Obviously, restaurants, fast-food operations, retail stores, and organizations that are open extended and irregular hours are presented with the greatest challenge.

Frank operates his highly successful cafe with five full-timers and twenty part-timers. To simplify his scheduling, Frank posts a weekly schedule listing the hours to be worked by each employee. If a part-timer needs to be absent for a shift, it is the employee's responsibility to get a replacement from the total list of available part-timers provided, with telephone numbers, by Frank. Frank claims his system works 95 percent of the time and requires a minimum amount of supervision.

Like Frank, most organizations, using their computer capabilities, develop and execute work schedules and patterns to meet their own peculiar needs. Although some supervisors delegate this function, they recognize that the responsibility remains with them and that some flexibility is necessary to keep motivated employees.