Tips & Techniques

Scheduling tips and best practices

Custom Fields – the junk drawer of your employee scheduling database

Just ask anyone which drawer in the home is the most valuable, and you are likely to hear, “the junk drawer, of course!” That little eyeglass screwdriver, a paperclip, the mailbox key, and a replacement watch battery…all of these are really necessary exactly when you need them, and none of them has its own storage place, so we keep all… Read More »Custom Fields – the junk drawer of your employee scheduling database

When to use Snap Schedule Copy Assignments and Auto Schedule features

“I am trying to set up a schedule that will work for several months. Should I use the Copy Assignments feature or the Auto Schedule feature?” Snap Schedule and Premium are flexible, perpetual calendar scheduling tools that allow you to create an employee work schedule that meets your immediate needs and then to extend that schedule over a long period… Read More »When to use Snap Schedule Copy Assignments and Auto Schedule features

Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hour shifts for 18 employees

“I am trying to devise a shift pattern that involves employees working 8-hour day, swing, & night shifts covering 24/7 operations, with 18 employees at two sites (not too many overlaps).We require 2 employees per shift at each location per shift and employees should not average more than 40 hours per week. Also, an employee should work no more than… Read More »Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hour shifts for 18 employees

Review of Work Schedules

Snap Schedule employee scheduling software speeds up complex scheduling tasks by providing over 30 pre-defined work schedules. This article reviews those pre-defined work schedules and how they are used. Work schedules are typically identified by their shift length, shift pattern, and average work hours per week. The right shift length will depend on the type of operations, work environment, and… Read More »Review of Work Schedules

Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hr shifts on weekdays, 12 hr shifts on weekends

“We operate 24/7 and use 8 hour shifts on weekdays and 12 hour shifts on weekends. I have 1 employee who works the Day shift Monday through Friday. I need a schedule for my remaining 3 employees to fill in the other shifts.” First we’ll note that we have a total of 14 shifts to distribute throughout the week between… Read More »Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hr shifts on weekdays, 12 hr shifts on weekends

Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 12 hr shifts, staff with only night availability

“My fire department has 9 full-time employees and 5 volunteer employees. My volunteer employees can only work night shifts. I need a work schedule with 4 employees on the day and night shift each, 24/7. I also don’t want my employees to average more than 50 hours per week.” We first draw attention to the fact that there are 28 night shifts… Read More »Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 12 hr shifts, staff with only night availability

Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hr shifts, at least 4 days off over a 7 week period

“I have a 24/7 manufacturing operation with three 8 hour shifts. I have 20 employees and need to have 5 employees per shift. My employees need at least one stretch of at least 4 days off during a 7 week period.  To be fair, employees need to rotate between three shifts.” Because of the need for a stretch of 4… Read More »Employee Scheduling Example: 24/7, 8 hr shifts, at least 4 days off over a 7 week period